I read in your paper about NASA’s high altitude parachute experiment aimed at increasing the payload weight that can be landed on the Red Planet. Haven’t we spent enough time and effort on this futile endeavor?
Mars is a barren wasteland as discovered by the various robotic landers. The atmosphere is toxic and its pressure only a fraction of that of Earth. Its ability to support life is about as good as that of the moon.
To build a ‘colony’ on it would mean transporting huge amounts of materiel from Earth. Power would have to be produced either from huge solar arrays or atomic reactors; all of which would have to come from Earth. And for what? A scatterbrained vision of turning this hell hole into a habitable holiday resort.
We know enough about Mars and we shouldn’t spend another dime on it. We have plenty of earthly problems requiring scientific solutions that will keep our human brains alive for years to come without embarking on these sci-fi adventures.
Roger Sayer
Mukilteo
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