Future Colonization

[Pyritie]

Where do you think humans will colonize first? It's pretty obvious that we're going to go and colonize somewhere else at some point.

• The Moon
  • Pros
    • It's not that far away, so people could go there who have no experience in space.
    • Relatively short distance means faster and easier development
    • You'd get a lovely view of Earth.
    • Things such as solar panels would work just fine there because it's at a similar distance to Sol as Earth.
  • Cons
    • There's not much to do there except look at Earth, play around in the low gravity, and get a souvenir of moon rock.
    • After all, it is just a ball of rock.
  • I could see the moon becoming a sort of "Las Vegas" type of place, where the only source of income is from tourism. Maybe it could also be a center for space development and research because you can launch stuff off with far less fuel.
• Mars
  • Pros
    • There's much more to do there. Mars has several different environments, and the ice caps are of biological interest.
    • There's an atmosphere so wind is a possible energy source.
  • Cons
    • Takes much longer to get to, making development slower and more expensive.
    • Farther away from the Sun than Earth so solar panels will be less effective.
  • I think Mars is much more of an interesting place (in terms of research and exploration/discovery) than the Moon. The main downside is that it's pretty similar to Earth in terms of size so you won't get any advantages from gravity etc. Although with Mars its gravity is similar to Earth so it'd probably be much more comfortable to live in. Perhaps people will try growing plants there too.

Then there are places like Europa, but that's getting a bit too far away. Plus the Sun is pretty bloody small when you're near Jupiter so solar panels are pretty much out of the question.

Of course these are just the pros and cons I could come up with, so I'd like to hear your opinion. :3

 

[TheBlooddancer]

Does 'Earth - Underground' Count as somewhere else?

Edit: I took Moon, Cause.. Well.. Mars don't have Water, as we need, etc, and it would be easier to transport stuff/people.

 

[Linaze]

Men once thought the Earth was flat, Christopher Colombus found America when he was sailing in the direction of India. We have come a long way from living in caves and wearing wolf pelts. Even if we won't admit it know, most of us probably believe in future colonization. Though, it is not yet necessary other than "for the lulz", so I do not think anyone is willing to sponsor that as of yet, give it another 20 years and we shall see, though. Colonizing the moon would be fairly pointless imo, as like you said Pyritie, there is actually nothing there to do or to see. Mars, on the other hand is something more, as it is actually a planet in itself and not just any moon. Colonizing the planet Mars could lead to great scientific discoveries, or at least that's what I believe. The scientists could perhaps find out whatever or not someone or something in fact has once lived there etc. The possible discoveries are unlimited, the way I see it.

Though after all, this is not going to happen in a while as like I said, there is not a need for it at the moment, and we are busy with other problems, such as war, economical crisis's etc. That future colonization on the moon, Mars or even further away will happen is a fact, the only question is when? Now that is a question for another day, and perhaps even another generation. My vote goes to nothing, as I cannot know, but well, if I had to pick, it'd be the moon, as it simply is much easier to transport people and stuff there than Mars, which mankind has not yet even set foot on.

 

[Elenai]

In the far future hopefully terraforming technology (most likely a further evolution of Green technology) will have reached a high enough peak inorder to transform the moon into a livable world. Thats what I would hope atleast.

Mars is probably too far off for now, the moon will most likely be a first experiment in Terraforming due to its size and etc. But...then again, not much to work with considering the moon is a barren wasteland.

Meh...I'm just rambling.

 

[Arvedui]

If we ever do colonize in space, the Moon would be the easiest (because of the distance), so thus the first.

We'd need to advance our technology a lot though, so I don't see this happening anytime in my or my (future) children's lifetime.

 

[bounty hunter2]

I am sure moon will be the first thing to be colonised. Mars is way to far.

 

[Zombie]

Moon, most obviously. I think it'll be colonized in a matter of years. I don't think humanity will get to Mars tough.

 

[TheBlooddancer]

One thing is sure. Humans will.

 

[TheDivineBoss]

The moon:
I once watched that crappy Time Machine movie with that cool shiny golden time machine of his, he teleported to the year ~2050, cool future and such. Then he teleported two years ahead and discovered that the Moon was in collision course with Earth since some idiots decided to colonize and mine on the Moon. For mining you need? Yes, correct: Explosives. So they blew up the Moon in thousands of pieces and the Earth took the major hit. Hardly a 'handfull' of humans survived the impact and after-effect (one side of the planet froze, the other was a cooking pot).

I rest my case with the Moon issue.


Mars: Meh.


The other planets in this system: I discovered after watching Nat Geo that many planets in our solar system are inhabitable (examples like 1000> km/h winds or not even a solid planetary surface). The only way (and the cliché thing about it) is to invent
Warp Drive that allows us to go beyond our system.

 

[Pyritie]

The other planets in this system: I discovered after watching Nat Geo that many planets in our solar system are inhabitable (examples like 1000> km/h winds or not even a solid planetary surface). The only way (and the cliché thing about it) is to invent
Warp Drive that allows us to go beyond our system.

Yeah, but there are other moons too. Like Europa, for example. Its surface is apparently made of ice, and supposedly it has a liquid sea underneath.

 

[TheDivineBoss]

Colonizing on such surface is like hammering on thin ice, in the middle of a big lake.

 

[Pyritie]

Except this ice is supposedly several miles thick.

 

[Xarwin]

Hmm,
I think they'd be searching a planet where oxygen can be created or is, so moving people becomes very easy.
I really don't know what to vote though.

 

[TheDivineBoss]

Except this ice is supposedly several miles thick.

That still doesn't mean it's solid

 

[bounty hunter2]

that time machine movie sucked pretty bad. Yea Europe is covered in thick ice.

 

[TheBlooddancer]

To thoose who've answered 'Else' Where is that?

Besides, scientest's have searched for years, leaving only planets many lightyears away, back.

Don't you guys think that Moon is better?

 

[bounty hunter2]

I voted for moon. Else could be giant space stations around the Earth. :/

 

[Mor)L(unE]

the moon would be colonized first, mainly for mining operations

 

[Pyritie]

Well first we'd have to go there and see if it's even worth mining.

 

[TheDivineBoss]

And I hope you guys don't use explosives when mining.

 

[Callahan]

Moon for mineral exploitation.

 

[bounty hunter2]

and blowing it up to destroy the earth

 

[w-dueck]

Hhhmmmm...good poll.

I would think that future planetary coninization would have to take place in a different system, we would need an earthlike planet. Some sort of interdimensional travel to get there faster than the speed of light...I think its 50,000 lightyears to the nearest star other than ours (and then some to find one with a rock like our's).

It would have to already be capable of supporting CHO life... It would be too hard to ship oxygen/water/food and THEN have good insulation from extreme temps and that pesky solar radiation.

Anywho...Don't get excited about moving to a different planet...because if it happens, you'll have already been in the ground for a really long time.

 

[Restor]

Moon is the best, not only in wc3 progamming ...


Merkur-big temperature distinctions between lightened and darkened part of planet
Venus-very hot
Earth-very smogy
Mars-if they invent global warming system, and global air conditioning system, it will be cool, of course the sky with two moons (phobos&deimos, fear&terror xD)
Jupiter&Saturn&Uran&Neptun-too gassy and too windy (when the sun will blow off, we will burn jupiter's gas and have another sun)

Pluto-thats not even a planet pchh. But that dog was cool

 

[Redeemer59]

Assuming humanity doesn't destroy itself before then, I think we'll set up an inhabited Moon Base first, but we'll all-out colonize Mars first.

 

[MySpaceBarBroke]

Men once thought the Earth was flat, Christopher Colombus found America when he was sailing in the direction of India.

Columbus didn't really do anything for the belief that the earth was round. They came up with that idea ages ago. It was pretty much common knowledge among educated men at the time that the earth was a sphere.


I'm pretty sure we'd be colonizing the Moon before Mars. It just seems like the most logical course of action to start there.

 

[Hakeem]

There's not much to do there except look at Earth, play around in the low gravity, and get a souvenir of moon rock.

That second option is reason enough for most people. We're not Futurama yet.

I can't imagine someone staying there for very long. Even if they were born there.

After all, it is just a ball of rock.

Most cosmic bodies are. Earth and Mars included.

I could see the moon becoming a sort of "Las Vegas" type of place, where the only source of income is from tourism.

This isn't Futurama. If you're on the moon, you are not concerned about money, you are there for other purposes.

Maybe it could also be a center for space development and research because you can launch stuff off with far less fuel.

Maybe?!

Farther away from the Sun than Earth so solar panels will be less effective.

Not sure it makes much of a difference. Also, Mars doesn't have an electromagnetic field, so it gets more radiation. It's why its atmosphere is so thin.

Perhaps people will try growing plants there too.

Basics of colonization. We'd be growing on the moon too. Not using moon dirt though, we'd have to bring supplies. We'd have to bring even more supplies to Mars. XP

Plus the Sun is pretty bloody small when you're near Jupiter so solar panels are pretty much out of the question.

I wouldn't be disowning the sun so soon.

I do not think anyone is willing to sponsor that as of yet

We have agencies doing just that.

we are busy with other problems, such as war, economical crisis's etc.

These things can and do coexist with space exploration.

If we ever do colonize in space, the Moon would be the easiest (because of the distance), so thus the first.

It'd be a jumping off point for further human travel.

We'd need to advance our technology a lot though, so I don't see this happening anytime in my or my (future) children's lifetime.

Not really. We have all the technology we need. Just not all the funding for the speed most people would like to see.

Assuming humanity doesn't destroy itself before then, I think we'll set up an inhabited Moon Base first, but we'll all-out colonize Mars first.

Worst-case scenario, everyone on Earth dies. Humanity is not extinct:

---

We kinda do have colonization beyond Earth. The International Space Station could be considered a colony. Of course, there are problems with living in space (bone decay, to start), so we'll ignore that for now.

First will be the moon, because it is the closest, and to an astronomer, we need all the space we can get. These distances are huge.

From a research perspective, which will be the first reason for extraterrestrial colonization, the Moon should prove more interesting. Mars is just another planet, so what we'll actually learn is likely limited. We'll just find a lot of the same of what we have here on Earth. The moon on the other hand is something else altogether. There's no telling what we have to learn.

From a living perspective, I don't know as anyone would want to live on the moon for very long. Well, maybe some artists making a stand...

Incidentally, where do I sign up?

 

[Karouk]

I think in the future we'll find a way to go into a parallel dimension (I think that would mean no life would exist on Earth... Or just a different dimension entirely... lol).

 

[Pyritie]

I wouldn't be disowning the sun so soon.

Apparently, a decently sized solar panel there would not give you enough energy to power a wrist watch.

 

[The_Silent]

The moon is to small and with no reasonable resources, while mars got sun waves which will eventually toast us! Both mars and the moon is a no-go

Hakeem:
Most cosmic bodies are. Earth and Mars included.

Actually most cosmic bodies are made of gasses and ice.

 

[-Berz-]

I say Mars, since they say its """like Earth"""
But first wee need technology(i assume we have it, but its not revealed to public, bastards... I know they have hiper-drive) D:

But most likely we will kill or home planet and die with it...

 

[TheDivineBoss]

Hakeem, if you just build a gravity drive generator for us in your spare time, it would save us some lightyears, kay? D:

 

[Pyritie]

Actually most cosmic bodies are made of gasses and ice.

Gas giants are made of gas, yes, but not that many places in our solar system have water on them. That's why people got so excited about Mars' ice caps.

Most of the moons and stuff's surfaces are just rock. Possibly metallic but we don't really know.

 

[Restor]

"Columbus didn't really do anything for the belief that the earth was round. They came up with that idea ages ago. It was pretty much common knowledge among educated men at the time that the earth was a sphere."

He would have been stupid if he thought Earth was flat, and sailing to west, he will to to India on the east :-D

Even some greek mathematician found out the size of earth+-few km.

 

[Tyranid]

Well, if we ever actually learn "terraforming" then I guess Mars would be a good choice. However the cost of the operation would be really high and flying there would also take a LONG time.

 

[Hakeem]

Actually most cosmic bodies are made of gasses and ice.

Give it time.

 

[The_Silent]

Gas giants are made of gas, yes, but not that many places in our solar system have water on them. That's why people got so excited about Mars' ice caps.

Most of the moons and stuff's surfaces are just rock. Possibly metallic but we don't really know.

Mars' ice is mostly frozen Methan. Which means the chance of exsistance organic life on mars is nearly impossible, then, now and ever.

Methan = Evil...

 

[Pyritie]

Mars' ice is mostly frozen Methan. Which means the chance of exsistance organic life on mars is nearly impossible, then, now and ever.

Methan = Evil...

I know. But they looked like ice, which is why people got so excited over them.

 

[TheBlooddancer]

Methan = Evil...

Methan = Farts...

 

[Artins the Great]

I said Moon, Moon is the closest and it would be a great experience for Humans in their "Space Colonization" Also, we need somewhere to keep all the people, almean Earth is getting bit crowded. I could almost see moon as place for refugee (Nuclear Holocaust) Energy Field (Bunch of Solar power stuff covering it) or even a giant prison for all the criminals.

 

[The_Silent]

I said Moon, Moon is the closest and it would be a great experience for Humans in their "Space Colonization" Also, we need somewhere to keep all the people, almean Earth is getting bit crowded. I could almost see moon as place for refugee (Nuclear Holocaust) Energy Field (Bunch of Solar power stuff covering it) or even a giant prison for all the criminals.

Only if the earth still exist, the moon is nearly empty for resources...


...No American with any self respect would travel to a planet without oil xD

 

[Bob27]

Apparently there is already a plan to create a permanent moon base on the moon. I saw some documentary on it. Apparently moon rocks are a source of energy or something like that, I'm not sure though because I wasn't really paying attention

 

[wugiboy]

Hmm,
I think they'd be searching a planet where oxygen can be created or is, so moving people becomes very easy.
I really don't know what to vote though.

or then theres carbon dioxide in Mars (95% of the surface) then some robotic probe is programmed to plant trees and shit.. then weee!! oxygen!!

only problem is water to sustain the plants though..

 

[Belgarath]

First we need a warp system to beam us up, Scotty!
IMO it'd be a giant spaceship like in Wall-e. . Otherwise, the moon with ubar hax.

 

[Volvox]

First of all, it is selfish to think that life can only exist under our conditions. Hell, there are methane-eating bacteria here on earth(and no, they do not need oxygen). Next, solar panel energy drop-off mostly depends on the atmosphere(check the angle difference, not that big) and last, but not the least, constant low gravity can cause muscle atrophy in absence of constant exercise. So i say Mars ftw, it's far more interesting.

 

[Pyritie]

constant low gravity can cause muscle atrophy in absence of constant exercise. So i say Mars ftw, it's far more interesting.

Centripetal force? Magnets?

Problem with magnets though is that it'd screw up any machinery you go near.

 

[Volvox]

Centripetal force does not exist irl, it's a mere description of an observer standing outside of a spinning system. On the inside however, there is just centrifugal force and something stopping you from flying away. Magnets seem like a good idea but they only hold your feet down, they do not drag your entire body.

 

[Pyritie]

Blah, I got confused between centripetal and centrifugal.

As for the magnets thing, they could probably weave weak ones into whatever you're wearing.

 

[Volvox]

Probably true, but as old people would say in the lack of any fancy arguments, that just ain't it.

 

[TheDivineBoss]

Face it people, it would still take long before we wage such big step, especially to places like Mars. By the time we got the time, technology (and money? Let's hope they banned money just like in Star Trek), we would be all grandpas and grannies.