Quote:
Originally Posted by BrucePartington
Agree. My view as well.
There is (or was?) a plan to "terraform" Mars, for exactly this purpose.
However, there are a few major obstacles, not least the ferrous micro-dust that gets everywhere, including atmospheric filters, and the fact that Mars is "dead". Not as in devoid of life (which it is), but rather as in no tectonic activity, necessary to recycle and renew materials in the crust, vital to sustain plant life and provide mineral resources.
So I would think Mars would be viable only to be used as an outpost and a springboard.
This leaves us stranded in this system for now, since we do not yet have the technology to make interstellar travel feasible.
All we can do for now is enjoy old Star Trek episodes and hope one day we'll have some sort of "warp drive" to enable us to boldly go where no one has gone before.
Meanwhile we should try and maintain our little garden.
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This is, sadly, true. As much as I would love to reinvigorate Mars, it's far beyond our technological limits at this time, however as an outpost and springboard it would work out fine.
As regards to warp drive, one of my biggest hopes is that one day we will be able to work with the UN to get a prototype 'Orion' drive built in orbit and sent out in to space. I can think of no better use for our obscene stockpiles of nuclear weapons than to enable us to explore this solar system and beyond it within reasonable time constraints. Alas, human nature will keep these weapons firmly for our own self-destruction.
