Support our Kickstarter

Mars Or Bust

Stephen Hershey
bigsun.jpg

Pete Worden, the director of NASA’s Ames Research Center, has announced a collaboration with DARPA—a $3.2 billion dollar agency funded by the Department of Defense—in leading a one-way colonial expedition to Mars.

According to Worden, eliminating the expectation of return would drastically cut costs and encourage the development of a “homegrown Martian industry,” pioneering what he feels to be our inevitable expansion into the solar system. The announcement was made at a Long Now Foundation seminar, a weekend-long event that focuses on topics such as SETI, ecological preservation, and human advancement up to the next 10,000 years.

The military's involvement alongside a "search for extraterrestrial intelligence" suggests a restructured agenda, wherein DARPA's strategic vision remains "...to prevent technological surprise for us and to create technological surprise for our adversaries."

 

Image courtesy of Nasa.gov

Tags:

Comments

This is great news!

Submitted by The Cosmist on Wed, 11/24/2010 - 19:28.
Colonizing Mars is so cool because it's not about economics or military power; it's really a spiritual expression of our civilization's highest aspirations, not unlike the pyramids of the Egyptians and the Mayans or the Cathedrals of medieval Europe. Other than the arrival of aliens or the appearance of a real prophet, I can't think of anything better than a return to space to elevate humanity's vision. Without great projects like this, it's not even clear what the purpose of our technological civilization is, is it? So I hope everyone at Reality Sandwich is on board with this exciting mission!

We'll see...

Submitted by kingofeagles on Mon, 11/29/2010 - 16:38.
I think the article made it pretty clear that this is for military purposes. While this would give us the advantage over disabling dangerous space debris that could strike the Earth, it's also pretty clearly to advance US military power into the final frontier before any other coutry does. I think that spiritual growth is not what these people have in mind. I wish it were otherwise.

...

Submitted by Om Fetell on Thu, 11/25/2010 - 02:58.
I can't see anything spiritual in this. Let's face it. This is conquering of the other world only for our own benefit, That's it...and even if we would meet some higher intelligence we would definitely pull out the big guns so we could examin their dead bodies.

Added thoughts

Submitted by Stephen Hershey on Thu, 11/25/2010 - 13:43.

Worden projects, according to their current program, we won't even reach Mars' moons until 2030. The technological leap from now until then could be outstanding. They're even looking into electrical propulsion.

Plus, there's also the idea that extraterrestrials won't allow us--nonviolently, of course--to get far into the galaxy without being "consciously evolved." One could argue that at that time, the psychic technology capable to us would be beyond what our practical imagination can conceive of.

However, I personally agree with E. Sam. The psychological trauma applied to this mission could be life-threatening. Would that stop me from going? ...probably not.

 

"You have tasted death now," said the Old Man. "Is it good?"

"It is good," Mossy replied. "It is better than life."

"No... only more life."

Infecting Mars with humans..

Submitted by sock puppet on Fri, 11/26/2010 - 05:23.
I know a career civil servant at NASA that bitterly resents what he sees as a takeover of the work at NASA Ames by cultists and new-age softheads. While I disagreed with Bush 43's manned missions to the Moon and Mars, I'm very enthusiastic about sending robots. Twenty years ago what the rovers did on Mars would have required humans. I see no need to start sending humans to Mars now.

Technological surprise??

Submitted by boydpdx on Fri, 11/26/2010 - 16:43.
"...to prevent technological surprise for us and to create technological surprise for our adversaries." Wow, one of the most arrogant statements I've heard in a long time... Does "adversaries" in this context mean all extraterrestrial civilization? If so, and if they are reaching out with SETI-type projects, do they seriously believe that they have superior technology to any civilization in the universe? C'mon... ridiculous. It's the kind of boast that would get your ass kicked.

as long as there are hungry

Submitted by krueckz on Sun, 11/28/2010 - 10:53.
as long as there are hungry people on the planet i think this is a big waste of time and energy. not to mention money