I must be missing something because I don’t seem to grasp the ideas that Elon Musk has about colonizing Mars. Who am I to doubt such a great mind? But his ambition to retire to a city on Mars seems a bit far-fetched. Mars’ atmosphere is 95 percent carbon dioxide and its pressure at ground level is 0.6 percent that of Earth’s; in other words unlivable.
Also, the amount of solar energy reaching Mars is less than half that which reaches Earth. If there are any resources on Mars (metal ores, etc.) then they would have to be mined and smelted; but with what machinery? They would have to be atomic or electrically powered. The electricity would have to come from atomic power stations or solar panels all of which, together with the machinery, would have to be transported from Earth. If life never existed on Mars, which looks highly probable, then there is no fossil fuel. But even if there was it would be useless because it can’t be burnt in a CO2 atmosphere. The whole idea is a sci-fi pipe dream and I would not waste another dollar on it.
Roger Sayer
Mukilteo
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