The war in Iraq is going to cost about 1 trillion dollars. The Bush bank bail out was 800 billion dollars. President Obama's stimulus plan calls for 800 billion in various public works projects and the new bank bailout plan will cost 1.5 trillion. What else could we have done with those 4 trillion dollars? We could have terraformed Mars and made it habitable for humans. According to the Mars Society a manned mission to Mars would cost about 150 billion - so we could easily have done that and provided hundreds of thousands of engineering jobs the way the Apollo programme did; but terraforming the planet would be an even more ambitious step. We'd have to divert comets into the atmosphere to give Mars more water, we'd have to seed the surface with hardy lichens and mosses and eventually bioengineered plants, we'd have to pump in CFC's to melt the polar ice caps. It's pricey to do all that but it's not 4 trillion dollars pricey. If everything went to plan Mars could have a high altitude breathable atmosphere in a few generations and although it does not have a magnetosphere (hats at all times and no T shirts) people could live there. Why go to Mars? Humans need to expand into space in case of a catastrophic comet strike like the one at the K-T boundary which exterminated the dinosaurs. But also because we need frontiers, challenges and new goals. It's the same reason we go to the bottom of the ocean or the tops of mountains or to Ballymena. Some scientists think that Venus too could be successfully terraformed and perhaps even Saturn's moon Titan. The nearest star system is only four light years away and with a 2o percent light speed nuclear impulse drive or a solar sail we could be there in a couple of decades. Millions of jobs, a common goal for humanity, a lifeboat for civilization and of course dusky Martian princesses a la Edgar Rice Burroughs - what exactly is the downside of this?
Saturday, February 14, 2009
My Own Stimulus Plan - Terraform Mars
The war in Iraq is going to cost about 1 trillion dollars. The Bush bank bail out was 800 billion dollars. President Obama's stimulus plan calls for 800 billion in various public works projects and the new bank bailout plan will cost 1.5 trillion. What else could we have done with those 4 trillion dollars? We could have terraformed Mars and made it habitable for humans. According to the Mars Society a manned mission to Mars would cost about 150 billion - so we could easily have done that and provided hundreds of thousands of engineering jobs the way the Apollo programme did; but terraforming the planet would be an even more ambitious step. We'd have to divert comets into the atmosphere to give Mars more water, we'd have to seed the surface with hardy lichens and mosses and eventually bioengineered plants, we'd have to pump in CFC's to melt the polar ice caps. It's pricey to do all that but it's not 4 trillion dollars pricey. If everything went to plan Mars could have a high altitude breathable atmosphere in a few generations and although it does not have a magnetosphere (hats at all times and no T shirts) people could live there. Why go to Mars? Humans need to expand into space in case of a catastrophic comet strike like the one at the K-T boundary which exterminated the dinosaurs. But also because we need frontiers, challenges and new goals. It's the same reason we go to the bottom of the ocean or the tops of mountains or to Ballymena. Some scientists think that Venus too could be successfully terraformed and perhaps even Saturn's moon Titan. The nearest star system is only four light years away and with a 2o percent light speed nuclear impulse drive or a solar sail we could be there in a couple of decades. Millions of jobs, a common goal for humanity, a lifeboat for civilization and of course dusky Martian princesses a la Edgar Rice Burroughs - what exactly is the downside of this?
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37 comments:
Adrian -
So many people decry the "pointlessness" of the space program, or its relative unimportance as compared to other more immediate pressing social needs. However, NASA's problem-solving of the 50s and 60s led directly to the increased development of technologies that we use without a second thought today: computers, cell phones, etc. I think you're dead on that a mission to mars would return a lot on the investment, a lot more than most people would realize.
Here's a good article on terraforming Mars. It's a bit scientific and technical, but it discusses many ways the planet could be terraformed.
You should send this post to Sir Richard of Virgin. I bet he's on board already though. Would be nice to read his comments here, a la Mrs. Dick. I think it's a great idea. We do need another planet to ruin if we are to make it much longer.
Shouldn't we clean up our mess on this planet before we go wrecking some other planet?
The space program led to cell phones? That's a good reason to avoid Mars. Dusky Martian princesses sound all right, though.
================================
Detectives Beyond Borders
"Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home"
http://www.detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/
Peter,
But if we were to be the first to emigrate to Mars, we wouldn't have to deal with as many cell phones anymore.
Brian
Well the space program represents about 1 percent of the federal budget which is nothing.
When that black comet is heading for the Earth in three days everyone's going to say why didnt we spend more money on NASA.
Could piece on TF.
HardB
Mars is already ruined, everything we'll do there will only make it better.
I'd like to ask Sir Richard why his "low cost" Australian airline Virgin Blue is more expensive than Qantas, JetStar, Air Asia, Air NZ and every other airline in this hemisphere.
John
Attempting to clean up this planet would mean imposing our will on India and China, something that isnt going to happen. We dont need anybody's permission to go to Mars.
And besides global warming is a short term blip in massive and terrifying ice age cycles which will come no matter what we do.
Peter
I dont have a cell phone and this twitter idea frankly weirds me out. Have you seen Mad Men? Parts of that era are very appealing to me esp the suits, the smoking, the lunch time whisky and no phones.
Brian: But the same assholes who jabber on the cell phones on Amtrak would jabber on their cell phones the whole length of the Mars commute.
==============
Detectives Beyond Borders
“Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home”
http://detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/
Attempting to clean up this planet would mean imposing our will on India and China, something that isnt going to happen. We dont need anybody's permission to go to Mars.
That's the most logical thing I've heard in years. I'm with you.
And I like the Mad Men suits and smoking and whisky lunches (you forgot women with hips). Having them on Mars would be even better.
"... women with hips ..."
Didn't they open for Men Without Hats?
==============
Detectives Beyond Borders
“Because Murder Is More Fun Away From Home”
http://detectivesbeyondborders.blogspot.com/
Right. I'm just imagining the hapless reader of one or all of the Michael Forsythe trilogy, wanting to rhapsodize about it, and coming across this discussion.
Comet hits, we're all going down, folks. Sorry.
Not that I'm against any of the space programs you propose. I've passed the word on to my friend at NASA about his needing to step up the comet avoidance program--haven't heard back yet, but I will let you know what he says. I guess that I should ask him to put in his influence on the Mars project as well.
Sorry, to disillusion you, Adrian, but as near as I can make out, this comment trail is much like a version of Twitter. I mean the people who are succinct, which lets me out.
I'm not interested in Twitter, cell phones, Facebook, or My Space either. I'm realizing that just the blogosphere is going to expand outward and suck up all my free time as it is.
Oh, I don't know about cheap, because I didn't pay for it, but my return trip from Ireland and England a few years ago beat my journey out on United all to hell. Coach on Virgin felt like first class in comparison.
John
I cant tell if you're being serious or sarcastic.
But I definitely agree about the female cast of Mad Men. Va va va voom as I believe they used to say back in those days.
Peter
Of course its all a pipe dream. All of us are going to die without ever seeing man or woman set foot on Mars. Unless the Chinese really push for it over the next few decades of course.
Seana
Just wait till I start talking about Battlestar Galactica then you'll be in trouble.
Brian
Yeah one final thing. Its the old Ben Franklin argument isnt it? What's the point of a newborn baby?
Peter -
Let's make a rule then: no jabbering on cell phones during the trip to Mars. First offenders will be put into spacesuits and tethered to the outside of the ship for an appropriate length of time (thank you Ben Bova). Repeat offenders will get tossed out of the air lock, sans suit.
Adrian -
Franklin's newborn baby line sounds like something David Mamet would have written...without the expletives, of course.
Adrian, you should probably get a Twitter account and type in the words 'Battlestar Galactica'.
Of course, none of us will ever hear from you again, so that was probably a really bad idea on my part. Sorry, everyone else.
Adrian,
I'm not sure whether a country that didn't successfully conquer Iraq will be able to man the Mars permanently - i.e. I would not belief the estimation of risks and costs.
No, I'm serious, that's the most logical approach.
I've always had a problem with any sci-fi that presents a cheery image of the future with everyone getting along (Star Trek) and no real explanation of how that happened. Oh yeah, right, World War Three and then we all came to our senses. So three's a charm then, not two, not five. Meh, not buying it.
So, ignore that step and just do it anyway. Sci-fi has never presented me that option, but it really is brilliant.
And, I have to say, as long as there are no armed Martians trying to keep us out, not being able to conquor Iraq isn't really a factor.
Sci-fi has never presented me that option
He shamelessly stole the idea from Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars Trilogy.
Brian
I saw David Mamet at a cafe on Hudson Street once and he was very polite.
Huge Patrick O'Brian fan incidentally.
Seana
Its bad enough that I go to Aint It Cool News and Galactica Sitrep, dont let me fall into Twitter Hell.
Bernd
I agree that its probably not to come off. It could, but it wont.
John
I always thought Star Trek was way too optimistic. Its still charming but way to optimistic. Also how exactly did The Golden Gate Bridge survive The Big One and World War Three, indeed how did a nuked SF become the HQ of StarFleet?
I do like Spock's line in StarTrek Four though. Kirk says something about the amount of swearing in the late twentieth century and mentions reading it in Harold Robbins and Jacqueline Suzanne and Spock says "Ah, the giants."
Marco
I dont really find the Mars Trilogy THAT believable. I think its more likely that the Chinese are going to conquer Mars and I dont think there are going to be many pro Mars terrorists and as for the great Swiss-Arab alliance...
However it is the best terraforming series of books about Mars out there and no one can deny that KSL hasnt done the research.
There's an interesting alternate history setting by Chris Roberson in which the two main spacefaring powers are the Middle Kingdom and the Mexic Dominion -and the control of the "fire planet" is one of the main plot points.
Here's a review of one of the novels in the series.
In our newfound American patriotism and love of American history, thanks to Obama--and that's only half sarcasm, the other half is admiration for his ability to instill new interest in old themes--I haven't yet found Ben Franklin being enlivened. I know he was quite the bon vivant, ladies' man, sophisticate, and of course innovator oand inventor, but ever since reading a biography of him when I was kid, I have never been able to shake off the sense of him as infinitely boring. But that 'What is the point of a newborn baby?' line makes me wonder if, should I happen to read his actual words, I might actually find him intriguing. What was the context of that? Either he was trying to sell people on something, or he was America's first standup comedian, in which case, we still need to know the punchline.
I know at some point there is going to be a post on Battlestar Galactica, so there is really no point in forestalling the inevitable.
Marco
Hmmm dont know him. I like alternate history though and counterfactuals except for any involving the Nazis. Those are so played.
Seana
I dont know much about Franklin to be honest but I did read his Autobiography and found it to be lively, interesting and funny. He wasnt a President but he and Alexander Hamilton were on the currency and thats got to count for something, right? the newborn baby think was in reference to electricity I believe.
You're lucky the BSG post wasnt tonight. It was a hell of an episode.
I actually don't know why I have him down as boring, because even that kid's biography hardly made him sound like Little Lord Fauntleroy. It's something about the whole Founding Fathers syndrome, I expect. It takes something to rescue them from their moldering quality. I had an excellent American history professor, Page Smith, who had a sort of personal devotion to Washington, Jefferson and John (and Abigail)Adams, but I don't remember him talking up Franklin so much, so he wasn't rescued for me. I've seen a few dramatic representations, but he always justs comes across as too wily by half. Maybe I will try the autobio one of these days, though. Maybe while I'm tuning out of the Battlestar Galactica discussion.
I see on another thread that Bookwitch is longing to find some new people around here-- Battlestar is a sure way to draw them. Either that or have the sim master program in a half dozen more. I've noticed that a few have been added into the mix lately already.
Hmmm dont know him. I like alternate history though and counterfactuals except for any involving the Nazis. Those are so played.
I've read a few online short stories in the setting.It is a kind of Chinese Steampunk, in the sense that it's like if the Chinese Empire had evolved into the 21th Century without the influence of the west-so science and technology are at times more advanced, at times anachronistically primitive, in all cases the result of a worldview based on Taoist philosophy.
One Nazi alternate history you might like is Jo Walton's Small Change trilogy.It deals with a Britain in which the most vocal opponents of Nazism fell out of favor early and a policy of neutrality first and alliance and friendship afterwards with Hitler's Germany affirmed itself.
It is very effective in showing how those harmless class and racial prejudices- like those ethnic jokes you're supposed to be a good sport and make a good face at and laugh -slide seamlessly into xenophobia and dehumanization when the wind changes and the media helps targeting determinate groups as scapegoats.
Marco
Jo's book sounds exactly like my cup of tea. Yes. Thats how it went down on the Channel Islands wasnt it? Polite cooperation with the Nazis and eventually lots of local girls falling in love with German soldiers.
Adrian: Going over your old posts, here. I really have no clue as to terraforming, and will leave that to you and others wise in this way. But, boy, that Frazetta graphic sure holds up under the weight of time.
Pat
Yeah totally agree. They dont make em like that no more.
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