NASA Mars Images Reveals a "Doorway" Structure

[Kytiara]

superchunk said:

ManusJustusNardus said:
Why is it that everyone thinks we have to terraform Mars or other cellestial bodies to make it like Earth so that we can live there? Its very impractical and it would be much more efficient to just build an enclosed structure with greenhouses growing food while relying on energy comes from nuclear or solar sources. Then the only thing standing in the way of making the colony self-sufficient is mining, which will be a breeze with the low gravity of Mars as well as the many moons in the solar system.

 Tried that and it failed. See Biosphere 2, its about 45 mins from Tucson, AZ. If we couldn't get it to work on Earth where the outside environment is relatively friendly, I certainly wouldn't trust it in a hazardous environment.

Terraforming is a more permanent solution and safer in the long run. 

I agree with you here Chunky (hmm, now I have the urge to Rent Childs Play...).  It's also much more "human", by which I mean we're just as likely to go in and whack the regular ecosystems that may or may not exist and impose our own =).  Mar's probably isn't a big deal since there isn't an atmosphere to support life, but if we do it a few times on empty planets, when we find one covered in life whats to stop us from terraforming that badboy for our own use too?

Are we gonna have Planet Earth's 2 through 50 in a few millenia?  Can you imagine the technical support calls you'd have to make as they route you back to India from Alpha Centauri?  You'd be on the call all week before getting an answer.

(alright, that was a low blow at India, but I just had to deal with outsourced tech support so sue me.)