Suppose it was your choice...
And we could only do one or the other for the next thousand years. Mankind can either go to Mars, or Venus.
Mars cannot be properly terraformed, without a magnetic field and too thin an atmosphere to every make it truly habitable, we'd have to build massive domed colonies. The plus side being that we could do this, and have thousands, maybe millions of people living in contained dome cities on Mars within 50 years or so.
Or we go to Venus. With gravity similar to Earth and an active magnetic field, it can be truly terraformed with large bodies of water made available too. But that would require importing tons of matter over hundreds of years to neutralize and thin the super-thick and toxic atmosphere, and the construction of a large sun-shield to regulate the day-night cycle on Venus.
Which do you pick?
Mars: Disadvantage, must live in contained domes, can never be truly terraformed. Advantage, domed cities constructed within a generation or two.
Venus: Disadvantage, hundreds of years of terraforming and need of a giant sun-shield to regulate day and night. Advantage, truly terraformed and similar to Earth Gravity. Habitable without domes or spacesuits, and vast water oceans available.
Mars cannot be properly terraformed, without a magnetic field and too thin an atmosphere to every make it truly habitable, we'd have to build massive domed colonies. The plus side being that we could do this, and have thousands, maybe millions of people living in contained dome cities on Mars within 50 years or so.
Or we go to Venus. With gravity similar to Earth and an active magnetic field, it can be truly terraformed with large bodies of water made available too. But that would require importing tons of matter over hundreds of years to neutralize and thin the super-thick and toxic atmosphere, and the construction of a large sun-shield to regulate the day-night cycle on Venus.
Which do you pick?
Mars: Disadvantage, must live in contained domes, can never be truly terraformed. Advantage, domed cities constructed within a generation or two.
Venus: Disadvantage, hundreds of years of terraforming and need of a giant sun-shield to regulate day and night. Advantage, truly terraformed and similar to Earth Gravity. Habitable without domes or spacesuits, and vast water oceans available.
31-35, M
