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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

[Neonivek]

What, in your mind, would be important, then?

Most likely we simply have wildly different value systems. I certainly wouldn't mind seeing examples of the stuff you DO find important, but I have a suspicion I'd find them not-so-much.

Landing on the moon was a proof of scientific process and actually was scientifically important.

You need to hurl asteroids at mars to teraform it.

[miauw62]

Getting humans on Mars would be a sign of scientific progress too, but not as much as back then.
The first country to get his person on mars gets bragging rights, not alot more, really.

[10ebbor10]

What about 80 billion? How much do you guys think it would cost to set up an 80 thousand person colony?

Let me scramble my Bay12 space program equatations. Warning, wide, made up at the spot equatations. Advanced estimations.

1 person:
     -100 kg of human
     -60 kg water
     -30 kg food (we're recycling this, of course)
     -5 kg of water filtration equipment (one 500 kg filtration installation for every hundred people)
     -10 kg of power production equipment (one 1 ton nuclear power cell for every hundred people)
     -5 kg: Assorted lifesupper
     -20 kg: Hull to keep everything inside
    ________
 
      230 kg launchweight for every human

In order to go to Mars:
     1 kg needs 1.5 fuel (vasimirs)* to an estimated 7-8 liter fuel per kg (conventionall engines)**

*39 day trip
**150 day trip

Meaning:
     230 kg launchweight for every human
     1610 kg fuel for every human

+ Landing.
Let's abstract the landing ships, as those 'll be reused. Using advanced engines and thanks to mars lower gravity, we need 0.75 liter of fuel per kg.


Final
    230 kg people
    1610 kg fuel (flight)
    170 kg fuel (landing)
----------
2010 kg launchweight per person.

2010* 2300 dollar * 80.000= 369.840.000.000
                                            = 370 trillion dollars
That is assuming we get all the equipment, design and research for free.

[RedKing]

I'm too old. By the time the technology and infrastructure to get us there was in place, I'd be a senior citizen. Mars needs young people, not old farts.

[GlyphGryph]

Landing on the moon was a stunt that served little purpose beyond appealing to the public and being something we could stick in Russia's face as something we did first. I wouldn't call it important beyond the sociological effects, at all. (Though in that regard it was very important)

This, however, would be legitimate progress in advancing the sphere of humanity. We'd be able to test long term the viability of colonies in otherwise hostile spaces. We'd have the opportunity to build a true spacefaring, extraterrestrial culture. The value of this project would be immense, in my opinion, and not just thanks to the bits picked up in the process or for publicity purposes. I don't understand how you can decry this as unimportant while extolling the importance of the moon landing. It boggles my mind a bit, really.

[10ebbor10]

I'm too old. By the time the technology and infrastructure to get us there was in place, I'd be a senior citizen. Mars needs young people, not old farts.

Actually, since such a long way through space means a high irradiation dose, it might be that they send older people first. Because the chance is large they'd die before the bad effects start to pop up.

Also, bringing people back is expensive.

[Loud Whispers]

Except hopefully you wouldn't slaughter any natives

1. Set up Mars colony
2. Allow them to acclimatize
3. Invade and slaughter
4. Establish new colonies
5. Declare independence from Earth
6. Spehssmerica

[Neonivek]

Great... so you just started Gundam

Either that or Matrix.

[10ebbor10]

Except hopefully you wouldn't slaughter any natives

1. Set up Mars colony
2. Allow them to acclimatize
3. Invade and slaughter
4. Establish new colonies
5. Declare independence from Earth
6. Spehssmerica

It's ironic that you're british flag avatar was on when I read that.

Also, a continent of Americans is problematic enough, we really don't need more of them.

[PTTG??]

Getting humans on Mars would be a sign of scientific progress too, but not as much as back then.
The first country to get his person on mars gets bragging rights, not alot more, really.

You get:

1 Space Elevator, making satellites cost negligable amounts to launch
1 Unquestioned dominance of manned spaceflight- indeed, with the elevator, dominance of all spaceflight
1 Asteroid belt
4 Earth Lagrange points
2 Jovian "Trojan asteroid fields
1 Planet full of untapped mineral wealth
1 Backup in case of plague, asteroid, or nuclear war.

Anyway, on an individual level, I think I could definitely beg, borrow, and steal my way to half a million and with that buy my way to Mars, and thus, participate in the last frontier and the first step into space. No, I wouldn't want to be one of the first dozen, or hundred, or thousand people there. But I would go there to be among the first ten thousand or twenty thousand out of a million, out of a billion, that would one day be there.

[Loud Whispers]

I'd do it for Science. No other reason why though. Abandoning your life, home - PLANET is a hard thing to do. I wonder if this was an actual thing, if anyone who would say yes now would be able to say yes then?

[Neonivek]

I just realised this late... One way ticket to mars

Yeah... you are DEAD!

and if you arn't dead you are basically a slave.

Yeah so anyone here who said they would pay were just painfully ripped off.

[Grek]

Why would it being a one way trip mean that you are sure to become a slave?

[Loud Whispers]

Yeah... you are DEAD!

Dead for science, or else living as a pioneer for the world of tomorrow. Ok, maybe absolute Romanticism here, but you won't find me being pessimistic about flinging humanity across the stars. Money doesn't buy that kind of satisfaction.
And when it does?
I'd buy it.

[10ebbor10]

Getting humans on Mars would be a sign of scientific progress too, but not as much as back then.
The first country to get his person on mars gets bragging rights, not alot more, really.

You get:

1 Space Elevator, making satellites cost negligable amounts to launch
1 Unquestioned dominance of manned spaceflight- indeed, with the elevator, dominance of all spaceflight
1 Asteroid belt
4 Earth Lagrange points
2 Jovian "Trojan asteroid fields
1 Planet full of untapped mineral wealth
1 Backup in case of plague, asteroid, or nuclear war.

Anyway, on an individual level, I think I could definitely beg, borrow, and steal my way to half a million and with that buy my way to Mars, and thus, participate in the last frontier and the first step into space. No, I wouldn't want to be one of the first dozen, or hundred, or thousand people there. But I would go there to be among the first ten thousand or twenty thousand out of a million, out of a billion, that would one day be there.

Space elevators aren't exaclty the hardest thing to destroy. Besides, the plan doesn't include one. At all.