Are you thinking of the Mars Trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson?

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_trilogy

One of my professors always liked to talk about these books.

Hello TLAM Strike,
yes, this was it :up:
We also discussed the possibilities of settling in planetary geology during studying, with some of our professors.
At this time there were also those films like "Mission to Mars" and "Red Planet" played, in the cinemas. I loved it :cool:

It is generally possible technically, however the earth's population failing in uniting and concentrating on national ego- and other -isms, with only nation-wide ventures, technical progress regarding advancing into space is much slower than anticipated in the early 20ieth century.
Certainly, the race for the moon accelerated research and competition can sometimes have a good side effect, but let's be honest: After the 1980ies there was not much going on, apart from the ISS.
As long as people prefer to kill each other for reasons of politics, religion and natural resources we will only see isolated ventures.

The late/recent(?) SciFi literature seems to embrace private ventures rather than governmental efforts, however if we really want to build some interplanetary propulsion system like ramjets or tokamaks, we need the resources of the whole world - and i do not only mean mineral 'inanimate' resources.

Thanks and greetings,
Catfish

I try to follow the news about the curiousity's adventure on Mars

I have lately being searching the youtube, after a video I saw couple a days ago.

In this video, one was told, that the pictures that was send from Mars was a fraud and they were being maniulated through photoshop.

The reason, shoud be that Mars is inhabited by alliens and the planet is like earth with vegetable a.s.o

Haha

Markus

The Hellas Impact Crater is 5 miles deep. Wouldn't that be suitable?

Hello August,
yes i forgot - this was indeed the scenario that was developed in one of the books. Fill that crater with an oxygen-nitrogen atmosphere, and people would be able to live there. Several advantages this way:
- An outpost without needing giant structures like cupolas
- Big enough to build a whole city in
- An outpost being able to operate from, and cultivate other parts
- Cultivated plants would overtake the role of producing oxygen, and the atmosphere would rise and spread from the crater - with a more dense atmosphere temperature would rise all over the planet, if very slowly.

If i remember right, at this crater's depth right now the temperature would be around or even above zero degrees Celsius in summer and during daylight, if just-so.

The Mars' gravitation would keep the O-N atmosphere down there, and the latter would also help building up temperature through the greenhouse effect, but you would still need some heat generator for the night, and winter.

Anyway, one could do it -

Thanks and greetings,
Catfish

^^ :rotfl2:

But .. but this one isn't from Star Trek ?!

@catfish

Wouldn't wind blow the atmo out? Or at least make it difficult to maintain?

Hello,

@TLAM Strike:
Very nice :D
unfortunately Carl Sagan is dead indeed. His educational and scientific films have always fascinated me. RIP Carl.

@Gargamel:
you are right, even in the relatively thin atmosphere of Mars there can be storms that surely would have an impact on the crater, and its "sea of atmosphere".
Sand storms and wind devils have been observed both by fly-by probes, as by landers.
http://science.nasa.gov/science-news...01/ast11oct_2/

The Mars as it is now heats up quickly, and likewise cools as soon as the sun vanishes, and there are planetary movements changing the angle of incoming light and thus creating seasons, like on earth. The question is how big this impact would be, on an open colony and its plants. I take it you would need some protection -

The effect of storms may become even worse, when the artificially produced O-N gases spread beyond the crater walls, and the entire atmosphere becomes more dense - but it may as well have an adverse effect though because of the sun rays not going straight down to the surface then anymore - the climate would be more balanced then as a whole. I guess the time between starting such a project and an established O-N atmosphere will be 'interesting', to say at least.

Greetings,
Catfish

Love it :)

"Whatever the reason you're on Mars, I'm glad you're there, and I wish I was with you."

Yes, I wish you could be too Carl. :yep:

http://img18.imageshack.us/img18/6741/carl20sagan.jpg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mm34Muv6Lsg