Got a one way ticket, only one way to go.

[Cuddlefish]

One way Mars mission gives this Fish some long-term goals.

"By mission number five, you're sending teachers and pediatricians, because this thing is turning from a field outpost into a human settlement," Zubrin says. Eventually, in the best of all possible new worlds, the colony would become self-sufficient, no longer needing any help from Mother Earth

All this time spent thinking that all the cool stuff has already happened/will happen after I die. We ARE living in an amazing time (or, at least, we could be, if people get behind this). Even if it seems like Dr. Pangloss is making the above statement, there is reason to remain hopeful about the future of a space-faring humanity.

I've geared myself up to have all the necesary degrees to teach at the college level, and in a few years, I'll be ready to rock. However, I would, in a heartbeat, skip out on teaching "higher education" to spoiled trust-fund slackers to teach ANYTHING on Mars. Fucking kindergarten, I don't care. And if I can keep myself alive for another fifty years or so, I can very likely see the possibility of living out my days, looking out at that bright blue star, saying "good riddance to bad rubbish."

[Luna]

Hell, sign me up.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

If I wasn't too old and didn't already have kids, I'd go.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Fuck that noise.  I'm not agoraphobic, or anything, but the idea of blowouts, suit failures, or funding cuts starving or asphyxiating me isn't my cup of tea.

TGRR,
Knows the maintenance nightmares inherent in this sort of thing.

[P3nT4gR4m]

Fuck that noise.  I'm not agoraphobic, or anything, but the idea of blowouts, suit failures, or funding cuts starving or asphyxiating me isn't my cup of tea.

TGRR,
Knows the maintenance nightmares inherent in this sort of thing.

I hear that! The first couple of colony attempts will prolly die dramatically and probably avoidably. If they keep sending up enough bodies eventually they'll form a decent topsoil, at which point terraforming may be an option. give me a shout if that happens.

[Mesozoic Mister Nigel]

Fuck that noise.  I'm not agoraphobic, or anything, but the idea of blowouts, suit failures, or funding cuts starving or asphyxiating me isn't my cup of tea.

TGRR,
Knows the maintenance nightmares inherent in this sort of thing.

Good points.

[East Coast Hustle]

I'm amazed that anyone can muster enough optimism to think that humanity on other planets will happen in our lifetimes.

Or anyone's lifetimes, for that matter.

[The Good Reverend Roger]

Fuck that noise.  I'm not agoraphobic, or anything, but the idea of blowouts, suit failures, or funding cuts starving or asphyxiating me isn't my cup of tea.

TGRR,
Knows the maintenance nightmares inherent in this sort of thing.

Good points.

We can't fund ANYTHING reliably from year-to-year.

Besides, why go live in another gravity well, if you're going to do without an atmosphere?  There's far more accessible minerals and water in the asteroid belt.

[Nephew Twiddleton]

We're still not completely sure what all the detriments of long-term low gravity would be (i.e. living on Ceres as opposed to Mars) on the human body. But eventually a colonized asteroid belt would be good for resources (including water).


Downside to both- lots of radiation.

[Eater of Clowns]

At first I was thinking this would be an awesome thing to do, just for being a space pioneer and all that.  Then I realized that I'd be saying goodbye to the Earth, which is really, really, unbelievably complex and beautiful.  And I'd be doing it for a large quantity of red rocks and a sterile, boring colony with the same degenerates that are okay with leaving the goddamn world behind.

Cool?  Yeah, but not cool enough to never be able to return.  It's too damn pretty here.