The "technology we don't have" for a colony on Mars is likely to be mostly developed with long-term missions to the Moon, if not an actual "colony" on the Moon. Much easier to resupply and fix problems that close to home.
But a "colony" won't evolve without a purpose. At present, the purpose is to increase human knowledge. That would not be a goal for families to choose to spend their lifetimes on Mars.
Manufacturing in space might result in industrial establishments on Mars, but would they be employees-only for limited "tours" of activity, or could Mars be made comfortable enough that whole families would move there so as to be together while the adults work the industries? Most jobs here on Earth that require employees to work in uncomfortable locations are populated by only the workers, who are incentivized to spend the time away from their families in order to earn enough money to support them and perhaps some day retire to a nice comfortable place to enjoy their old age. Getting Mars habitats to the comfort level that people want to live their whole lives there seems like a long-shot idea. Getting to the point that some people are willing to spend 10 years of their lives working on an off-Earth industrial facility for extreme wages seems much more likely.
But a "colony" won't evolve without a purpose. At present, the purpose is to increase human knowledge. That would not be a goal for families to choose to spend their lifetimes on Mars.
Manufacturing in space might result in industrial establishments on Mars, but would they be employees-only for limited "tours" of activity, or could Mars be made comfortable enough that whole families would move there so as to be together while the adults work the industries? Most jobs here on Earth that require employees to work in uncomfortable locations are populated by only the workers, who are incentivized to spend the time away from their families in order to earn enough money to support them and perhaps some day retire to a nice comfortable place to enjoy their old age. Getting Mars habitats to the comfort level that people want to live their whole lives there seems like a long-shot idea. Getting to the point that some people are willing to spend 10 years of their lives working on an off-Earth industrial facility for extreme wages seems much more likely.
A battery electric robotic bulldozer, custom built for Mars conditions, plus a solar power array big enough and a repair shop and equipment and spare parts and robots to do repairs or else include a whole lot more equipment and supplies to support people, and etc - these kinds of machines are subject to intense wear and tear and are only sustained with continuing maintenance and repair.
The point being is that ONE bulldozer, a unit that will be instrumental in building a Mars colony will need a fantastic amount of energy to transport and utilize.. THAT'S ONE BULLDOZER
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You are correct in that the cost of setting up a permanent habitation on Mars is extremely expensive. I cannot fathom any business model that would allow such an enterprise to make money. Travel to Mars will remain a purely scientific endeavor for a very long time.
I have no standing to debate Musk on the issue. It is his money, he can do whatever he wants with it. If he wants tax breaks then I might have a few choice words.
I like this video a lot.
Are people not aware that the average daily temperature on Mars is about (-) 80 F?
How are we going to keep warm on Mars? People like to cozy up to a warm fire when they get chilled
That is not likely on Mars, How are folks going to stay warm?
Not to mention, that we need a source of oxygen to BREATHE... not just for a day or so but for the 2 years they will be on-site on Mars.... What source do they have for the breathable oxygen ?
We need to develop lot of technologies we aren't even aware of yet...
How is this really going to work?
Joe =
Short term visits will bring their own oxygen. Probably limited to a year or so, just guessing. Long term needs will be met by getting it from CO2 or water.
Yes, going to Mars is very expensive, very dangerous and has no payout visible. Maybe we'll find things there worthwhile. Who knows?
Yes, going to Mars is very expensive, very dangerous and has no payout visible. Maybe we'll find things there worthwhile. Who knows?
So far, in Earth orbit, there is always a "lifeboat" available to get back to the Earth's biosphere quickly if something goes wrong with the habitat pressure or atmospheric gas concentrations. And, there are regular resupply launches from Earth for long-duration missions.
From low Earth orbit, getting back safely to Earth' surface would take only a matter of a couple of hours. From the Moon, getting back safely to Earth is a matter of days. From Mars, it is about a year.
So, when we get to the moon, that is going to be substantially different in terms of cost to make both the supply missions and the "Plan B" support when there are problems with life support systems. The astronauts will need to be able to rely on what is already there when things go wrong. There will need to be more redundancy, at greater expense, to keep risk down to acceptable levels. That means a lot more equipment and materials need to go along with or even before the astronauts, when they go to the Moon and Mars.
From low Earth orbit, getting back safely to Earth' surface would take only a matter of a couple of hours. From the Moon, getting back safely to Earth is a matter of days. From Mars, it is about a year.
So, when we get to the moon, that is going to be substantially different in terms of cost to make both the supply missions and the "Plan B" support when there are problems with life support systems. The astronauts will need to be able to rely on what is already there when things go wrong. There will need to be more redundancy, at greater expense, to keep risk down to acceptable levels. That means a lot more equipment and materials need to go along with or even before the astronauts, when they go to the Moon and Mars.
Probably not, because the soil contains toxic levels of perchlorates to both humans and plants, which would make terraforming extremely difficult because anything used to terraform would have to be sent and operated from Earth. Also, because of the perchlorates killing off any plants, making the atmosphere breathable would be impossible.
They tested an artificial soil with 0.5% calcium perchlorate, just like Mars. Plants will grow but are stunted. Certain plants can tolerate it, in fact remove it. Then regular plants can use it.
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