Colonisation

[Radical Edward]

Granted it is going to be essential if we are going to exist beyond the earth's magnetic core giving up the ghost and letting the planet get irradiated by the solar wind, but what do you think of planetary colonisation? how should we go about it? Should we try and keep planets as they are until we know more about them, or should we start just trying to hurry up and infect mars and so on with some genetically engineered life forms?

[John]

Planetary colonization is an interesting prospect, and almost a default feature of any science fiction program. There are a few problems to be worked out, however, even if we do develop the technology to reach another world and set up a home on it.

 

The primary dilemma I'm imagining right now is the possibility of destroying life. Now, this could possibly easily be solved by the time we have the technology to reach other worlds, as we will possibly by then also have the technology to scan a world for life on the surface and below (this is all assuming we take the more environmentally friendly approach of *not* indiscriminately wiping out whatever we come across in order to colonize). However, what if the life form(s) on a given planet are not readily recognizable to us as life?

 

I'm reminded of an early episode of Star Trek: The Next Generation, in which a terraforming project mysteriously began having problems (such as scientists dying and so forth). As it turned out, the planet was covered in tiny crystalline particles which were only intelligent when existing in groups (for instance, grab a particle and it's simply there, but put it with about 500 others and it can attempt communication with you). The terraformers had noticed strange patterns of light emissions from the sands of the planet (where these life forms existed in a massive, highly intelligent group), but had not thought anything of them, since the scanners didn't read them as life at all. The small life forms were killing scientists and such simply in defense of themselves and their planet. Whether or not this exact instance is even possible in our universe, I don't know, but it still shows my meaning well.

 

Besides that problem, how about the politics? Mankind would have new territories to fight for, and the technology to make those wars very destructive. It would be wonderful, I'm sure, to kill ourselves off because we can't decide who gets to keep Mars (heh, this brings up another thought--what if some ancient, space-faring race has already claimed our solar system as its territory? That would explain the sightings of UFOs, if they are indeed alien craft--simply tourists, soldiers, or scientists, dropping in to check our progress now that we've taken baby steps into space).

 

I'm not sure what other problems would spring up, but I'm sure there would be many. ::shrugs::

[blike]

I think we should start terraforming mars. Although I probably wouldn't be the first volunteer to start a new life there

 

Eventually it will become necessary for life to survive. Of course, in the distant future, mars will also suffer the same fate as the earth. Perhaps then we will have the technology to build and surivive on an artifical planet.

[John]

Let's hear it for Dyson Spheres! Woo...

[aman]

If we started mining the moon we could set up Dysan Spheres to live in. The main problem would be to fill them with a starter atmosphere. Makes sense to me.

Just aman

[blike]

What are dyson spheres? I assume they're some sort of biodome..

[Radical Edward]

I was always under the impression that a dyson sphere was a massive inhabited sphere around a sun. It seems a bit impractical to me, as you would just fall in over most of it, however you could set up rings, like Larry Niven's Ringworld (big ring right round the sun), or Iain M Banks' Culture novels (orbital rings, bigger than planets though)

 

The technology might be a tad tricky for those though, I might work out what the strain on a reasonable thickness would be, that would be say, 10,000km across and have earth gravity/24 hour day.

[aman]

Maybe we could just move Venus out to an Earth orbit and let it cool off. Then we could terraform.

Just aman

[kenel]

Screw it, I say we just make some sort of big sling and just throw the earth into some other planet's orbit...we might even lose some greenhouse gasses on the way. :bs:

[aman]

It would be a lot harder to pull Venus up into an Earth orbit than bring Mars down. The energy being drained off Mars as it is slowed could power the terraforming. The problem is efficiently draining off the planets inertia and transforming it into usable power. It would be convenient if Mars was a little closer.

Just aman

[dronezero]

I was always fond of the idea of creating a hollow sphere about 5 miles in diameter and living on the inside using the centrifugal force to replace gravity. So bothering with a planet would not be neccesary.

 

If this is what a Dyson Sphere is I apologize.

[aman]

A Dysan sphere has an artificial sun in the center and is a lot larger for the most efficiency. I say let's mine the moon and build a bunch.

Just aman