Do you think Humans will colonise The Moon and Mars someday?

[Feologild]

And do you think humans will ever actually walk on Mars ?
I do think that humans one day will colonise the moon but i don`t think it will happen in my life time. I don`t think humans will actually walk on Mars.

[drawkcabi]

Barring an extinction level event before it happens, I think it's inevitable.

As long as technology progresses, it will happen.

Even it it regresses it will only delay it, maybe years, maybe decades, possibly centuries, but, again barring us going dodo, dark ages eventually end and progress resumes.

I used to expect to see a human on the Moon again and on Mars within my life time, now I still think it's likely, but I'm also more resigned to our habit of dragging our feet much of the time without necessity pushing us. 

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

Yes.

[Werthead]

Yes. It's technologically doable, it's just spending the money and making it happen, and private enterprise will make it happen if governments don't.

The main thing that will make it happen is they money that can be made. Getting to the Moon and Mars works as a technology testbed for things like asteroid capture missions, that will help with the depletion of resources here on Earth.

[Robin Of House Hill]

It will probably happen.  One can only hope we don't screw up other planets as much as we have, this one.

[Mlle. Zabzie]

Without a doubt.  Moon in my grandchildrens' lifetime.  Don't know about Mars.

[polishgenius]

2 hours ago, Werthead said:

Yes. It's technologically doable,

Is it? The moon, sure, probably, but as far as I know, we still haven't actually solved the problem of getting people across the interplanetary gulf to Mars without them dying of radiation poisoning, especially with the supplies they'd need to set up a functioning colony in one go.

I mean, theoretically, yeah, slather everything in loads of radiation shielding, but unless they figure out lighter versions than we have now you'd have to assume access to far vaster amounts of fuel than is at all likely.

[Ser Scot A Ellison]

53 minutes ago, polishgenius said:

Is it? The moon, sure, probably, but as far as I know, we still haven't actually solved the problem of getting people across the interplanetary gulf to Mars without them dying of radiation poisoning, especially with the supplies they'd need to set up a functioning colony in one go.

I mean, theoretically, yeah, slather everything in loads of radiation shielding, but unless they figure out lighter versions than we have now you'd have to assume access to far vaster amounts of fuel than is at all likely.

Isn’t there a continuous thrust Ion drive that could get people to Mars in 6 weeks instead of 9 months?

[IheartIheartTesla]

First colonize the moon, then untether it from the Earth's orbit and use it as a spaceship to accelerate towards and orbit around Mars, and then colonize Mars. Repeat for all the other planets in the Solar System.

[Dr. Pepper]

I was just wondering when there would be more moon landings.  I'm most curious about which country it will be, or I guess which private investor.  I'm surprised there aren't renewed space races, but I guess fighting over oil and religion and shit is more important to some.  

I hope to see the beginnings of a colony in my lifetime, an actual full time functioning colony in my grandchildren's.  I think the worst part about dying is knowing that I'm going to miss all the interesting exciting space shit.

[polishgenius]

12 minutes ago, Ser Scot A Ellison said:

Isn’t there a continuous thrust Ion drive that could get people to Mars in 6 weeks instead of 9 months?

Having a read about that, that's cool. Certainly would help, though it doesn't completely solve the problem or how to deal with Mars itself once there (less of an issue than the vaccum of space, but still one since Mars has no magnetosphere).

[Mr. Chatywin et al.]

As far as the Moon goes, I see no point in colonizing it outside of having some space stations and/or resorts. Futurama probably got it right, more or less. 

Mars will be colonized, and I'm optimistic that it will be sooner than a lot of people expect. I've seen some science articles argue that technologically we're not all that far off from being able to make it to Mars, and that since it's likely that the first wave of astronauts will be taking a one way trip, they'll have to start colonizing it to some extent. The main problem these days is funding. 

I think the bigger question is can we terraform the planet? If we can then the planet will be colonized en mass in short order. If not, I don't know how many people are going to sign up for the quality of life that will be available to them. There's also the question of should we even do it if we could? 

[Serious Callers Only]

No. There's no actual point in establishing a system that will inevitably have to get supported by costly interplanetary shipping. Unless they find a way to artificially create a magnetosphere and atmosphere that won't fly off to space (get artificial gravity and make it so that it can't crash the moon into earth - or break up - would do the trick). Even assuming there is enough local oxygen in 'moon water' to support a colony, it's not particularly a good idea to live there.

Even if it happens, it will obviously be a vanity project that will get into trouble as soon as the supporting entity doesn't care anymore... a true 'colony' in a sense, as it's impossible to be independent (without extortion, like in the moon is a harsh mistress).

 

The day humanity invents affordable artificial gravity is very much 'never' in my cynical expectation though. Even interstellar travel is more likely than that imo.

[GAROVORKIN]

1 hour ago, Tywin et al. said:

As far as the Moon goes, I see no point in colonizing it outside of having some space stations and/or resorts. Futurama probably got it right, more or less. 

Mars will be colonized, and I'm optimistic that it will be sooner than a lot of people expect. I've seen some science articles argue that technologically we're not all that far off from being able to make it to Mars, and that since it's likely that the first wave of astronauts will be taking a one way trip, they'll have to start colonizing it to some extent. The main problem these days is funding. 

I think the bigger question is can we terraform the planet? If we can then the planet will be colonized en mass in short order. If not, I don't know how many people are going to sign up for the quality of life that will be available to them. There's also the question of should we even do it if we could? 

The planet is only half the size of Earth so  Mars's core which is far smaller then Earth's  cooled off billions of years ago, as a result, vulcanism and plate tectonics stopped and the planet lost its magnetic field.  Without the field, the solar winds stripped away Mars atmosphere and once that went , the water on surface evaporated.  Terraforming Mars may not be a practical  endeavor unless we can find a way to restart the core .  

[Stubby]

I doubt the Moon and Mars will see a colony in the sense of a residential, permanent living space. However, I expect both to have mining camps with a rotating workforce within 50 years. 

[TrueMetis]

I want to see a space elevator and mining asteroids in my lifetime. Less gravity well nonsense to deal with then. Moon and Mars colonies would be cool, but without terraforming Mars I don't see what practical value it would have over a large scale space habitat. The moon however has a small enough gravity well that building a space station into the soil might be easier than building one in space with all of the potential benefits still in place.

[Werthead]

4 hours ago, polishgenius said:

Is it? The moon, sure, probably, but as far as I know, we still haven't actually solved the problem of getting people across the interplanetary gulf to Mars without them dying of radiation poisoning, especially with the supplies they'd need to set up a functioning colony in one go.

I mean, theoretically, yeah, slather everything in loads of radiation shielding, but unless they figure out lighter versions than we have now you'd have to assume access to far vaster amounts of fuel than is at all likely.

Yes, visiting Mars is certainly doable. Visiting Mars with a nontrivial risk of dying of radiation-induced cancer (either on the trip out or years after coming back) is a different matter. But I know scientists who would take that risk in a nanosecond.

The other option is the Red Mars approach. You don't just go and visit, you go to stay. Dig in, build subterranean shelters that will be more shielded from the radiation and set up for scientific research on the long scale.

It is a very high risk endeavour. This is sending ships across the Atlantic to the Americas knowing there's about a 30% chance they will not come back levels of risk which is not something we're used to, at all.

[Larry of the Lawn]

Isn't China planning on putting people on the moon in the next 15 years?  I know I read about a bunch of planned missions but can't remember if any were supposed to be manned or not.

[Stubby]

I listened to Professor Brian Cox talking about the expansion into our solar system a few months back.  He said the traditional barrier to the idea was the cost of single use launch vehicles.  He went on to say that now that the re-usable status of rockets has been achieved, the cost has come down by about 95%.  That makes accessing space based resources economically attractive.  And it needs to be economically attractive.

Cox went on to say that the most likely scenario for expansion in this century would be opening the mining of the moon, Mars and the asteroid belt.  The workforce would live on Earth and be rotated in and out.  Purely residential colonies of the moon and Mars were less likely in the short term.  he had based his position having spoken personally to the three entrepreneurs that are actively thinking and acting on ideas for expansion: Musk, Bezos and Branson.

Cox also said he likes Bezos' idea for Earth to ultimately be zoned "residential, agricultural and light industrial", leaving the rest of the solar system to be zoned for mining and heavy industry.

[Dr. Pepper]

3 hours ago, TrueMetis said:

I want to see a space elevator and mining asteroids in my lifetime. Less gravity well nonsense to deal with then. Moon and Mars colonies would be cool, but without terraforming Mars I don't see what practical value it would have over a large scale space habitat. The moon however has a small enough gravity well that building a space station into the soil might be easier than building one in space with all of the potential benefits still in place.

How likely/possible is a space elevator?  I love when they are included in sci fi lit, but I guess I always thought they were a little too far fetched.