Ice oceans found on Mars

drudge ^

[PatrickHenry]

Bombard both Mars and the moon with asteroids to begin building up planetary mass. And especially comets because they carry volatiles, compounds with some hydrogen content. Oxygen is not in short supply anywhere, even on the moon.

Why waste perfectly good asteroids? The belt is where the action is likely to be in the coming generations. Mineral wealth, low gravity, less fuel required in landing and takeoffs.

[RightWhale]

Save out 10,000 of the richest asteroids for mining and crash the rest onto Mars and the moon. There's a lot more material in the solar system than civilization can use, so let's make up a couple more habitable planets before we take off for neighboring star systems.

Concerning the water ice on Mars: NASA ought to reconsider why it wants to send men to Mars. What are we going to do when we get there?

[PatrickHenry]

NASA ought to reconsider why it wants to send men to Mars. What are we going to do when we get there?

NASA is going to Mars because they can't think of another project, and a bureaucracy must keep busy or -- horrors! -- it's out of business. When we get there? There will automatically be a further mission for NASA, which is keeping the colony alive with ever-bigger NASA budgets. Unless we discover something enormously valuable there, it's just not economically sound to go. Not now. Well, I guess they could always try to sell bottled Martian water ...

[edwin hubble]

I agree about Robinson's trilogy. See my post#78

Robinson says "History is Lamarckian"
He must have a giant database and coordinated spreadsheet to keep all the hundred-plus characters straight.
His ability to deal with centuries of detailed causal-linked events is really close to Asimov's.

[edwin hubble]

Sorry, that's post#79

[Jay W]

"Pre-biotic" soup? Maybe Mars has "pre-biotic" soup, but here on Earth we have "fully biotic" soup:

Fully Biotic Soup

[RightWhale]

NASA's job is created by Congress. For the past 30 years Congress has told NASA to be pre-eminent in space. I suppose NASA is still pre-eminent in space, so far, so good. But to send a manned expedition to Mars and return? Nothing follows . . .

[RightWhale]

Actually I was thinking of putting Mars or Mercury into orbit around Venus and moving Venus out from the sun, perhaps as far as earth's orbit. The moon could use some water bombardment as well. Maybe it's not what my neighbor down the street would do, he voted Green, but it's something and will keep us busy for a while. Idle hands, etc.

[RightWhale]

There is a lot of aluminum in asteroids. Better use that than send foil from earth. Also, domes will be a way of life on Mars. Pressurized buildings and agricultural facilities, anyway.

[Skibane]

"...if it were to melt it could cover the planet in an ocean at least 500 metres deep (1,640 feet)..."

Waterworld, anyone? :-D

[Centurion2000]

Why waste perfectly good asteroids? The belt is where the action is likely to be in the coming generations. Mineral wealth, low gravity, less fuel required in landing and takeoffs.

You forgot the other reason to get to the Belt. Freedom.

[<1/1,000,000th%]

LOL!! (#76)

[<1/1,000,000th%]

Didn't valis post this story back on March 4th?

[no-s]

No, the things a glider. Gravity is the counteracting force. The magnetic field may act differentially on the solar wind particles, resulting in a net force which is other than straight out. Thus you can switch to a transfer orbit which takes you back to Earth. Of course if you end up in solar escape only a close flyby with a planet can fix you up with the correct momentum.

I wonder if it would be possible to add momentum to the intercepted particles? Then the things could go even faster.

[samtheman]

We don't need to land on Mars so much as begin bombarding it with asteroids.

I agree. But I would add this: we should build and send an army of robots to prepare the planet for our use.

[Joe Hadenuf]

Who can travel for three years in a sardine can? How many can travel comfortably in a sardine can?

We have hundreds of thousands of people sitting in sardine cans here on Earth. Some sit in these cans (prisons) for life.

It can be done.

[Condorman]

I agree about Robinson's trilogy. See my post#78
He must have a giant database and coordinated spreadsheet to keep all the hundred-plus characters straight.

I'm frankly stumped as to how he did it. The man has far more patience and organizational ability than I can possibly fathom. I stand in awe of his talent...

(I must have missed your post the first time around. Thanks for the ping.)

[inquest]

The magnetic field may act differentially on the solar wind particles, resulting in a net force which is other than straight out.

How differentially are we talking? It would have to be pretty close to a 90-degree angle in order for this transfer orbit to result in less than a three-year trip back, I would think.