Populating a Mars Base Will Be Dangerously Unsexy

livescience.com ^ | May 29, 2018 07:03am ET | Brandon Specktor,

[Delta 21]

Why do you think Mars has mutants in the first place?

[Buckeye McFrog]

More “we’re smarter than God” drivel from the usual sources.

[wally_bert]

The Robotech episode Goodbye Mars comes to mind.

The Mars base didn’t fare well.

[Magnum44]

conceiving kids on Mars will be even harder.

I'll say...

[pa_dweller]

NASA studies have shown that radiation exposure might damage astronauts' brain cells and increase their risk of developing cancer.

Somebody else's brain cells have been damaged, too. If pilots and flight attendants are radiation workers how's it going to be any better on a planet with no magnetic field where one is exposed to cosmic radiation 24:37/7?

[j.argese]

They did an truly kick ass version of “Mockingbird” though!

[dfwgator]

Mars ain’t the kind of place to raise your kids.

[j.argese]

Truth be told, I don't think it's so hot to bring people back from space exploration or extraterrestrials anyway. God only knows what they would be bringing down or what any disease we gave them would mutate into.

[Billthedrill]

In fact, it’s cold as hell.

[Pollster1]

conceiving kids on Mars will be even harder

I don't foresee any problems in that area. Put a male nerd engineer on Mars with a female nerd mathematician, with nothing to do except work and look for distractions. Pretty soon they will take care of the conception process. I consider that a good outcome. Genetic engineering? Why bother? They will figure out how to change their habitat to fit human needs faster than we can work out the complex biology challenges.

[BenLurkin]

Without a doubt. Trips to the surface will be a treat of sorts, I suppose.

[DoodleBob]

It's worth noting there is only ONE inhabitant already...

[Larry Lucido]

I’d have to meet this “Tara.”

[Larry Lucido]

Well, all this science....I don’t understand.

But that’s true on Earth, too.

[shanover]

Those Nexus Replicants can be a real problem including Pris:

[gigster]

Refer to Ren and Stimpy episode of Space Madness.

[BenLurkin]

Nope. Can't have her.

Beside, Elvis got there first.

[poinq]

I think this is just a an article meant to get funding for research to change DNA. This would normally be abhorrent. But now they are trying to come up with a save the race excuse. By the way, the first thing they will do is produce blue eyes, blond hair and smart athletes while discarding lots of trial and error fetuses.

The reality is that humans can’t live 10 seconds outside on mars. So they will have to make structures humans can live in. And they will have to mine fuel and materials from the surface. Changing our DNA is not in the top thousand list of things to think about when contemplating human life on mars. And its not likely to go well anyway.

[kosciusko51]

Ah, Tommy Kirk had no use for her, anyhow.

[SunkenCiv]

For starters, Mars' atmosphere is about 1 percent as thick as Earth's, meaning the planet is hit by a lot more solar radiation than humans blah blah blah blah blah

That tiny shred of atmosphere ONLY means that there's nothing for you to breathe. There's also poison in the soil. And the only way to survive there will be reliance on Earth's technology and largesse, and probably pharmaceuticals to keep you from losing your marbles when you're unable to leave the Habitrail or a space suit for decades on end.

Thanks BenLurkin.