Does anyone out there understand that the reason we thrive on this planet is because it is practically made out of food? The soil that our food grows in, this same food that our food animals eat, is all recycled material that has existed here for eons. There is no suitable 'soil' on Mars, and if you wanted to grow anything, you would have to bring all of that soil with you. And then provide a suitable atmosphere for it to grow in. This would be a massive undertaking. We have barely scratched the surface in terms of the amount of life that this planet can support. The problem is with our inability to use it with any efficiency. Ideas like this are nice, but they totally disregard the fundamental biology that allows us to live here, let alone anywhere else. If we can't solve the social problems (which by default solves the population capacity issue) that we face now, there is no way we can live somewhere else. Even if it would support us. The problems of humanity are between humans, and between humans and the environment. If we take these problems with us into space, there is no hope for us.
Slashdot Mirror
Does anyone out there understand that the reason we thrive on this planet is because it is practically made out of food? The soil that our food grows in, this same food that our food animals eat, is all recycled material that has existed here for eons. There is no suitable 'soil' on Mars, and if you wanted to grow anything, you would have to bring all of that soil with you. And then provide a suitable atmosphere for it to grow in. This would be a massive undertaking. We have barely scratched the surface in terms of the amount of life that this planet can support. The problem is with our inability to use it with any efficiency. Ideas like this are nice, but they totally disregard the fundamental biology that allows us to live here, let alone anywhere else. If we can't solve the social problems (which by default solves the population capacity issue) that we face now, there is no way we can live somewhere else. Even if it would support us. The problems of humanity are between humans, and between humans and the environment. If we take these problems with us into space, there is no hope for us.