Into the black

Posted on October 12, 2008 | Comments Off on Into the black

Some recent science fiction, particularly Saturn’s Children, by Charles Stross, offers a bleak assessment of humanity’s chances of colonizing the solar system. The choices, from the moon to Mars and possibly Jupiter’s moon Europa, are high-radiation, ugly places. So it’s not as inspiring as usual to hear of Stephen Hawking’s latest prediction that we have to move beyond the home planet to survive. Makes sense, of course, but where will we find the natural beauty and relative safety of the shielding atmosphere that we leave behind?

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0 responses to “Into the black”

  1. subadei's avatar subadei | October 12, 2008 at 12:27 pm |

    We’d have to master terraforming. Great thing about Mars is it’s proximity to the asteroid belt. We could, feasibly, snatch an asteroid and set it in orbit around Mars. We’d have a nearly inexhaustible supply of metals.

  2. Dick Stanley's avatar Dick Stanley | October 12, 2008 at 8:15 pm |

    Terraforming seems to work best on Star Trek. First we’d need to create an atmosphere that could produce some periodic rainfall. Stross’s view of Mars is bleak: some failed terraforming, lots of strip mining of ore, with a space elevator to take it to orbit for shipment to earth and beyond. Also some minor metals fabrication. But mainly such a high-radiation environment that strolls on the red planet would be iffy at best. Lots of indoor living, no sunsets, no rain, no plants (except indoors). All in all, not very inviting. The moon would be worse, and Europa worst of all.

  3. SnoopyTheGoon's avatar SnoopyTheGoon | October 13, 2008 at 4:39 am |

    I suggest that McDonald’s and Walmart spearhead the expansion. Where they can go, humanity will follow.
    Seriously, it is all about energy balance. Every possible chemical element/compound could be man-made to shelter and feed the people. The only question is where will the necessary energy come from. No answers so far.

  4. Dick Stanley's avatar Dick Stanley | October 13, 2008 at 10:11 pm |

    Re Walmart, a friend of mine jokes that he’s told his wife that when he dies he wants to buried in the local Walmart parking lot. That way he can be sure that she will visit his grave twice a week.

  5. Dick Stanley's avatar Dick Stanley | October 13, 2008 at 10:11 pm |

    Re Walmart, a friend of mine jokes that he’s told his wife that when he dies he wants to buried in the local Walmart parking lot. That way he can be sure that she will visit his grave twice a week.