the usual suspects


Posted by danno might on Jan 05, 2004 at 12:44
(206.50.195.194)

Re: Feo: Who will make up the first colonist on Mars (Feo Amante)

I agree that it will take a strong dominate ideology to propel people to make the sacrifice for a permanent colony.

The ideology can be, as you say, in the form of totalitarian social speak combined with the racial pride of recaiming the Chinese "place in the sun".

The ideology can also be from some quazi-Western group. If the money were no object, I bet you could find 10 volunteers within the Mars Society who would sign up for a one way ticket.

Again, you maybe on mark in thinking that such groups would not have the financial basis to compete for resources to gain launch facilities/materials and so on. It will be expensive and take a full 5 year run to test and establish some of the basic necessities for the new settlers.

The technology is not insurmountable. The chemistry and physics are solved in transporting and maintaining minimum life support. If underground ice can be harvested without moving/sifting mountains of dirt, it makes it even easier for the first fragile settlement.

But I think you discount the wackos and their abilities to organize and accomplish a goal of this type. Recall the Web-designing, programmers who all offed themselves to catch a ride to Heaven's Gate with some aliens hiding in the tail of a comet.

Scientologist weld a lot of power, enough to challenge the US and other world governments in court and win. If focused properly the profits of all future Tom Cruise movies could fund the development and production of a Saturn 5 type lift rocket. How many other people could they pull resources from. If they decided today that settling on Mars was their primary goal, what would there be to stop them?

Either the socialist or the wackos, guess which one our capitalist system would be more prone to support thru naming rights and speculation purchases of future DNA or materials from Luna or Martian surfaces.

thanks for the reply


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