XPost: sci.space.policy, sci.physics   
   From: jfmezei.spamnot@vaxination.ca   
      
   On 2016-10-11 19:10, Jeff Findley wrote:   
      
   > False, Mars has a mostly CO2 atmosphere, albeit a very thin one.   
      
   From a plant life point of view,  it si doubtful you could get plants to   
   grow "outdoors". And if your plants are indoors, the CO2 they will get   
   will come from humans, not outside air (since the indoor habitat will do   
   everyuthing to keep that nasty CO2 out).   
      
   Maybe one day one could genetically engineer plants that can survive the   
   weather extremes on Mars, and change its albedo to retain more of the   
   sun's heat. But that isn't anytime soon. The Mars habitat might be the   
   right facility for scientists to develop and test such plants though.   
      
   It would be extremnely challenging to develop sustainable human presence   
   on Mars of the type seen in Total Recall or even Babylon 5.   
      
   Initial settlers into North America, were dependent on manufactured   
   goods from their countr of oorigin (France, Britain, Netherlands,   
   Spain)., but were generally self sufficient for survival (food, water,   
   air, shelter, wood for heat). Eventually started to build manufacturing   
   facilities and dependence on europe dwindled and eventually north   
   america exported to europe (competing against the original companies   
   upon which they used to be dependent).   
      
   The problem with Mars is that initial settlers will be dependent on   
   Earth for ALL their supplies for a long time, and it will be even longer   
   time before they start to have ability to manufacture goods locally from   
   locally mined iron/aluminium/coal etc.   
      
   In fact, is there any information on whether mining for minerals can be   
   done on mars ? Would there be veins of iron, bauxite, gold or some coal   
   wrth digging for ?   
      
   Or could mars be just one big rock where m,inerals needed for   
   industrialisation would be distributed evenly everywhere with no high   
   concentration worth digging for ?   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)