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| Artist's conception of the process of terraforming Mars (Wikipedia). The question is, should it be done? |
Is the Mars One project (a no-return mission of Mars colonists) a suicide trip, and if so does it matter? Is colonising Mars a good thing in principle, and if so, does it signify what the motives are? Is preserving the human race a good motive? In order to hasten exploration of Mars, is it OK to cut corners thereby risking planetary protection .. risking polluting Mars with Earth microbes, which could stymie all future investigation into life on Mars? Is it OK to terraform Mars … schemes have been devised that, within a few centuries, would turn Mars into a replica of the Earth with an Earthlike atmosphere. But is it right?
How is the demilitarization of space to be policed? How can we preserve archaeology in space and on the Moon? Who is allowed to mine asteroids and who should be?
Have a lot of work to do on this in the next 6 weeks, so this blog may be a bit quiet on other matters. Any comments or pointers welcome. In particular I have to research the international law of space, I was hoping to find someone to help me on that, but I have to do it all by hand. Moreover at the end of February am off to Berlin again with my friend Vincent.
Links:
On this blog
The Mars One mission
Preserving the human race on Mars
Archaeology on the Moon
Elsewhere
The debate on the so-called over-protection of Mars
NASA on how to terraform Mars
Wikipedia on whether to terraform Mars
We've terraformed Earth (perhaps terror formed Earth?) in as much as we've wiped out / are in the process of wiping out numerous other species on the Earth to make the Earth more suitable for us (this period of time is the Anthropocene). At least Mars has no other lifeforms on it who would be harmed by the terraforming.
ReplyDeleteDave S