Several years ago, then-President Bush said that he wants to make plans of occupying Mars for energy supplies.  That said, technology has revealed to us many strange and fascinating things about Mars, including Bacteria which implies possible life forms living in the red planet.  When will we conquer Mars, and how much of a hassle will it be to do so?  I'd imagine it would take a while to get rid of all the carbon in the atmosphere.

some of us already do!  ;D

Not gonna happen in my lifetime.

NASA were originally saying they wanted to start the program in 2020 but that date has been pushed back to 2035.

Anyway, you can all rest easy.  My daughter has declared she wants to be the first person on Mars!  Although she'll be in her late 30s by then.  :-\\

All this sounds like bad planning for the end of the world in 2012?

All this sounds like bad planning for the end of the world in 2012?

The world is ending that day?
How many sleeps to go then?

Several years ago, then-President Bush said that he wants to make plans of occupying Mars for energy supplies.  That said, technology has revealed to us many strange and fascinating things about Mars, including Bacteria which implies possible life forms living in the red planet.  When will we conquer Mars, and how much of a hassle will it be to do so?  I'd imagine it would take a while to get rid of all the carbon in the atmosphere.


There are no energy supplies on Mars that would be useful on Earth.  Transport costs are prohibitive. 

There are no (known) lifeforms on Mars.  There are species of Earth bacteria that could survive on Mars.  If a future probe should discover life on Mars, we want to be as sure as possible that we're discovering Martian life, not transplanted Earth life.  At present, all spacefaring nations are therefore taking great pains not to contaminate Mars with Earth organisms.

When I was a kid, I believed we'd conquer Mars - a landing in my lifetime, leading to a self-sustaining offworld colony (whether on Mars, Luna, or an asteroid) by the 2100s.  I no longer believe we'll do so.  We had our chance, we blew it on pop stars and Flipping This House.  Our species will go extinct without ever having left its cradle. 

Still, I can't help but repost a couple of Heinleinesque bits of optimism from the pre-bailout era:

Mars: Who should own it?
Value Created by First Martian Explorer

The meek shall inherit the Earth.  But it's a really big Universe and I can feel good believing that some other species, crawling out of the muck orbiting a similarly-nondescribt star some thousands of light-years away, will - given a billion years or so - have descendents who finally inherit the stars.

The world is ending that day?
How many sleeps to go then?
Depends on how many afternoon naps you have.

Depends on how many afternoon naps you have.


Hopefully not one too many and I miss that day.

Hopefully not one too many and I miss that day.

Do you really wish to miss that day?

Do you really wish to miss that day?

Naw, I kinda wish the world would end with a long "A day in the life" ending type note,
Let's see if that will occur..

Naw, I kinda wish the world would end with a long "A day in the life" ending type note,
Let's see if that will occur..
Sustained to the last possible moment?

Sustained to the last possible moment?

Naturally. The last possible moment.

some of us already do!  ;D



Howdy neighbor!!  http://www.inthe00s.com/smile/15/wave.gif