InternationalPen2072 t1_j0fyit2 wrote
Reply to comment by LordIlthari in We should dismantle Mars, not colonize it. by [deleted]
The limitations of space habitats are size. O’Neil cylinders are relatively easy to manufacture while also allowing comfortable living space, but they do not provide enough space for near total self-sufficient self-regulating ecosystems. McKendree cylinders are big enough to be pretty self-regulating, but they are so massive they would cost an insane amount while being inefficient like planets. If we want to recreate Earth in any meaningful way, it would have to be big. Mars is already big, and so I think terraforming it is valuable, along with Venus while we are at it :) Orbital habitats should 100% be pursued too though; the Moon can’t be terraformed meaningfully, so maybe we should mine it for habitats first.
LordIlthari t1_j0fyp07 wrote
Dismantling the moon would mess with earth’s tides. I’m far more agreeable to the idea of terraforming Venus mostly because mining that hellhole might be more difficult than mining the sun. It’s almost certainly not efficient
InternationalPen2072 t1_j0fyvn6 wrote
I was meaning that we simply mine the Moon, not dismantle it entirely.
LordIlthari t1_j0fyx55 wrote
Ah, yeah of course. We’ll need to for a fusion economy anyways
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