Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Mars Is A Hell Hole
The Atlantic ^ | 26/2/21 | Shannon Stirone

Posted on 03/04/2021 1:49:22 PM PST by Eleutheria5

There’s no place like home—unless you’re Elon Musk. A prototype of SpaceX’s Starship, which may someday send humans to Mars, is, according to Musk, likely to launch soon, possibly within the coming days. But what motivates Musk? Why bother with Mars? A video clip from an interview Musk gave in 2019 seems to sum up Musk’s vision—and everything that’s wrong with it.

....Sagan believed that if we had a photo of ourselves from this distance, it would forever alter our perspective of our place in the cosmos.

But there Musk cuts himself off and begins to laugh. He says with incredulity, “This is not true. This is false––Mars.”

He couldn’t be more wrong. Mars? Mars is a hellhole. The central thing about Mars is that it is not Earth, not even close. In fact, the only things our planet and Mars really have in common is that both are rocky planets with some water ice and both have robots (and Mars doesn’t even have that many).

Mars has a very thin atmosphere; it has no magnetic field to help protect its surface from radiation from the sun or galactic cosmic rays; it has no breathable air and the average surface temperature is a deadly 80 degrees below zero. Musk thinks that Mars is like Earth? For humans to live there in any capacity they would need to build tunnels and live underground, and what is not enticing about living in a tunnel lined with SAD lamps and trying to grow lettuce with UV lights? So long to deep breaths outside and walks without the security of a bulky spacesuit, knowing that if you’re out on an extravehicular activity and something happens, you’ve got an excruciatingly painful 60-second death waiting for you.....

(Excerpt) Read more at theatlantic.com ...


TOPICS:
KEYWORDS: aristophanes; cultofmars; mars; musk; nephrolokokkugia; ridiculous; shannonstirone; styrone; theatlantic; thebirds
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 141-150 next last
To: SaveFerris

Guess that answers David Bowie’s question about if there’s Life on Mars?


41 posted on 03/04/2021 2:18:59 PM PST by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 33 | View Replies]

To: P.O.E.

Welcome to Hell...Here’s your accordion.


42 posted on 03/04/2021 2:19:26 PM PST by tet68 ( " We would not die in that man's company, that fears his fellowship to die with us...." Henry V.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 38 | View Replies]

To: Eleutheria5

“In fact, the only things our planet and Mars really have in common ...”


A couple of other things the planets have in common. Mars has a roughly 24-hour day, and Mars’s axis tilt is a bit more than 25º where Earth’s is a bit more than 23º.
The 24-hour day bit makes observing Mars through a telescope a bit boring since it shows the same face towards the observer for weeks on end.


43 posted on 03/04/2021 2:20:03 PM PST by hanamizu
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: tet68

44 posted on 03/04/2021 2:21:06 PM PST by dfwgator (Endut! Hoch Hech!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 42 | View Replies]

To: tet68

People like this author appear to have never seen
people swiming in water. You can die there just as fast.


45 posted on 03/04/2021 2:21:20 PM PST by tet68 ( " We would not die in that man's company, that fears his fellowship to die with us...." Henry V.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 42 | View Replies]

To: Trailerpark Badass
So is Baltimore.

LOL! True.

46 posted on 03/04/2021 2:21:28 PM PST by Rummyfan (In any war between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized man. Support Israel.d)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 15 | View Replies]

To: tet68

One of my favorite Gary Larson cartoons.


47 posted on 03/04/2021 2:22:25 PM PST by Publius
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 42 | View Replies]

To: Eleutheria5
I guess it boils down to, is it easier and more feasible to build a Mars colony , or to wait for the tech to build an O’Niell type of vast orbital space tube?

I dunno. I just hope the music of Bach and Chopin, and to a much, much lesser extent, Mozart, still exists at that time.

48 posted on 03/04/2021 2:22:48 PM PST by Sirius Lee (They intend to murder us. Prep if you want to live and live like you are prepping for eternal life)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Eleutheria5

University of Mars fight song: “Surrender Earthlings!’’.


49 posted on 03/04/2021 2:23:48 PM PST by jmacusa (Liberals. Too stupid to be idiots.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Tijeras_Slim

Elon Musk?!

50 posted on 03/04/2021 2:24:41 PM PST by Rummyfan (In any war between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized man. Support Israel.d)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 23 | View Replies]

To: Eleutheria5

51 posted on 03/04/2021 2:24:49 PM PST by LibWhacker
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: DIRTYSECRET

Minerals will be the future space wars.


52 posted on 03/04/2021 2:25:59 PM PST by cp124 (Government is 98% corrupt. )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: DIRTYSECRET; CodeToad

Robots are the perfect way to explore Mars, asteroids, or anywhere else.

Sending humans means 100 X the cost of robots just for the vanity screen shot of a living human in a pressurized space suit planting a flag, and, (hopefully) making it home alive.

For that price, we can send 100 X the number of robots (with the same cameras and sensors) to every planet and asteroid in the solar system.


53 posted on 03/04/2021 2:26:00 PM PST by Travis McGee (EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: cp124

Grabbing asteroids and throwing them back to earth still won’t require humans.

See above.


54 posted on 03/04/2021 2:26:45 PM PST by Travis McGee (EnemiesForeignAndDomestic.com)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 52 | View Replies]

To: Bishop_Malachi
Do you really think that if human beings show up in significant numbers anywhere that the political Left will just leave them in peace?

Any community on Mars will be by definition far-removed from current earthly political trends. A chance to start over. Anyone espousing leftie drivel can just go off and start on their own.

55 posted on 03/04/2021 2:28:14 PM PST by Rummyfan (In any war between the civilized man and the savage, support the civilized man. Support Israel.d)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]

To: Rummyfan

In a “no prisoners” sort of way.


56 posted on 03/04/2021 2:28:20 PM PST by Tijeras_Slim
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 50 | View Replies]

To: DoughtyOne

II Peter 3:10-13. It’s coming. Better be ready.


57 posted on 03/04/2021 2:28:41 PM PST by beethovenfan (Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 12 | View Replies]

To: Rummyfan

“Also, she never heard of terra forming?”

Ah yes, a speculative technology that doesn’t actually exist, that’s the ticket.


58 posted on 03/04/2021 2:28:43 PM PST by Boogieman
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 4 | View Replies]

To: DIRTYSECRET

This thread absolutely cries out for that reply.


59 posted on 03/04/2021 2:29:24 PM PST by rdl6989 ( )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies]

To: Bishop_Malachi
LDo you really think that if human beings show up in significant numbers anywhere that the political Left will just leave them in peace?

The idea is that the Leftists would never make it anywhere else.   They would taste the vacuum of space long before they reached the destination.   When air has a price, it isn't as likely to be wasted.

60 posted on 03/04/2021 2:30:46 PM PST by higgmeister ( In the Shadow of The Big Chicken )
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 24 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-2021-4041-6061-80 ... 141-150 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson