Recent content by SAJP

Ken—well stated. It is of course encouraging to see the enthusiasm for what might potentially be the greatest milestone in human achievement—optimism has driven our species to new and greater hights over the millennia since the birth of our consciousness. We would need this in abundance for any...

Agreed. I was hoping to elicit more in-depth, well-thought out commentary. Haven't seen much of that so far. Perhaps the way I worded the title was too provocative, and perhaps I underestimated the number of Musk sci-fi fanbois as well. If eventually there is any human habitation on Mars, it...

Don't put words in my mouth--it's lowbrow and ignorant. if you can't respond properly to legitimate questions and understand the spirit in which they were asked then you don't qualify for the calm, rational discussion we're trying to have here. I haven't said anything about not liking...

Well, I don't believe anyone is qualified to judge someone's expertise in this area unless they actually are a planetary scientist or an engineer. Regardless of the gravity problems , the relatively near zero atmospheric pressure and the lethal radiation, why would anyone spend a year of...

OK, you win! Thanks for breaking it all down so eloquently. I have to say though, the "bronze bearings" thing. Sheer genius!

Well, then, being a "machinist" that has been studying extra-planetary technology for 20 years, how would you handle the microbiome problem (one of thousands of problems any Mars 'colonist' would face)? They couldn't even do this successfully with the Biosphere I and Biosphere II projects in...

Indeed--we could do so much more with a more practical approach, concentrating on manufacturing , mining and more commercialized ventures that better fit our energy budget. We are, in fact, surrounded by millions of 'starships' in the form of asteroids that could be moved into earth orbit...

Yes sir. If we could build a particle accelerator about the size of the ISS orbit (not as crazy as it sounds), we'd likely solve some of these problems, or at least learn a hell of a lot more than we know now about Higgs/boson fields, gravitons and the possibilities of supersymmetry, dark...

Thanks--I hadn't heard this. One would think, however, that there would be unmanned test flights to determine both the feasibility and the mechanics of using fuel as a deflection technique. Short duration flights are not as great a threat from the ionizing radiation levels in space, but...

Indeed. Mining would be a great pursuit--something robots could easily do. I'd also like to see us plant rado telescopes on the moon and even Mars. If Musk told us he was pouring billions into robotic technology, I would be much more enthusiastic about his endeavors than I am currently.

Perhaps he is indeed enthusing people with visions of the future and not in it for the money--though he is actively attracting investment dollars. But even for a simple flight to Mars and back--without even landing--we would need a ship with the radiation shielding equivalent of the Earth's...

The suggestion that humans will soon set up bustling, long-lasting colonies on Mars is something many of us take for granted. What this lofty vision fails to appreciate, however, are the monumental—if not intractable—challenges awaiting colonists who want to permanently live on Mars. Unless we...