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Re:Ten years left to redesign lithium-ion batteries? by opportune on Friday July 27, 2018 @02:40PM (#17628133)
This is probably true, but they should still be researched in case they become useful in other settings, e.g. Mars, or even places on Earth with poor renewable energy potential

A big problem with Mars is that getting fuel there is expensive, they sometimes have large dust storms, and their atmosphere is very thin. Solar power would work fine there 90+% of the time, but outside of fission, there doesn't seem to be any good technology for powering a human habitat over long periods. A rich thorium deposit on Mars could go a long way in creating a self-sustainable habitat. Some thorium reactor designs are notable for their high inherent safety, which is probably a big concern for any human habitat on Mars for morale reasons (think about how much a fatal nuclear disaster on a Martian colony would scare people about space exploration)

Re:Ten years left to redesign lithium-ion batteries? by gepi79 on Friday July 27, 2018 @02:54PM (#17628256)
I agree.

But going to Mars in the next decades is a useless horrific suicide mission that only serves to make a few people famous.

IMO persons will colonize moons, planets and space ships once their biological body is replaced by a machine body. In a biological sense, the human race will die on Earth.

Re:Ten years left to redesign lithium-ion batteries? by opportune on Friday July 27, 2018 @03:01PM (#17628305)
I agree that focusing on Mars soon is useless, but in the near-term Thorium could be useful for non-windy locations near the poles.