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The SpaceWriter's Ramblings

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Anything and everything about science, especially astronomy and the cosmos.

NOTE: This blog has migrated to a new address. Please update your favorites link accordingly.



Visit my web site at
TheSpaceWriter.com
for astronomy info, stargazing thoughts, and reviews and recommendations for astronomy-related goodies!




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All postings Copyright 2003-2008
C.C. Petersen

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ABOUT ME

I'm a science writer and editor. I work with clients in the observatory and planetarium community, as well as my own book, web, planetarium, and other projects.

Need a writer/editor? Visit my services page for my projects and availability.


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Note: The ads you see below and at the bottom of this page are screened for content and many fine companies do appear here. Occasionally ads I don't want DO slip through, particularly for pseudo-science, st*r-naming, ID, and other questionable sites. Please understand that I cannot be held responsible for their content. Do visit them if you wish, but as with all advertising, be logical and use common sense.






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About the ads here


2.09.2008



You? Me? Martians??



Could you live on Mars? Would you want to? Would anybody want to? Why?

Forget about the political issues that always get raised when somebody brings up Mars exploration for now; they're a subject of another discussion. I want to focus people's thoughts on what it would be like if one could get to Mars and visit or live there. Would you want to?

It's not, as I've written in one of my planetarium shows, a quick jaunt. Anybody going to Mars has to be prepared for a lengthy Earth-Mars trajectory. You'd spend about 18 months getting there; that's a year and a half of low gravity conditions, living in close quarters with a bunch of other people and no chance to get outside for a stroll along the way. There's no way to stretch your legs, visit a waystation, check out some interesting side-trails. It's a straight shot.

And, when you get there, it's a whole new ecology to get used to. Probably you'd live underground or in heavily shielded quarters. You, along with everybody else, will have had extensive training in order to survive Mars; that training would include learning how to live in surface suits that feed you breathable air and protect you from the extreme ultraviolet radiation that cuts through Mars's thin atmosphere. You'd have a job to do; what it is will depend on what your skills are. Mars colonies (if that's what we intended to build) will need everything that any frontier "town" would need: people to build things, people to study things, people to suss out the dangerous conditions and help everybody else avoid them (or learn to live with them).

Even if you were part of a solely scientific expedition, everybody would have multiple jobs that span the science studies and survival goals. You can't send an infinite number of people to Mars, so the ones who DO go will have to be cross-trained.

So, could YOU do it? Would you want to?

Labels: , ,

posted by CCP on 2/09/2008 06:32:00 PM | * |

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Earth Hour!

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Blog Roll

Planetarium-related

Loch Ness Productions
Purveyors of fine planetarium shows, music, and services.

INTENSELY Good Space Music
from a master in the genre!

My cool astronomy cause:
The Friends of the Griffith Observatory.
Join up today!

Science

The sites below belong to space and astronomy enthusiasts. I make every effort to check them and make sure they are still appropriate. However, I am not responsible for their content, nor do I endorse any of it by simply linking to them. As with all Web surfing, please exercise caution.


Adot's Notblog
A fellow traveler blogger and astronomy enthusiast!

Astronomy Blog
An astronomy blog pondering the big questions

Astronomy Cast
Astronomy Podcasting from Pamela Gay

BadAstronomy.com
Bad astronomy discussed and debunked along with fun stuff about really good astronomy!

Chris Lintott's Universe
Musings from an Oxford Astronomer.

Cosmic Variance
Random Samplings from a Universe of Ideas.

Dave P's Astronomy blog
Observational Astronomy and other TidBits

European Southern Observatory
Fine Ground-based astronomy images.

Gemini Observatory
Fine astronomy in infrared and visible wavelengths.

Griffith Observatory's page.
I wrote their exhibits!

Observing The Sky
Nightly Observation Reports from dedicated skygazers.

The Official String Theory Web Site. Time to feed your mind!

Pharyngula
Evolution, development, and random biological ejaculations from a godless liberal. Cast off your blinders and come on in!

Science Made Cool
A compendium of discoveries, inventions and commentary.

Slacker Astronomy
Astronomy with a Slacker Twist.

Space Telescope Science Institute
The best from Hubble Space Telescope

The Eternal Golden Braid
Astronomy, Space Science, and Science Fiction Commentary.

The Inoculated Mind
Bills Itself as a weekly science mindcast. Thought-provoking, honest.


Truth.

Unique

The Hairy Museum of Natural History
Defies description. Just go there (yes, it's safe for work).

Olduvai George
Absolutely fantastic natural history illustrations from a master.



News

The Agonist
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EurekAlert
Breaking Science News

National Public Radio
The Original Fair and Balanced

Slashdot.org
Like it says: News for Nerds


Shopping, Internet Stuff, and Web Guides

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The Truth Laid Bare Listings in the Blogosphere.


Links to My Site
Alternate Reality
An awful waste of space
Asa Dotzler - Firefox and more
A Song of November
Astroprof's Page
Astronomy Blog
Space/Astronomy
Bad Astronomy blog
BEEP! BEEP! IT'S ME
Bohemian Mama
boyruageek
Centauri Dreams
Colony Worlds
Cosmic Views
DaveP's astronomy
Dick's Rocket Dungeon
Electron Blue
Fly me to the Moon
From The Earth To The Moon
NYC Nova Hunter
Perspective and Soda
Robot guy
Salty Snack
Skymania's blogcast
Space Pragmatism
Solar Empire
Space Feeds
Space Law Probe
StarBaseOC
Sue Denham
Technology Integration
The Rabid Librarian's Ravings in the Wind
The Sublime Will
The Q80 Girl
TexasBestGrok
The Astronomy Blog
True Anomaly