Mars exploration has a wide presence in literature and movies which in turn backs Elon's (and Mars One etc.) grift. It is pointless and dangerous to send humans so far away on a dead planet without magnetosphere. Let's establish a base on the Moon first. This seems way more practical as a goal.
Yes lets establish a base on the moon with no resources, the same moon that was created from an asteroid impact like the one we're trying to avoid by being a multi-planet species.
We can create fuel on Mars. Mars is far enough away from Earth that it's a safe redundancy for humans.
Sure we can use the moon as a stepping stone to Mars, but we can also train for Mars like conditions in Nevada...
Either way, Mars is the only viable goal if you want to remove the single point of failure of an asteroid impact.
It takes about 3 days for a spacecraft to reach the Moon. Mars takes months and not easy to reach. There is no magnetosphere and refueling idea is unrealistic. We need to find a new way to move in space. CSS[1] guys did a good rebuttal to all this nonsense:
> It takes about 3 days for a spacecraft to reach the Moon. Mars takes months and not easy to reach.
That's a bonus. The farther from the Earth, the farther from the explosion from a world ending event. The moon is not far enough.
> There is no magnetosphere and refueling idea is unrealistic.
Please explain how it's unrealistic. There's water and c02. You don't need anything else. Oh and you get oxygen as a byproduct.
> CSS[1] guys did a good rebuttal to all this nonsense:
Pointing to a Youtube video is not really a debate. Put it in your own words if you understand it.
I wouldn't dismiss SpaceX with a Youtube video.
The great thing is, who cares about the people negging, it'll get done anyway, and just like landing rockets upside down, people will find another thing to neg and say "impossible!"
>The farther from the Earth, the farther from the explosion from a world ending event.
Don't end the world then. Hypothetical Mars colony is doomed anyway without support from Earth.
>There's water and c02. You don't need anything else.
You need huge amounts of energy, storage and processing facilities. And water is not that easy to find and use on Mars. You should check the videos, really enlightening.
>I wouldn't dismiss SpaceX with a Youtube video.
Nobody is dismissing SpaceX with a Youtube video. The Starship and Mars mission are being thoroughly dissected which is relevant to the topic.
>The great thing is, who cares about the people negging, it'll get done anyway,
“Going to Mars reads like that ad for Shackleton going to the Antarctic. You know, it’s dangerous, it’s uncomfortable, it’s a long journey, you might not come back alive. But it’s a glorious adventure, and it will be an amazing experience.
You probably won’t have good food. If an arduous and dangerous journey where you may not come back alive—but it’s a glorious adventure—sounds appealing, Mars is the place. That’s the ad. That’s the ad for Mars. Honestly, a bunch of people probably will die in the beginning. It’s tough sledding over there. We’re not going to make anyone go. It’s volunteers only.” - Musk
I don't think they should die. But maybe it's just me.
> Don't end the world then. Hypothetical Mars colony is doomed anyway without support from Earth.
Becoming a multi-world species means insuring yourself against asteroids and other planet killers out of our control (super volcanoes, etc.)
Food can be grown purely on Mars. Unless you don't believe in vertical farming? We have the sun and water on Mars...
> Nobody is dismissing SpaceX with a Youtube video. The Starship and Mars mission are being thoroughly dissected which is relevant to the topic.
Yeah I simply meant instead of linking the video, to expand on what you think the strongest points were.
> I don't think they should die. But maybe it's just me.
People climb Mt. Everest just for fun knowing it is a risk to their life. Others put their lives on the line everyday to make the world run, from cleaning skyscraper windows to windmill maintenance.
