This is huge: *current* liquid water on Mars.

[Gawdzilla Sama]

One step closer to making Mars viable for habitation then.

True, you can move ice in open trucks there, so the water situation seems to be resolved. Once we distill out the perchlorates, that is.

[Hakurei Reimu]

I wouldn't mind a nice steaming cup of perchlorates...

Wait, you're talking about coffee, right? ;-)

[Unbeliever]

Living on Mars is going to be a lot tougher than is generally believed:


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[Gawdzilla Sama]

Tell it to Columbus, Magellan, etc.

[Unbeliever]

Tell them what, exactly?

[Gawdzilla Sama]

Tell them what, exactly?

Going to the New World is a terrible idea.

[Hydra009]

Living on Mars is going to be a lot tougher than is generally believed:

Yeah, but ya gotta start somewhere.  If humanity doesn't take these first few steps out, we might never leave the cradle.  No rush or anything, but have you noticed how unstable things are at home?  What happens when the unthinkable happens?

[Unbeliever]

We're too late. We can't possibly colonize Mars soon enough to save any significant fraction of Earth's biosphere. And we'd need the biosphere, we can't just haul a bunch of humans to Mars and expect them to survive.

[Hydra009]

We're too late. We can't possibly colonize Mars soon enough to save any significant fraction of Earth's biosphere. And we'd need the biosphere, we can't just haul a bunch of humans to Mars and expect them to survive.

I'm not talking full terraforming and Noah's Ark-ing the Earth, I'm just talking about have a small but permanent presence outside the Earth.  Think ISS just a lot further away.

Just the simple act of seriously attempting to make it happen might trigger some profound changes on Earth.  International cooperation.  Prioritizing science again.  Spinoff technologies like you wouldn't believe.  Looking towards the future with hope again.

And it all starts with a small step for man.

[Unbeliever]

Sounds good, I just think it's too optimistic. If we had a colony on Mars it could not be made self-sustaining. If the Earth were to be unable to send supplies, etc. on a regular basis the colony would die. It may not be long before the civilizations of earth will collapse, making it impossible to sustain a Mars colony.

But I'm a pessimist, so I could be wrong.

[Mike Cl]

Maybe it would be a good first step to put a permanent settlement on the moon first.  Work out some bugs and then think of Mars. 

[Unbeliever]

That's an idea that may work. It seems the height of hubris to think Mars is the next step, when we've barely even been to the Moon. That's why God put it there, after all!

[Gawdzilla Sama]

On both the Moon and Barsoom we may be living in old lava tubes. Practice on Luna so we don't have to guess on Mars.

[Baruch]

One step closer to making Mars viable for habitation then.

Is that you, Elon?  I am not sure even fleeing that far will help you escape your fraud.

[Baruch]

Tell it to Columbus, Magellan, etc.

They had air and water aplenty, and plants and animals, when they arrived.