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Utah, the New Red Planet
tsornin writes "The Philadelphia Inquirer reports in this article that Mars Society crews have chosen Wayne County, Utah as an effective simulant for the Red Planet. Although Mars exploration is hardly a high priority on any government's list at the moment, Robert Zubrin and other Mars Society members hope that through their research in Wayne County and in the even more remote northern Canadian location, they can show world governments that a mission to Mars is viable."
Use the money to raise our politicians' salaries by 2000%. Maybe then they won't sell us out so often.
Spending six months to a year or more in isloation, especially in a very small room no bigger than, and maybe smaller that a college dorm room, with only the food and entertainment you brought with you, can be very stressful.
Heck, for the nearest current equivalent look at antarctica, where they get snowed in for the winter, and thay have much larger facilities. While now they have email, etc, they are still pretty isolated, and start to get a little wacky after just the few months of social isolation. The culture starts to evolve and drift based on the unique events on the base.
It is sort of like a bunch of geeks working at a big company. The geeks form their own culture, and are somwhat isolatedfrom the main body of people, even when bumbing into a ton of people in the hall way. Who are the aliens there? the geeks or the working stiffs?
heck, you even see this in religion, those isolated communities off in the desert, etc.
"It is a greater offense to steal men's labor, than their clothes"
If I remember correctly, you need about a foot of lead between you and outer space to insulate yourself from the radiation... or a gravity well...
Of course, the efficiency of travel from one planet to another is... well... let's say that there is no really efficient way... only more or less efficient variants, in that I concur.
So, space stations are a good idea... and new insulation against radiation will be found... eventually... but until then, I'd be very happy if people started developing technologies for more efficient space travel... I'm still waiting for someone to actually get to the asteroid belt...efficient habitats, which are able to deal with micro-asteroids in an adequate manner (i.e. not: "Ok guys, get some insulation and glue and start searching") and a host of other things that, eventially, will lead to usable space stations...
One more comment... I do remember something about the effects of even a short space flight on the ability to procreate...
It's been at least 10 years since I heard that, so please correct me, but I think I remember that the damage is significant after only a few hours in space...
In that case, I'll stick to that gravity well for a while longer...
What makes them think we can even reach mars without going insane (2 year trip people)
Just send me. I haven't left my apartment in 4 years.