Adult Content Warning

This community may contain adult content that is not suitable for minors. By closing this dialog box or continuing to navigate this site, you certify that you are 18 years of age and consent to view adult content.

To boldly go where no one has gone before...

Discussion in 'General Discussion' started by Dcc001, Aug 9, 2012.

  1. Dcc001

    Dcc001
    Expand Collapse
    New Bitch On Top

    Reputation:
    434
    Joined:
    Oct 19, 2009
    Messages:
    4,736
    Location:
    Sarnia, Ontario
  2. Danger Boy

    Danger Boy
    Expand Collapse
    Emotionally Jaded

    Reputation:
    133
    Joined:
    Oct 20, 2009
    Messages:
    1,928
    Location:
    In a flyover state hoping your plane crashes
    Jesus Christ. It's 2012, you'd think they could put a color camera on the god damned thing.

    It probably won't happen in our lifetime, but there will come a time when our planet will no longer support the huge population of humans. Our best bet will be terraforming Mars to get more real estate.
     
  3. subgeniuschick

    subgeniuschick
    Expand Collapse
    Experienced Idiot

    Reputation:
    0
    Joined:
    Oct 20, 2009
    Messages:
    165
    Location:
    Canada eh!
    Focus: Should we attempt a manned mission to Mars? Is it worth the time and expense?

    I wouldn't mind seeing a manned trip to the moon and back (again) first (just sayin'. As for the worthwhile factor - maybe Curiosity can help determine that.

    They do! Someone sent this to me the other day.

     

    Attached Files:

    • mars.jpg
      mars.jpg
      File size:
      15 KB
      Views:
      1,993
  4. Juice

    Juice
    Expand Collapse
    Moderately Gender Fluid

    Reputation:
    1,382
    Joined:
    Oct 19, 2009
    Messages:
    13,397
    Location:
    Boston
    Focus: We absolutely should be sending a manned mission to Mars. It's depressing that were less focused on space exploration and more concerned with Chik-Fil-A's views on gay marriage. I really hope private industry takes charge of exploration and kick starts a real space age.
     
  5. Rush-O-Matic

    Rush-O-Matic
    Expand Collapse
    Emotionally Jaded

    Reputation:
    1,307
    Joined:
    Nov 11, 2009
    Messages:
    12,101
    We? Like humans? Or, we, like goverment/nation?

    We as humans should, absolutely. I would prefer it be as a private enterprise, though. I think you could return some of the cowboy mentality that got us to the moon. It is an amazing achievement, that we have come to take for granted. So much that we write things like:

    And, you might have been tongue-in-cheek there. But, they do have high res color cameras, it's just that it takes a while for the signal with that much data to travel 140 million miles. 140 million miles. It is an amazing achievement, landing that thing and having it work.

    It's more likely that this would be either done on the moon or on a giant space station of sorts. If you advance technology enough and lower the cost of it all enough, it would probably be just as feasible to do it closer to earth. But, I also don't think the population of humans would force this. Earth will sustain what it will sustain - either plague or massive wars or clever use of available real estate is a more likely solution. Do you think it would be cheaper to build a floating city or underwater city in the Atlantic or on Mars? The earth is like 75% ocean that isn't used for real estate yet. I bet we take adavantage of that first.
     
  6. subgeniuschick

    subgeniuschick
    Expand Collapse
    Experienced Idiot

    Reputation:
    0
    Joined:
    Oct 20, 2009
    Messages:
    165
    Location:
    Canada eh!
    Land to grow food. Land to dispose of our garbage. Land to graze animals. We're running out. I'm not sure looking to colonize the oceans would help any of that. In fact, I might even go out on a limb to say that it may even add to overpopulation. I'd much rather see them colonize Mars, at least there's some long term gain there if we can do it. What I would not like to see 'us' as a race do, is start mining our surrounding planets for resources. Again, that will not help us in the long run in my opinion with things being what they are these days.
     
  7. Noland

    Noland
    Expand Collapse
    Emotionally Jaded

    Reputation:
    41
    Joined:
    Oct 21, 2009
    Messages:
    2,237
    Location:
    New Orleans
    There's a Dutch company that's looking to send four people to Mars in 2023 as the first settlers for a colony. I believe they are taking applications.

    As for population control or a giant farm it's a pipe dream. I'm no farmer, but how many millions of acres of dead, irradiated, unwatered soil would you have to farm to feed the hungry back home on Earth? It would be cheaper and easier to raise tons of meal worms and feed people on those. Gross, but cheaper.

    And how many millions of people would have to be transported off Earth to Mars? 500,000,000 is probably a good start. Given that the shuttle carried something like 7 astronauts, it would take a good deal of time to relieve overburdened watersheds and arable lands.

    All that being said, yes, absolutely we should go. Humans are explorers. Mars is the next big step.
     
  8. Frank

    Frank
    Expand Collapse
    Emotionally Jaded

    Reputation:
    6
    Joined:
    Oct 20, 2009
    Messages:
    3,351
    Location:
    Connecticut
    Man would it be awkward if the company sending them food went out of business.
     
  9. shimmered

    shimmered
    Expand Collapse
    Emotionally Jaded

    Reputation:
    351
    Joined:
    May 12, 2010
    Messages:
    4,469
    I totally thought this was going to be a thread about anal virgins.



    edit:
    I'm all for private space exploration (the anal jokes just keep writing themselves here), but I'd rather it not be funded by my tax dollars while we're still working on a national healthcare crisis, or kids who are hungry, or soldiers and their families NEEDING public assistance to live until they're above an e3. Things like that.
     
  10. Rush-O-Matic

    Rush-O-Matic
    Expand Collapse
    Emotionally Jaded

    Reputation:
    1,307
    Joined:
    Nov 11, 2009
    Messages:
    12,101
    Well, since Shimmered is leading us that way, I'll do the obvious joke.

    Somebody probably wants to travel to Uranus.
     
  11. audreymonroe

    audreymonroe
    Expand Collapse
    The most powerful cervix... in the world...

    Reputation:
    546
    Joined:
    Nov 23, 2009
    Messages:
    2,859
    Location:
    Brooklyn, NY
    [​IMG]

    It took a Myspace picture of itself! Gurl, you look great from that angle.
     
  12. dixiebandit69

    dixiebandit69
    Expand Collapse
    Emotionally Jaded

    Reputation:
    824
    Joined:
    Oct 20, 2009
    Messages:
    4,181
    Location:
    The asshole of Texas
    I think that sending people to Mars would be a huge waste of time and resources. Have you seen the pictures? It's just a bunch of red desert!

    I think we have much more pressing issues here on Earth.

    Ex: For all the people saying that settling on Mars is important to relieve overpopulation on Earth, don't you think the more important issue is to get people to STOP HAVING SO MANY FUCKING KIDS?
    The whole reason for this overpopulation isn't the US or other developed countries who would be funding all of this Mars development, it's 3rd world shit-holes where people squeeze out one kid after another in hopes that enough of them will survive to take care of them once they're old. That, or they're too dumb to pull out, or they think having a big family is prestigious, or their religion forbids contraception, or any number of stupid reasons for people to have a bunch of kids they can't support. This puts an unnecessary burden on the rest of the world.

    END RANT
     
  13. subgeniuschick

    subgeniuschick
    Expand Collapse
    Experienced Idiot

    Reputation:
    0
    Joined:
    Oct 20, 2009
    Messages:
    165
    Location:
    Canada eh!
    Frankly, I would bet colonizing Mars is probably far easier than trying to convince the Catholic Church that birth control is in the best interests of the Planet. Or to the hoards of pregnant teens who haven't even bothered to consider how they will look after their kid ... because the government will for them ... Really ... Mars is probably easier.
     
  14. R_Flagg

    R_Flagg
    Expand Collapse
    Experienced Idiot

    Reputation:
    0
    Joined:
    Jan 16, 2012
    Messages:
    132
    Location:
    Somewhere along I-77.
    The problem isn't useable land; worldwide people are flocking to cities and opening up agricultural land; this trend will only continue. The issue is using the available land properly, with efficient, cost-effective, modern methods. The number of farmers in the US is only decreasing, while farm productivity is getting better (for example, compare farm yields circa 1912 to 2012).

    Now if this trend can be taken worldwide the agricultural industry would flourish. For example... Uknok the African farmer tending his 3 underfed goats, and two acres of grain stunted by drought with a plow pulled by a donkey isn't going to produce much more than what his family can eat. American farmer Tim, can use a combine harvester to produce food for several thousand with properly irrigated land. There's more to it than that I'm sure; I'm a cattle farmer not a crop farmer but you get my point.

    However the biggest issue in feeding the worlds starving is logistics. Shipping grain from Iowa to Somalia means that part of the grain will rot en route, part of it will be stolen or end up missing, and maybe part of it will end up going to those that need it. Using modern methods to raise food locally; and providing a secure logistics network will go further to solving world hunger than anything else.

    Sad as it is to me, you're never going to change the culture of the "developing world". Not to mince words, but they make their own fucking problems and expect the civilized world to toss them handouts on command. Example: Japan's handling of their 2011 Tsunami damage, vs. Haiti's 2010 earthquake response of begging the United Nations for aid. Japan took care of their own and have made great progress in repairing the damage; Haiti has not.

    Short of finding a means of mass sterilizations the populations of said nations, there's no good short term solution to the over population problem. World wars and global pandemics are guaranteed to thin the ranks, however carry the risk of collateral damage to the First World.

    Long term you might have success in Westernizing the Third World, by showing them the benefits of American capitalism... Smaller families = Better Standard of Living. This approach would require several generations of propaganda campaigns, and some minor political nudges to encourage the process.

    Focus: By "we" meaning the United States and Western Europe... Maybe Canada... Absolutely! There are resources on Mars we have yet to discover, that might well change life as we know it. Even if we never establish a permanent colony on Mars, mining the planet would still be of great benefit.

    Isn't the dust on Mars mostly iron? Well where there's dust you're going to find ore. Why dig up Earth when you can just ship ore back to Earth, or hell... Why not even refine it into steel on Mars and then ship it back? In theory by using Mars for mining, and other 'dirty' industries you could relive Earth of a certain amount of pollution. For that matter, it'd solve the issue of disposal of toxins here on Earth. Just dump them on another planet, or dump them into space en route to Mars.

    Aside from the prestige and possible relocation of a number of humans off-world to colonies on Mars, there are valid industrial applications here.
     
  15. Veovis

    Veovis
    Expand Collapse
    Disturbed

    Reputation:
    1
    Joined:
    Nov 3, 2009
    Messages:
    299
    Well if we want to be imaginative, instead of trying to mine a planet far away, why not just drag an asteroid into orbit and mine it for the resources. Less delivery costs to bring it home that way.

    I like that they have a new machine on Mars though. It might produce some really interesting information, but I think future space programs are going to be corporations going for the resources not governments trying to be in space.
     
  16. iczorro

    iczorro
    Expand Collapse
    Emotionally Jaded

    Reputation:
    107
    Joined:
    Oct 19, 2009
    Messages:
    3,541
    Location:
    The Island
    You want Mars memes?

    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
    [​IMG]
     
  17. ghettoastronaut

    ghettoastronaut
    Expand Collapse
    Emotionally Jaded

    Reputation:
    70
    Joined:
    Oct 22, 2009
    Messages:
    4,917
    I think you guys are ignoring the most practical application of Mars: its natural abundance of unicorns.
     
  18. subgeniuschick

    subgeniuschick
    Expand Collapse
    Experienced Idiot

    Reputation:
    0
    Joined:
    Oct 20, 2009
    Messages:
    165
    Location:
    Canada eh!
    Can't we just shoot our nuclear waste into space? Hell ya. Why search for more eco friendly alternatives, when we can just do that? The possibilities to fuck up the galaxy are endless here.
     
  19. Crown Royal

    Crown Royal
    Expand Collapse
    Just call me Topher

    Reputation:
    950
    Joined:
    Oct 31, 2009
    Messages:
    22,718
    Location:
    London, Ontario
    Repair!

    If they can find people that are stable enough to spend a year in a metal tube floating in a death vortex, knock yourself out. You're not going to find anything on that planet except what you find driving through Arizona: lots of beautiful red rocks and scenery, and then fun ends there. At least on Mars there will be no actual PEOPLE from Arizona, which may be a very good reason to move there.

    The Thousand Year Project which is a backburner plan has Earth sending dozens and DOZENS of missions to mars, to eventually build monstrous factories that will super-conduct greenhouse gasses that will eventually create a livable atmosphere once we (inevitably) screw our own planet up beyond repair. This will probaly take anywhere from 800-900 years to complete. Soak that in for a second: we kill our own planet, so we create a new world by POLLUTING IT INTO SHAPE.

    You have to love the human race. No matter what the challenge may be, together as one-- we CAN fuck it up.
     
  20. ghettoastronaut

    ghettoastronaut
    Expand Collapse
    Emotionally Jaded

    Reputation:
    70
    Joined:
    Oct 22, 2009
    Messages:
    4,917
    Let the free market sort that out. I want new ore refineries, and I want them staffed by unicorn slaves, and I want organizations who exist only for the sake of making money to succeed at it without a cent of public fundshelping.