Do you have an interest in the future of space travel? Will we live on Mars?

Kim Stanley Robinson has written a trilogy (Red Mars, Green Mars, Blue Mars) about the terraforming and colonisation of Mars, and it would appear from his books, as he is clealry a brilliant researcher, that a great deal of thought has already been put into the concept by science. As someone earlier in the discussion pointed out, living on Mars would be very similar to living in the Antarctic, and Robinson has written another book, preceding the trilogy, called Antarctica, where he explores that very idea also. It is a long way away, I would think, since the plethora of problems the earth has will probably slow down the space race considerably for the foreseeable future, but I imagine that eventually the Chinese will pick up the ball and make it happen. Lash

hi there AndrewFreyne! i am open to the idea that mankind (or even almost all life forms on Earth) can move and colonise other hospitable planets. and i think this should be considered as an option because mankind is rapidly destroying the earth in just a few centuries. imagine that... billions of years of planetary evolution into near-perfection, only to be ruined by irresponsible and greedy humans that started doing bad things in just a handful of centuries. i think that in half a decade, mankind would probably ruin the Earth so much that scientists would start proposing about moving to Mars. the air, soil and water would be fouled by that time. and come to think of it, with the risks of asteroid collisions, by the time when scientists can predict an asteroid collision 50-100 years in advance, moving to Mars when Earth would be destroyed by an asteroid would be a good idea. =) and probably, after billions of years, when our sun uses up its hydrogen fuel and starts using its helium byproduct fuel, it will expand into a red giant and will probably vaporise Mercury, Venus, Earth and Mars (and possibly even Jupiter!). by that time, mankind should be able to find another planet within our solar system, or even outside. but thank goodness that right now, we're still in halfway in mankind destroying the planet permanently. we probably won't need to worry about moving to another planet too soon. although i hope that mankind would change its ways and start saving the planet. it's sad to see that mankind would need to move almost all forms of life from Earth to Mars or another planet all because they screwed Earth up... anyways, thank you and more power to you! =)

That seems interesting and I agree that it may not be just a fiction story in the future, but to be honest, I am not so keen on living in mars or any other planet. . I still prefer the good old earth. It is an eerie thing to me. Transferring to another planet seems sad. Hope we will not be able to get to that age and that people should all do something to preserve the mother earth.

i dont think so

If there's true, i would live to see that day.......

I do not envy the babies coming into the world many years from now because the world is already overpopulated today and every forty years the population doubles itself. Earth will one day run out of resources. The breeding of food plants was supposed to end world hunger but it just allowed more people to live and reproduce and this we are back to starving people. Maybe as was stated if we took care of the earth we would not have to leave it. I am always amazed at people willing to spend millions of dollars to find new life on other planets when we do not even respect our own plant and animal life here on earth and are extinguishing species at an alarming rate. This is another large extinction age caused by us. I am afraid that humans going into space would just spread war and garbage across the universe.

I can't see this good earth being around in another billion years my friend, scientists have said and so have philosophers that this earth could actually cease to exist in 2012! I very very very much doubt if this earth will see another millennium to be honest, what with global warming and the way we are destroying this planet, it's not a case of if but when Earth is destroyed and it will much sooner than we think and I think far too sooner than man's conquest for another planet will come about. So I can't see any future about planning a move to Mars or any other planet, even if time travel is invented again time is NOT on our side my friend. The moon is more likelier than Mars but I still think that the odds are in favour of the Earth being wiped out in this millennium and I certainly believe in the 2012 theory. Either an asteroid or man will destroy the planet we love, so my interest in space travel is not enthusiastic my friend, I have more interest in when we will be wiped out and the human race as we know it will cease to exist. The clock is ticking....

I thought we would, and the discovery channel apparently thinks so, but my friends says we won't. I hope she's wrong because my big plan for my 80th birthday in 48 years is to go to Mars and stay there for a week helping in the hydroponics bay if I can and if they let tourists do that. I think they would as it would be a tourist attraction. It would be similar to eco-vacations here on Earth. Of course, they wouldn't let you do anything dangerous or that you might screw up the food supply for Mars, but I think they would let you putter around a little bit. This is my dream anyway. I'll let you know if I actually do it in 48 years if myLot is still here.

Been always interested in outer space since childhood, and all those shows about it only fired up my imagination. However, I think it'll remain only in science fiction, as far as humans living elsewhere but Earth, that is. We'll need probably another century to at least develop enough technology to enable living on the moon, or another planet. Frankly though, it's just concerning to me all this talk about the matter. Man hasn't yet learned to take proper care of the Earth, yet now there's serious consideration of life on another planet. Must we now regress to destroying the universe? I don't envy the babies yet to come at all. Life won't be easy at all for them (if anything, I'm worried for them). Increasing world debt, poverty, threat of wars, etc. surrounds them. How can/will they cope?

I have no idea if we will ever live on mars but I hope we one day conquer space travel and explore the universe. I am sure we will find other habitable planets that we can live on. Mars might be the closest but it would take a lot of work to make it habitable and in the mean time they might discover a drive that will let us leave the solar system

wow. i think you are so right. i remember back when i was young, i would never have believed the things we do today. microwaves, personal comps, phones you can carry around, etc. geesh, i could go on and on.

I do have an interest in space and traveling it. It has always interested me but I have conflicting ideas about doing so. Mankind has been on several space endeavors and the like for many a year. A lot of times other countries are trying to keep up with us. But like so many other things going on in the United States there is money that is funneled for things that could take less of a priority due to some of the underlying situations. I don't want to sound too much like a yahoo here but you know there are a lot of needy people in the world and our country alone. People are homeless and starving and we fund money toward deployment and wars and space travel. Sure. I would be interested in finding out about life on Mars and the expansive galaxy. It may not all happen in our life time Andrew, however I would rest a little better knowing that billions of dollars would be helping the suffering people down here in the homelands. You mention about moving to another planet. Sounds like a pretty peculiar idea. Will there come a time when that will happen? I guess it is a possibility but also like you said it could be another billion years from now. And also another fact you might be aware of is that eventually the sun will burn out anyway. But not for years to come. Take care buddy.

Regarding the first question, Yes, I would surely like to try Space Travel if possible in my lifetime I would like to comment more on the second question We will not live on mars mate! Never ! Maybe our future generations will, but not us ;) Anyway, adding reputation to this topic Nice topic mate !!!

Maybe it will happen. I can't believe it! I have an interest in the future of space travel. But i think maybe we won't live on Mars. you know, earth is a good place to live, it is polluted seriously now, so we should protect environment.

Well all we can do is imagine and dream. Yes there is a high possibility of space travle and space colonies provided we do not go about destroying ourselves before that. The colonies could be on the moon,Mars or even on some space colonies. It sounds exciting, but i guess we will never know.

Hi Andrew I am almost sure that the conjecture would come true in future. The way we are devastating or earth, its sooner than we actually perceive. Humans have stepped into Mars, Moon and have been sending space ships and it wouldn't be a surprise when we start to live there! Already, much have been going on in the scientists circuit on this even though I am a layman, I can tell you that it will happen. Not in our lifetime though. As a matte of fact, it would take a few more generations but longer it would take I would be happier. That would only validate that our earth is still livable!

when Jules Verne wrote "From the Earth to the Moon" as a science fiction novel nobody ever imagined that Man would one day make it come true.Colonising planets in outer space is one of the most exciting projects to be taken by Mankind. Though the Earth is still a good 5 billion years away from destruction it is doubtful that humanity will last that long.we are already seein Man`s destructive powers being unleashed on our planet in the form of deforestation,global warming, extinction of animal and plant life, degradation of the environment,etc.Glaciers are receding and melting at a rapid rate and fears of rivers disappearing in the future are causing widespread alarm. even a slight rise in the levels of the seas and oceans will see hundreds of coastal cities going under water. In this very real scenario it is imperative that Man should look to colonise the Moon and Mars, create artificial Earthlike environments there and translocate vital plant and animal species in the same way as Noah did during the great flood.Earth will still be around when these events which are in the realms of science fiction really take place but it will have become inhabitable for Man.Our generation and even the next may not be around when this takes place but it is heartening to know that a start has been made.

i am 52 and moon and mars colonization is going to happen within twenty years. Going into deep space in a intergalactic ship is on the drawing board and being planned for within 15 years. We have the tech, all we need to do is those interested together for deeper planning. I have been involved with space, energy and etc..., for many years. it is not can we do it/ It is when... electricityjim@att.net