Imagining Mars

Mars now - Pic courtesy of Wikipedia

by blogSpotter
Today’s blog entry will delve into “near-term” science fiction.. I speak of the colonization of the planet Mars. I figure that the human race has a few million years to hang around; maybe in that expanse of time we’ll decide to quit killing each other over religion and money. Maybe we’ll decide that territorial dominance, self-aggrandizement and ego expression are less noble than collective, forward endeavors.

We’ve already landed men on the moon, and rovers on Mars. I figure that humans dedicated to the task could colonize and even terraform the red planet if we so desired. It would probably have to be a multinational, consortium project due to the expense. I’d like to divide my conjectures into 3 groupings to help explore the possibilities: Infrastructure, planetary observations, sociopolitical ramifications.

Infrastructure
o Mars would need mega nuclear and solar power plants to juice up the following projects..
o An artificial magnetosphere would be needed to block cosmic rays.
o Aero engineering would be needed to create an artificial nitrogen/oxygen atmosphere.
o Atmosphere would be engineered with extra greenhouse gases to thicken and hold the air.
o Aqua engineering would be needed to import, tap or make water, which would be scarce.
o An elaborate network of tanks, pipes and sprinkling systems would be needed planetwide to provide water for agriculture and human consumption -- all needed for a planet devoid of rivers and lakes.

The Planet Afterwards
o Mars would have a desert climate and water would be recycled obsessively.
o Weather would be mild and pleasant -- it would largely be artificial. Rainfall and atmospheric changes would be as programmable as a shopping mall thermostat.
o Because Mars has no continental drift, and little tectonic activity there would be no mars quakes or tsunamis. There also would be no hurricanes or tornados.
o Martian days have an extra 45 minutes and the year is twice an Earth year … Mars would have to observe a new clock and calendar. Travelers would have a huge jet lag between planets. Mars might be more relaxed, with its lengthened day.
o Because water features (lakes, oceans, rivers) would be nonexistent, Mars would not have a self-sustaining water cycle. It might happen over eons of aqua engineering and planetary sculpting.
o What took 3 billion years of molecular evolution to happen on Earth would happen almost instantly on Mars in a mere thousand years.

Sociopolitical Implications
o Human settlers would play God more than any doctor ever did in a delivery room. Humans would decide where savannas, pine forests, tundras, farms and human settlements would go.
o Like Noah with his ark, humans would select which species of plants and animals to bring over -- zoologists would be in demand.
o The mother of all quarantine situations would exist - bacteria, plants, animals and humans considered to be undesirable on Earth would be sent on an 8 month return trip back to Earth.
o Mars might very well have a peaceful, one-world federation, a world without war.
o Extremist (terrorist, fundamentalist) religions would be nearly absent not necessarily because they are denied but because such countries of origin (in Africa and the Middle East) lack the resources to colonize space.
o Mars, which was lifeless before will now have the most advanced humans, technology and genetically engineered life forms found anywhere.

Mars is an excellent “training” planet in that it’s relatively close and Earth-like. As humans start to excel in Terraform Science we’ll tackle Venus, Europa and other more challenging locales. To be sure, humans will not be creating life -- we’ll merely be extending the intelligent life processes that are already at work here. With forethought and planning, we can create a garden planet where human and animal rights are respected. Biodiversity and environment will also be respected -- Mars’ near-term survival will require it.

Is this all a pipe dream? Of course it is, but I think we might rebuild the technical momentum we had in years before. Humans are in a holding pattern right now -- with materialism and cultural turf wars. If even one group can break free away from the myopic nastiness of “self” we can venture boldly forth into the final frontier.

© 2013 blogSpotter

Thoroughly Modern Technology

My new cellular security system - Pic courtesy of Wikipedia

by blogSpotter
I like to think of myself as a gadget-freak early adaptor. I have iPods, iPhones and iPads out the wazoo. I’ve been a pioneer on various things (blogging, paypal, web 2.0) and yet there are ways in which I’m woefully behind. This woefulness can be attributed to several (primarily middle-aged) things ..
o Cheapness -- I abhor new monthly fees or paying for unused services
o Sales rep aversion -- Don’t want to deal with obnoxious people who try to upsell me on everything
o Laziness -- Don't want to deal with estimates or installations

So how far behind am I? Until today, I still had a landline security system. I still have a landline telephone from 1991. I still have basic, analog cable with low resolution. I have DSL for the Internet -- speedtest.com gives me a D+ for the speed grade. How did I get to this sad, low-tech state? I might as well be using a 386 computer with Windows 95. A blinking VCR would round it out.

Back in 2005, I was still using AOL dial-up and only a landline phone (no cellular). That year, I installed DSL and purchased a RAZR cell phone -- thought I’d moved onto a plane of technological superiority. I neglect to mention that by 2005, dial-up was down for the count -- I had to be among the last of the dial-up Mohicans. People I knew that were liberal arts mavens were blazing techie trails all around me. People who had no particular interest in gadgets were out-gadgeting me.

Now we fast-foward to 2013... DSL is passe -- probably on its last legs. Landline phones are expected to be phased completely out by 2030. Everything changes and we have to get with the program. Some things make a comeback like vinyl records and Danish Modern furniture, to be sure. But some things fall into the well of antiquity -- hi-fis, console TV’s, rotary phones, typewriters. To have it as anything but a retro-collector item makes you look like the world-weary, elderly uncle waiting for Godot.

In a final analysis I’m a technophile who has exhibited technophobic tendencies. Now that I upgraded my security system I’m free to upgrade the rest. I have every confidence that fiber optic, cable, satellite and cellular toys that we love today will succumb to staleness later on. I can see an incredulous young relative circa 2024... WHAT? You still have fiber optic?

At that point, I might not be such a slave to trends, and I just won't give a flip. …I can show my young relative my Apple II computer or my 1999 iBook that still boots. Welcome to my museum of arcane artifacts. By 2024, my old stuff will help to put new things in context.

But for now I’m young enough to be influenced by peer pressure, advertising and gadget envy. How dare the neighbor across the street ace me out with 300 hi-def channels, lightening fast internet and digital phone ?? The nerve! It's time for me to get with the program. :-)

© 2013 blogSpotter