/sci/ - Science & Math

Poverty.

2100+

Really, the stuff in the global village construction set, or at the essence of it, could be put to use in the colonization of Mars. The first Martians will need a wide range of machines and will have none of the diverse infrastructure of Earth, so usage of machines with interchangeable parts would be ideal. Aside from the possibly needed tweaks in design due to much lower air pressure and the ever present Martian fines, the designs already seem rugged enough to work on the frontier of the solar system.

I don't understand why so many people say Mars' lack of a magnetosphere is a major problem with colonization.

Human colonists will spend most of their time in habitats dug several meters underground. The time they spend on the surface may lead to higher cancer risks, but to say that precludes colonization is ridiculous.

Once terraformed, Mars' ionosphere could block out most of the dangerous radiation thereby making up for the additional time Martian humans will spend outside of their underground homes.