All this talk of putting humans on Mars is very thrilling, and very Buck Rogerish, and very exciting, and very 'now'. It's also very stupid. Look at the above pictures, taken just a couple of weeks ago, and tell me if you see any vegetation, any signs of water, any evidence of any means of creating some kind of viable civilization on this barren rocky desert. You can't, can you?
In addition, there's no breathable atmosphere, and whatever there is of that atmosphere we would classify as unfit for human consumption. The climate ranges from barely tolerable to extremely cold, and there are sandstorms there not unlike those in the deserts of Africa.
There's no way to raise crops, find food, breathe air, wash clothes, or stay warm, except by using whatever you brought with you, and that has to be very carefully selected, because it will cost perhaps a little more than a million dollars per pound to get it delivered to the surface of Mars. And did I mention the radiation? There's virtually no atmosphere capable of protecting you from it, remember? And what do you do when the things you brought with you wear out, assuming you last that long? The nearest help is six to eight months away, assuming that help is already prepared to leave, and able to do so.
You'd like to be among the first humans on Mars, because it would be very thrilling and romantic and adventurous and you'd be remembered by history for being....what? A suicidal dreamer? A dead human on a dead planet? Relax, if you live long enough, you can say that right here at home! And for those who may not have noticed, we're already exploring Mars in the most practical and most humane ways possible. That's because we already know Mars lost its ability to be life-supporting, as we understand that term, far back in the distant past, about three and a half billion years ago. We should be thankful we weren't there then, and we should also be thankful we aren't there now.
No comments:
Post a Comment