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"We are on a vulnerable planet," j-whitt987 Send a noteboard - 20/11/2010 01:34:01 PM
Some of you may be familiar with the Kim Stanley Robinson novel, Red Mars, where a small collection scientists are sent to Mars to explore, study, and prepare the planet for habitation. Well, the idea seems to be gaining a foothold in the actual scientific community now.

Here is a brief article about this proposal...

He and Davies believe a Mars base would offer humanity a "lifeboat" if Earth became uninhabitable.

"We are on a vulnerable planet," Schulze-Makuch said. "Asteroid impact can threaten us, or a supernova explosion. If we want to survive as a species, we have to expand into the solar system and likely beyond."


(1) Doesn't Mars have a thinner atmosphere and therefore more threatened by radiation?

(2) Any sort of seismic activities would likely destroy any sort of shelter that they'd be able to set up there.

(3) How is moving to Mars supposed to help with surviving a supernova? I don't think moving to ANY planet in our range for the foreseeable future would help if the sun goes nova.

Just my 3 questions.
Kirk: Spock, you want to know something? Everybody’s human.
Spock: I find that remark…insulting.
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Scientists propose one way trip to Mars. - 15/11/2010 04:35:40 PM 1233 Views
I'm reading that again right now. - 15/11/2010 04:39:14 PM 730 Views
Logical, but I'll have to read it later; thanks though. - 15/11/2010 04:46:26 PM 714 Views
Interesting idea but a non-starter - 15/11/2010 05:04:38 PM 734 Views
Plenty of volunteers can be found for a suicide mission to Mars. - 15/11/2010 05:22:10 PM 733 Views
Yes... - 15/11/2010 06:42:53 PM 721 Views
yes but the government would never fund it - 15/11/2010 07:24:51 PM 733 Views
Yes, true... - 15/11/2010 08:08:41 PM 730 Views
Willing and able aren't necessarily the same thing - 16/11/2010 04:23:52 PM 694 Views
There is suicidal and then there is 'suicidal'. - 16/11/2010 05:15:52 PM 685 Views
I half-expected the body of this post to read "... for their ex-wives." *NM* - 15/11/2010 07:38:50 PM 351 Views
Ha! - 15/11/2010 08:09:06 PM 671 Views
I've been. Cold, dusty, a little dry... got some pretty pictures, though. *NM* - 15/11/2010 10:26:43 PM 299 Views
I want to go. - 16/11/2010 05:12:23 AM 713 Views
Can we nominate passengers? - 16/11/2010 01:52:06 PM 678 Views
What if we send all the people we don't like... - 16/11/2010 09:44:56 PM 665 Views
And, - 18/11/2010 08:32:02 PM 730 Views
There's a reason that I read 90% of your posts. - 20/11/2010 01:47:53 PM 704 Views
"We are on a vulnerable planet," - 20/11/2010 01:34:01 PM 866 Views

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