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YES! I would sign up immediately

22 (19.3%)

Yes. I would go, but only after a successful colony already exists

20 (17.5%)

No, it's too expensive, even if I had the money

14 (12.3%)

No, I don't think it would ever be safe enough to travel there

5 (4.4%)

No, for other reasons.

21 (18.4%)

[Kobold Noises]

32 (28.1%)

Total Members Voted: 113

[PTTG??]

The Article

In summary, Elon Musk, the guy behind SpaceX, has some theories about what a successful mars colony would take. He thinks it would be a total of at least $36 Billion dollars (from colonists), and if 80,000 people who want to go- a reasonable number of people, given earth's population- each spend $500,000 (which he estimates is within the means of many people, similar in price to the cost of a nice house), then you'd get $40B, giving you a little spending money once you get there. Of course, that would only be a part of funding, the rest coming from governments and corporations providing four or five times that.

Given no science fiction, just reasonable extrapolation of existing technology over the next few decades, would you sign up for this?

Things to consider:
>Being among the first living things known to mankind to settle on a new planetary body would be an astounding achievement marking the beginning of a new era in human history.
>If Elon gets the smart idea of selling oxygen for $100 a day, are you going to be able to get a ride back to earth?

[Digital Hellhound]

A hypothetical Mars colony would be nice to visit, but no, I wouldn't want to live there. I'm perfectly happy with my comfortable planet right here, thankyouverymuch.

[kaijyuu]

I've things keeping me here that I find more important than being one of 80,000 names in a history book for dying on the first Mars colony.

[GlyphGryph]

In a heartbeat. I'd trade every aspect of my life as-is for doing something genuinely important, and I think this would count as one of those things.

[Jelle]

Spend a silly amount of money for something that is likely to get you killed? Eh there's worse things to spend on, not that I could if I wanted to. 

[Grek]

Voted No. I would like to finish my degree before going to Mars.

[Karlito]

So, if it costs $2.5 billion to develop and send one rover to Mars, how is a mere $40 billion going to be enough to transport 80,000 people?

[Scelly9]

I would. Mars is my dream, hopefully they have a cool lab to build crap from. Also, there should be enough gamers in the 80k to get a good LAN party going, god knows the lag to earth would be horrific.

[GlyphGryph]

So, if it costs $2.5 billion to develop and send one rover to Mars, how is a mere $40 billion going to be enough to transport 80,000 people?

I imagine a lot of that $2.5 billion is in set infrastructure costs, or other costs that don't really increase through the adding of more people.

Though $40 billion does seem a bit low.

[Leafsnail]

Yeah it does sound like a pretty wild underestimate.  A colony built for that much would be a shoddy death trap so I'd say no.

[PTTG??]

So, if it costs $2.5 billion to develop and send one rover to Mars, how is a mere $40 billion going to be enough to transport 80,000 people?

Well, the rover weighs less than a person, so you take the plan for the rover, multiply all the values by, oh, 20,000, and then R&D is done. The rest is just manufacturing.

More realistically, the article calls for about  $40B from colonists, and maybe $80B from governments and corporations. So you live in the Coka-Cola biodome and wear Nike Ares-walker boots...

[Neonivek]

In a heartbeat. I'd trade every aspect of my life as-is for doing something genuinely important, and I think this would count as one of those things.

I highly doubt the importance of going to Mars.

[Leafsnail]

Yeah, I mean no-one even remembers the first guy on the moon do they?

[Neonivek]

Yeah, I mean no-one even remembers the first guy on the moon do they?

Name ANY OTHER person from that team

[kaijyuu]

Buzz Aldron (can't spell his last name).

Dunno about any others though.