Question Is there a plan for ageing colonists?

[Letterpressstandard@gmail]

What will be the retirement plan for Mars Colonists as they age ? Since going home will not be an option, does caring for disabled and aging residents require ever more resouces and funds from the Colony, and what effects on Earth bound retirees could that trigger ?

 

[YetAnotherBob]

Going home is actually an option, but will probably not be used.

The reason is cardiovascular. With the weaker gravity, you will have a weakened blood circulatory system. Low gravity functions much as long term bed rest does. You'd need literally years of physical therapy on return.

Mr. Kelly needed prolonged therapy after only around a year in Space. There are also effects on vision and hearing and bone growth. All can be remediated, but it's a pain to do so.

But the rockets that take you to mars will be coming back to get the next load of potential colonists, so yes, you can go home again. But you probably won't want to.

Most retirees like to stay close to the Kids after all.

Why work to build a large city then abandon it to complete strangers?

 

[EjmMissouri]

Yes, there is a retirement plan for ageing Mars colonist. it is called Solent Green.

Not as far fetched as you might think. The conservation and recycling of organics may be the make or break factor of a colonies long term survival.

 

[YetAnotherBob]

Yes, there is a retirement plan for ageing Mars colonist. it is called Solent Green.

Not as far fetched as you might think. The conservation and recycling of organics may be the make or break factor of a colonies long term survival.

No, you will not be liquefied then fed to other people. The Sloylent Green idea was wrong when it was in a book, it was wrong in a movie. It demands that you ignore the laws of thermodynamics.

But recycling is correct. Mars in that matter is really not different than Earth is. The materials that make us up get shed regularly, on a time span from weeks to years. We eat new materials and fuels and excrete old materials and waste products. Large systems take energy input from the Sun and change the materials back into new materials and food that our bodies use to continually construct our bodies.