Backup plan for homo sapiens: space adventure

Check out Mars 3-D book now...

. . . It will be passed around


. . . Here is how to use it







Meteors


. . . Terminology: meteoroid, meteor, meteorite
(and asteroid, comet, micrometeoroid, cosmic dust, etc.)

. . . Anyone ever see a shooting star?


. . . "The wonders of the universe!"


. . . Video: shooting star, satellites, ufo


. . . 3-second video of shooting star




How to protect against:

. . . supervolcanoes (cradle of humanity?)


. . . asteroid impacts (death to dinosaurs?)


. . . nuclear war (death wish?)


. . . runaway greenhouse effect (like Venus?)


. . . ozone layer destruction (we're winning this one?)


. . . stealth virus (wouldn't happen naturally?)


. . . nano-goo (not serious?)


. . . nearby supernova (unlikely?)


. . . Etc.?




Eco-bubbles

. . . self-sufficient communities in bubbles

. . . lava tubes are often recommended as easier


. . . could be on the moon


. . . maybe Mars


. . . maybe Earth (deserts, Antarctica, oceans, or anywhere)


. . . maybe on an asteroid or floating in space


. . . maybe other planets, moons, etc.


. . . each one is a backup plan for the species




Eco-bubbles are colonies

. . . They're a lot easier if decent conditions are outside


. . . What conditions are needed?
















. . . water (at least O and H)


. . . sunlight


. . . carbon dioxide for plants (at least C)


. . . nearness to Earth


. . . temperature issues


. . . a little of nitrogen compounds (at least N)


. . . energy (e.g. light, solar cells)


. . . some of these are easier to compromise on than others


. . . . . . like what?


. . . We've heard about the moon & Mars


. . . What about others, like Mercury, Venus, Titan, many others?




Water

. . . It's on the moon!


. . . See video, etc.


. . . It's on Mars!


. . . It's even on Titan


. . . . . . Where's that?


. . . . . . Titan BBC segment, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SplxlPbKc3Y


. . . . . . http://saturn.jpl.nasa.gov/multimedia/flash/Titan/index.html


. . . . . . http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2005/16jan_titan.htm


. . . . . . BBC again, http://www.esa.int/SPECIALS/Cassini-Huygens/SEM85Q71Y3E_0.html


. . . . . . Another one, http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YJ0hwTzOMPE&NR=1&feature=fvwp




Imagine Mars (or the moon, etc.)

. . . dotted with bubbles


. . . covered with bubbles?


. . . if a colony is started,


. . . . . . it will grow


. . . . . . new bubbles will have to be built


. . . . . . eventually, the entire new world will be overpopulated


. . . . . . how long will that take?
(We discussed that earlier:
What was the take-home message?)


. . . . . . let's say Mars, for example


. . . . . . how long do you think it will take?


. . . . . . we could try a Delphi approach...


. . . . . . let's try it with spreadsheets


. . . . . . . . . the power of information processing!


















. . . . . . what if we vary rate of increase?


. . . . . . initial colony size?


. . . . . . population capacity of the new world?


. . . . . . let's vary one or two, use Delphi, then spreadsheets...


. . . . . . we might graph time-to-overpopulation vs.


. . . . . . . . . rate of increase


. . . . . . . . . initial size


. . . . . . . . . population capacity

From "The Million-Year Picnic," in The Martian Chronicles, by Ray Bradbury, 1950

Setting: Mars, after Earth is destroyed in a nuclear war.

"Now I'm going to show you the Martians," said Dad.
...
They reached the canal. It was long and straight and cool and wet and reflective in the night.
"I've always wanted to see a Martian," said Michael. "Where are they, Dad? You promised."
"There they are," said Dad, and...pointed straight down.
The Martians were there - in the canal - reflected in the water.
The Martians stared back up at them for a long, long, silent time from the rippling water.