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TheKingPotat t1_iuahtet wrote

“When” as if its a surefire thing we’ll build a colony out there

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Adeldor t1_iubmmje wrote

I think it's fair to argue over schedule. But short of humanity collapsing, I believe it's inevitable. Indeed, if permanent space-based colonies (planetary or otherwise) become fact, I believe that alone will drastically reduce the odds of collapse.

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TheKingPotat t1_iubp6e9 wrote

Mars seems like kind of a dump in terms of real estate. An asteroid belt colony has a prepackaged economy to come with it. Or a colony on a place like europa under the ice could be a less harsh environment

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Adeldor t1_iubqbmz wrote

I believe the best long term solution is O'Neill cylinders. They'd likely be made from lunar and asteroid mined raw material. But of course, while within the bounds of engineering possibility, they're far off. In the interim, settling surfaces (Moon, Mars, etc.) is much less difficult.

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TheKingPotat t1_iuc34lx wrote

The surface of a place like ceres or the moon would at least have something to support the colony economically. Mars would be the same work if not more for little return on investment. I do agree megastructures would be the best long term solution to settlement though

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