A human colony on Mars should be a point well along the way to a goal of having a complete self sustaining Martian supply chain.
We should approach this in stages, starting with the basics. A government funded, fully documented, publicly disclosed second supply chain for everything. Starting with dirt in the ground to finished materials. Materials, crops, electronics, the whole network of supplies and suppliers. Every single bit if this network should be documented and stored in the archives of that network.
We could then start a 3rd network with the goal of miniaturizing it, reducing complexity, and especially the physical volume of the entire system. Ideally, in the distant future, it could be reduced to a Von Neuman probe.
I think if we do that homework here a few times, we can then see if it could be implemented in other places on earth, in Antarctica, Above the "death line" in the Himalayas, etc.
It's my strong belief that having a true backup to human life on Mars requires this homework first. Then again on the Moon, then finally on Mars and other destinations.
Take something fundamental, food? Now you need water, fertilizers and light. Okay, so either you have greenhouses or vertical farming. Either case you need some fertilizers, production of these could probably be done, just need to find inputs. Water is simple enough if you don't loose too much of it.
Light is big question. Go with leds or grow lamps, how do you make those and power for them? And by make I mean all components needed. And all components used to make stuff that makes them and so on. Not to forget generating the electricity.
We should approach this in stages, starting with the basics. A government funded, fully documented, publicly disclosed second supply chain for everything. Starting with dirt in the ground to finished materials. Materials, crops, electronics, the whole network of supplies and suppliers. Every single bit if this network should be documented and stored in the archives of that network.
We could then start a 3rd network with the goal of miniaturizing it, reducing complexity, and especially the physical volume of the entire system. Ideally, in the distant future, it could be reduced to a Von Neuman probe.
I think if we do that homework here a few times, we can then see if it could be implemented in other places on earth, in Antarctica, Above the "death line" in the Himalayas, etc.
It's my strong belief that having a true backup to human life on Mars requires this homework first. Then again on the Moon, then finally on Mars and other destinations.