8 points Tomte 1 hour ago 4 comments

ck2 33 minutes ago | parent

it's not just "fraught with risk"

it's physically impossible with current technology for humans to survive a trip to Mars and live on the surface

space really, really wants to kill life

cosmic rays will kill humans before they even make it to Mars

there is no current technology that shields from cosmic rays

we should appreciate the earth greatly for its atmosphere and magnetosphere that shields us from them

best emulation idea so far is to surround astronauts with several feet of water

but we don't have the lift capacity for that much water weight

the total time on the moon outside the capsule per person maximum was 22 hours

the astronauts kept seeing bursts of light even with their eyes closed

when NASA inspected the helmets there were microscopic groove where some had made it all the way through

cosmic rays are physical particles traveling near the speed of light

the bursts of light were their nerves and other cells being destroyed by the cosmic rays

it was happening to their brains and CNS too

mice exposed to simulated cosmic rays became slow and stupid

rf15 11 minutes ago | parent

No no, you got it all wrong: all the billionaires are right, yes we should go to mars, it's perfectly save and they should lead their chosen people to their to-be-built kingdom, their B-ark going first. What part of this plan do you not understand? Let Elon lead the charge, Darwin Awards will have a field day.

r3trohack3r 6 minutes ago | parent

> it's physically impossible with current technology for humans to survive a trip to Mars and live on the surface

You seem to say this as if it’s some sort of enlightened reason to “not”

Instead, I suspect for many, enumerating, quantifying and solving the impossible is precisely the reason we venture into the unknown.