Hubris & Space

[eredien]

This Article seemed fascinating at first. And the discoveries that they've made are truly amazing; there's no getting around that. I mean, they've been speculating that there might be ice on Mars for at least some time now, but they've actually got more scientific evidence now to back up the earlier theories and data. It's exciting. It's fun.

So why am I complaining? The tone - not of the article, but of the scientist they interviewed in it, Jim Bell - was, to me, inexcusable. Since when has Mars, or its resources, been "waiting for" people to come and use it? He uses the phrase twice in the article. And while I applaud him for championing space exploration, I'm getting nasty flashbacks to certain chapters of Bradbury's Martian Chronicles.

Exploration and exploitation can't afford to be confused.

Comments

NASA Incompetent

[theheretic.livejournal.com]

Alas, NASA is incompetent. They don't seem to have real scientists anymore, people who can do math. NASA has long been pushing the idea of a colony on Mars. Why? Well, its not molten sulphur and it has atmosphere so therefore it should make a great colony. Is that right? That's the theory. Problem is, its a TERRIBLE idea. How do I know that? Well, geology also covers other planets. Key problems with Mars start with its magnetic field. It barely has one. Its got about as much magnetic field as it has atmosphere, 2% of earths. Why should you care? Well, the magnetic field is all that protects us from Solar Storms, Gamma Rays etc. Its also what protects Earth's atmosphere from being stripped off by solar winds. No magnetic field means no POSSIBILITY of a lasting atmosphere. That's what happened to their atmosphere and most of the missing water, alas. Sent off by the solar wind. The magnetic field of earth is powered by our molten-solid NiFe cores interacting, like a Dyanmo generator. Mars is tectonically dead. Venus is not. Venus has a good magnetic field, its just too close to the Sun. If you don't have plate techtonics (or its equivalent), you haven't a hope in hell of having a good magnetic field. No field, no atmosphere, no life. Its pretty damned simple. Mars is also only .40 gee. Not enough mass to attract a good atmosphere. Even if you gave Mars an atmosphere artificially, it wouldn't last. Very pathetic, unfortunately. You've have to make it several hundred miles deep, and it will still blow away on the solar wind.

That's NASA for you. HOpeless idiots.

Re: NASA Incompetent

[eredien]

Well...Earth's tectonic activity is eventually going to slow down, like Mars' did...so we might as well start looking for other places to live now. A cushion of a thousand years or so is nice when making plans about the survival of an entire planet's life.

Re: NASA Incompetent

[theheretic.livejournal.com]

Well, short answer is the earth will never be like Mars. Long answer is earth has the requisite mass and radioactive elements breaking down to maintain our plate tectonics and magnetic field for another 4 billion years. As this is far beyond the likely existence of our species, we don't actually have to terraform. And if it gets really crowded, space habitats are very efficient use of space compared to a planet surface. Think asteroids hollowed out with soil and air inside, mirrors to provide heat, heat sinks for cooling. Frankly, humans need to resolve their problems down here before we bring them Up There. Wars in space are too expensive.