Elon Musk plans a Mars colony of 80,000 people

[Anonymous No.5300817]

http://www.forbes.com/sites/alexknapp/2012/11/27/spacex-billionaire-elon-musk-wants-a-martian-colony
-of-80000-people/

Realistically, with present day technology, how can this be accomplished? Mars has just enough of an atmosphere to make re-entry dangerous, not enough for effective air braking for objects large enough for more than a few humans to live in, and just enough gravity to make it hugely difficult to land large, heavy payloads on the surface. Curiosity's size and weight approaches the upper limit, as does the Dragon capsule, hence why Mars One's concept art shows those capsules linked and used as habitat space rather than something with more elbow room.

It is obvious, then, that this hypothetical colony will not be comprised of tiny capsules sent one at a time by rocket. Rather, enough living space will be established for a work crew, and the rest of the launches will be reactors and equipment modules for doing stuff like making non-porous concrete and glass from martian soil. We'll construct buildings there similarly to how they are built here, but on a more modest scale (for lack of large cranes and other megascale construction equipment) and to a different standard (they must endure a 14.7 psi maximum pressure differential, meaning round outer walls and windows.)

[Anonymous No.5300821]

We might also seal and pressurize lava tubes. Lit and heated by nuclear power, atmospheric CO2 can be pumped into the lava tube until the pressure and heat is sufficient for plants. As the plants grow and consume the CO2, this can be balanced out with small animals and then humans.

Curiously Elon's plans as he has described them involve large inflatable mylar bubbles on the surface. It is claimed that recent readings from Curiosity confirm that surface radiation is low enough to be safe for humans without shielding. Still, either of the above plans is a better way to create a larger volume of living space with fewer launches than inflatable habitats. I wonder if Elon has considered them.

[Anonymous No.5300913]

>>5300821
Well, while average surface radiation is low enough to be 'safe' for humans, the lack of any substantial planetary magnetic field means there's a very big risk posed by any sudden, large sources of exposure to radiation like from a solar flare or CME.

[Anonymous No.5301066]

Skylon will be perfect for taking stuff to orbit for assembly/packaging into a transport ship which will be launched when the window arrives.

[Anonymous No.5301073]

>>5300913
I suspect CMEs hitting Mars is less likely than Earth because it's farther away. Hopefully Curiosity will get hit with a direct blast.

[Anonymous No.5301095]

cme causes dangerous radiation on mars. me thinks musk is pulling shit out of his ass to rile up corporate enthusiasm

[Anonymous No.5301292]

They're going to need doctors. I am set assuming I keep doing well in school.

Also the people leaving are going to be earth's best and brightest. Uncle Sam is going to tax the ever living piss out of the ticket price in order to get every last dime they can out of them. Fuck

[Anonymous No.5301333]

Some colonists are also going to die, a good percentage actually. The media will bemoan the risks of sending such bright men and women to Mars. Congress, as always, will over-regulate in response to the hysteria which will cost even more lives. Meanwhile human beings on Mars will actually start using their intelligence for survival again, expect biotech to really find its niche then.

I am actually excited about the future again. Hooray!

[Anonymous No.5301518]

>>5301095
>>5300913
>>5301073
The charged particles that make CMEs so dangerous travel much slower than light, so they'd have a fair bit of warning - days at least, more than enough time to take precautions and get to safety.

It's the flares you gotta watch out for.

[Anonymous No.5301621]

>>5300817
>Curiosity's size and weight approaches the upper limit
No they don't. There is no reason the technology can't be scaled.

[Anonymous No.5301626]

>>5301518
>It's the flares you gotta watch out for.
Why?

[Anonymous No.5301629]

>>5301626
flares emit destructive EM radiation. They travel at light speed, so we have 8 minutes from the flare to us. Can't do much about it

[Anonymous No.5301633]

Would it be possible to save the crew of a ship that is directly in the way of a CME while en route to Mars?

[Anonymous No.5301638]

>>5301629
Are you certain it would be energetic enough to pose an immediately life threatening risk despite Mars existent if thin atmosphere?

[Anonymous No.5301639]

>>5301626
Charged particles from flares travel at relativistic velocities - on the order of 1/3 to 1/2 c. Whereas radiation from CMEs can take hours or days to reach planets like Earth and Mars, radiation from flares takes only minutes.

At around half the speed of light, radiation from a flare pointed at Mars would arrive just 10-12 minutes after the light from the flare. That's not a lot of warning, especially when you're talking about trying to get hundreds or even thousands of people into shelter.

[Anonymous No.5301642]

>>5301626
Charged particles from flares travel at relativistic velocities - on the order of 1/3 to 1/2 c. Whereas radiation from CMEs can take hours or days to reach planets like Earth and Mars, radiation from flares takes only minutes.

At around half the speed of light, radiation from a flare pointed at Mars would arrive just 10-12 minutes after the light from the flare. That's not a lot of warning, especially when you're talking about trying to get hundreds or even thousands of people into shelter.

Powerful flares can also emit dangerous electromagnetic radiation (ie x rays) which travel at light speed (no warning)

[Anonymous No.5301653]

>>5301638

the flares can damage us and our electronic systems here on earth. on mars, the damage done would be greater

[Anonymous No.5301687]

why not have a test run under the sea first? Better to master a challenging environment on our own planet than try it millions of miles away.

also you can fuck off if you think i'm leaving internet, plumbing and hot food behind for that shit.

[Anonymous No.5301707]

>>5301518
>>5301629
>>5301642
The EM radiation from flares is a minor effect compared to the particle radiation even in Earth orbit.

And Mars is a bit further out.

Sure, flares are a risk, but not in the same measure as CMEs.

[Anonymous No.5301763]

>>5301687
>mars
>no plumbing or hot food
I don't even...

[Anonymous No.5301800]

>>5301642
>Charged particles from flares travel at relativistic velocities - on the order of 1/3 to 1/2 c.
That seems very high. Sauce?

[Anonymous No.5301804]

>>5301653
Greater but not necessarily too much.

[Anonymous No.5301845]

>>5301763
>not only do you have to drink slurpees all day in a frozen fucking tundra of a planet, but you must also wallow in shit from your neighbor anytime you want to go anywhere

but no seriously at first I was really excited about this project, but there is just no way this guy is going to make all this happen. A few people, MAYBE. A whole cities worth? I can only dream of something that grand.

[Anonymous No.5301870]

>>5300817
This won't even come close to happening for decades.

And there WILL be a death toll...perhaps prohibitive.

[Anonymous No.5301874]

>>5301292
>Also the people leaving are going to be earth's best and brightest.
More like they are going to send some astronauts as guinea pigs and give them instructions over the phone. One would have to be an idiot to be the first to go to Mars, so much can and will go wrong it's not even funny.
Maybe if we made some sort of 100 year plan to make the planet habitable sending bioengineered lifeforms or something.

[Anonymous No.5301879]

>>5301870
>prohibitive
Every little bit of organics takes us closer to a (more) terraformed Mars.

[Anonymous No.5301914]

aww shit. havent read thread or article just yet, but elon musk is a hero, a gentleman, a scholar and also my nigga and I would do anything to help him.

[Anonymous No.5301935]

So, let me get this straight. Why the fuck would anyone want to go to Mars> I mean, I get the excitement of the news of such an event. Is symbolizes technological and scientific progress. I get that. But why would you want to be the one to live in shitty quarters for years and risk death just to be the one who has gone to Mars? I don't get that. It seems somewhat close to the primitive excitement somebody would get out of base jumping or whatever stupid possibly fatal sport they practice. I'm sure the initial adrenaline rush of realize that you are walking on Martian soil is phenomenal but I'm sure you'd get increasing home sick up to a point where you start thinking that you were foolish in undergoing such expedition just for that bit of excitement at the start.

[Anonymous No.5301942]

>>5301935
1. Get your name in the history books.
2. The thrill of exploration.
3. Life away from society.

[Anonymous No.5301943]

>>5301942

I don't mean to be rude. Your other points are valid (although subjective), but you definitely won't be living "life away from society". You will be in very close quarters to other people who are probably going to be strangers and not your close friends. And moreover the whole world will be monitoring you constantly.

[Anonymous No.5301944]

How will we prevent atrophy of muscle and bones?
I don't think we should go off world until we have a proper, possibly underground, rotating habitat.

[Anonymous No.5301948]

>>5301943
Maybe I worded it incorrectly. But I'd consider living with a very small group of people, millions of kilometers away from any help as living away from society(or something).

If I used the wrong word, blame my headache.

[Anonymous No.5301949]

>>5301944

>atrophy

Mars has adequate mass for that not to be a problem.

As for the round trip, you can induce rotational velocity on the spacecraft to mimic gravity.

For more info:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Manned_mission_to_Mars

Also I believe Musk is heavily influenced from the Mars Direct proposal (see link above).

[Anonymous No.5301960]

I imagine any initial colony would comprise of a few professional astronauts to prepare the colony for a high influx of people. The astronauts would move things into position, get the greenhouses operational, the power generation working, scope out the terrain, etc. you know, just making sure everything is ready. The resulting influx may be limited for the first few years and then the flood gates are opened.

I could see myself going for a couple of years.

>>5301944
OATZ n SQUATZ

[Anonymous No.5301962]

>>5301949
>g on Mars is 3.7 m/s^2
You wouldn't need to do isometric exercises daily? What about infants? Can a pregnancy even happen in low gravity?

[Anonymous No.5301972]

I wonder what the colony would be named.

[Anonymous No.5301978]

>>5301972
Erehwon.

>>5301962
It can, sperm cells have their own power, remember?

[Anonymous No.5301982]

>>5301687
>why not have a test run under the sea first? Better to master a challenging environment on our own planet than try it millions of miles away.

We do that already.

[Anonymous No.5301987]

>>5301978
Of course I know sperm have flagella

God just by the way you worded that I know you don't know shit

[Anonymous No.5302007]

>>5301987
Ask a poorly-defined question, get a poorly-defined answer. Magic!

[Anonymous No.5302021]

>>5302007

[Anonymous No.5302030]

>>5302021
Too much hassle to elaborate, so you rather throw a hissy fit?
Next time, try saying
>That's not what I meant, I meant...

It will miraculously revolutionize your communication capabilities.

[Anonymous No.5302038]

>>5302030
Nope I just think my questions weren't too hard to follow.

[Anonymous No.5302619]

>>5301874
>the US will tax the hundreds of people who go to Mars
LOL

But seriously, taxing someone for moving out of the country is ridiculous and getting such a ridiculously small amount of money relative to the greater federal budget wouldn't be worth the catastrophic PR damage that would be done if the US tried taxing the bold pioneers of the new world. There would be an electoral backlash that would fill Congress with economic conservatives.