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#1 Re: Terraformation » Terraforming as Environmentalism? - The ecocide of Mars! » 2002-09-26 22:20:43

Assuming we were able to create a earth-like environment on Mars today... I'm curious to see if anyone would "press the button" to do it.

Seeing as we do not know if life is on Mars - would you take the risk of possibly destroying it?  Please keep in mind that new life is discovered on Earth all the time - how could you be ever sure that you wouldn't be killing the first alien life mankind has found?

Secondly, there would be an enormous cost to do this.  I'm not sure I would want to visit a planet where someone else owns the "air".  That entire concept scares me.

axis

#2 Re: Meta New Mars » ATTN NovaMarsollia » 2002-09-26 18:13:51

***** my head is spinning *****

Obviously I'm come across a spirited band of debaters... I also enjoy a good debate on controversial topics - but I have rarely seen such jousting on particulars.  I especially didn't expect to see this when so much of the technology and science to inhabit Mars is unproven.  Perhaps my expectation for ?dreamers? and ?optimists? was nieve as obviously the higher moral ground seems to be the point to contest. 

I have recently been reading one of Zubrin's books - I think the title might be "Entering Space".. it's close to that anyways.  In reading this thread - yawn - it got me thinking about a couple pages he wrote about how the people that may eventually settle Mars would be able to write their own martian constitution.  He suggested several "improvements" to the US constitution by adding more and more technicalities - if memory serves he listed about 10-15 more rights - including "The Right to Privacy" (I had a good laugh to myself on that one).  Zubrin has obviously missed the point about the real beauty of the constitution - it's simplicity.  Some of the most ground breaking and pioneering ideas in it's time (and today as well for a large portion of the world's population) are in that document.

This brings me back to this thread.  Arguing the idiosyncrasies of whether or not some buffoon should be allowed to post spam on this board is an exercise that is counter productive to the way people need to think to bring upon progress in space exploration.  I could just imagine if Clark and Cindy had to agree upon what to have for dinner - I'd imagine starvation would be in the near future.  If someone said the sky is black - I'd imagine we'd hear about the moon, stars, planets, comets, etc from Clark and then have Cindy correct him by pointing out he neglected that seeing "black" is really not seeing at all.  well done cindy - thx so much.

Anyways, just thought I'd share a viewpoint.  I'm already scared to see all the "quoting" this will undoubtedly generate.

axis

#3 Re: Meta New Mars » ATTN NovaMarsollia » 2002-09-25 18:22:03

This is my first time at this message board - I am curious how humans will ever make it to Mars if the proponents can make such an issue out of how to deal with a supposed "disturber of the peace" - not that I took the time to read any of the garbage. 

I'd like to see the debate the ?visionaries? of Mars would have if you had a real issue to discuss.  The question becomes if your own involvement is contrary to your objectives?

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