Let's not forget temperatures on the red planet. Temperatures range anywhere from about -220 F to 68 F on Mars. The human body would not be able to adapt to such extreme changes in weather. The temporary solutions to this problem, which include something requiring space-suit-like amenities I imagine, would be pretty uncomfortable.
Fortunately, this lifestyle isn't the only possibility. Scientists are looking into the idea of terraforming, or simply put, completely transforming Mars until it replicates the atmosphere, plant life, etc., of Earth.
This process would take at least decades, if not more, some imagine. It would require extensive finances, and currently the complexities and ambiguities of the idea are halting the possibilities of Mars terraformation.
Nonetheless, the idea of living on Mars is becoming more and more feasible. And with the Mars missions already in preparation, we might be able to make human life on Mars a reality sooner than we think.
Still, are humans ready for the change? Are we ready to give up our beautiful, green, life-supporting planet? If global warming continues to hurt us at an alarming rate, will we be ready for the Mars travel in time? Do we really want to live in airtight "buildings" that are advertised with "wonderful dry red dirt views" and "the best atmosphere converter this side of the planet"? Are we ever going to be economically stable enough for terraformation? Are space travel enthusiasts thinking too far into the future?
The fact is we're not ready for the change. So why are we not really trying to save our planet? Sure, we use less paper bags and drive less, but in the big scheme of things, not much has changed just yet.
Think of it this way: A hurricane destroys your home, causing you to relocate to another. But instead, we are the "hurricane" that is instead destroying an entire planet, and currently there is no comfortable, let alone livable, real estate elsewhere in the solar system to where we can escape.
So, sorry space enthusiasts. It looks like us humans need time to grow up and learn how to take care of our home planet before we try living anywhere else. Besides, if we don't learn how to take care of this planet now, we will inevitably destroy the next planet we inhabit. History repeats itself, anyhow. For the sake of the earth and the future, let's quit searching for scapegoats and instead add a little love for our planet to our daily routines.
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You need to be dragged out into the streets and shot. Journalism all over the world will immediately feel the improvement.
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Why is todays temperature the right temperature anyways? As we all know, there have been periods in time when the earth was both much warmer and much cooler then it is now. Greenland was named Greenland for a reason.
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Is this article supposed to be taken seriously? Even if you believe the worst global warming projections, Earth is still looking a lot better than Mars for a long, long time.
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Earth to Tiffany, there has been an 8 year cooling period. Check your information before writing. Oh and did you ever think that the increase in solar energy means more than we 'might' be able to live on Mars? Maybe it correlates closer to the Earth's temperature than the human factor.
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Look at the sun. The earth's temperature recently and in history has followed sunspot activity. Cycle 24 sunspots have not developed as predicted and the earth is cooling. Read up on the Maunder Minimum
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This is the 3rd time in our planets history that temperatures have been this cold and the 2nd time that Co2 levels have been this low. The planet is cold and our atmosphere is Co2 deprived. Did you think it would stay that way forever?
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What is your point Eve?
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