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A comment on Elon Musk argues that putting a million people on Mars ensures humanity's future. Parent comment

Re:Elon Musk argues that putting a million people on Mars en... by kibwen on Tuesday September 30, 2014 @12:05PM (#8388974)
This is a legitimate question, so I don't think downvotes are warranted. Elon Musk may want to live on Mars (and in fact I have at least one friend who would abandon everything and take a one-way ticket to Mars in a heartbeat), but the sentiment expressed here of using a Martian population as insurance against an Earthborne cataclysm requires a functioning, self-sufficient civilization composed of more than just a cadre of explorers and thrill-seekers.

You'll need to find a way entice doctors, farmers, miners, and other specialized professions to leave everything behind and consign themselves to death on a dark and barren rock. Historically, colonists have been motivated to such lengths for religious and political reasons. For example, perhaps libertarians will flock to Mars for freedom from oppressive governments. (Hey Bioshock developers: hint hint.)

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Re:Elon Musk argues that putting a million people on Mars en... by philwelch on Tuesday September 30, 2014 @12:52PM (#8389305)
The relative unpopularity of colonizing places like Alaska says a lot though. If you don't want to be hassled over your political or religious beliefs and are willing to go a year between supply runs, there are entire towns in Alaska that are perfect for you, or you could found your own. Curiously, few people do this.
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Re:Elon Musk argues that putting a million people on Mars en... by conkrete on Tuesday September 30, 2014 @02:50PM (#8390289)
I curretly live in a small town in Alaska. No mater where you go, some people will still hassle you over political and religious beliefs. We even have internet access (where I live it maxes out at 22MBps) And while supply runs do happen infrequently, we have Amazon (or any other online provider) to provide us with resupply.

I don't know if I would go as far as relating Alaska to Mars. Certainly the appeal to Mars is something more unique than just living in a small town.

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Re:Elon Musk argues that putting a million people on Mars en... by waterlesscloud on Tuesday September 30, 2014 @02:27PM (#8390088)
Alaska isn't another planet, and therefore lacks the allure that living on another planet has for many people.

It really is that simple.

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Re:Elon Musk argues that putting a million people on Mars en... by nemo on Tuesday September 30, 2014 @02:53PM (#8390320)
Alaska is relatively inhospitable, cold, distant from main human cultural centers. Mars is vastly more so. While science fiction might give an imaginary fantasy of life on Mars appeal, if there were somehow a fact rather than a fantasy of some kind of habitation being possible there, the reality wouldn't be pretty. I'd imagine we'd use the planet as a penal colony for the dregs of society if it were a reality rather than a fantasy.

Also, I wonder how your version of "many people" compares to the population of Alaska.

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Re:Elon Musk argues that putting a million people on Mars en... by waterlesscloud on Tuesday September 30, 2014 @02:59PM (#8390376)
So people only think they'd like to live on Mars, but you know they really don't?
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Re:Elon Musk argues that putting a million people on Mars en... by nemo on Tuesday September 30, 2014 @03:07PM (#8390437)
No, I don't know, just imagine it would be different than how they imagine it. I don't see living there through the lens of science fiction so much as biology.
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Re:Elon Musk argues that putting a million people on Mars en... by DonHopkins on Tuesday September 30, 2014 @09:19PM (#8392347)
There are people I think should live on Mars, who wouldn't agree.
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Re:Elon Musk argues that putting a million people on Mars en... by baddox on Tuesday September 30, 2014 @01:20PM (#8389485)
There's a big difference between insisting that you want to live on Mars, and actually wanting to live on Mars.
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Re:Elon Musk argues that putting a million people on Mars en... by seanflyon on Tuesday September 30, 2014 @01:49PM (#8389734)
What percentage of your friends want to live on Mars? If it's more than a ten of one percent then that sounds like there are plenty of people who want to live there.
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Re:Elon Musk argues that putting a million people on Mars en... by general_failure on Tuesday September 30, 2014 @01:06PM (#8389391)
I hardly doubt Elon Musk would want to live in Mars his remaining life time.
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Re:Elon Musk argues that putting a million people on Mars en... by astrodust on Tuesday September 30, 2014 @02:28PM (#8390103)
That's speculation. What if there were significant mineral resources, attractive tax rules, a large, highly motivated labor pool, and a lot of solar energy that could be harvested to drive that economy?

Could be a playground he couldn't pass up.

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Re:Elon Musk argues that putting a million people on Mars en... by jessaustin on Tuesday September 30, 2014 @03:11PM (#8390471)
Of course, he might just be pushed out the airlock as soon as he annoys "the labor pool". Idealists who create remote colonies are in for disappointment. It were ever thus.
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Re:Elon Musk argues that putting a million people on Mars en... by astrodust on Wednesday October 01, 2014 @11:31AM (#8395231)
All of this, obviously, prophecized in Total Recall.
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Re:Elon Musk argues that putting a million people on Mars en... by serf on Wednesday October 01, 2014 @10:02PM (#8399075)
or any Tomino fiction, or really any fiction involving space colonization.

if a coup of some sort isn't spilling blood on the colonies, we can rest assured the tremor-like mars aliens will take care of them.

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