Seems somebody's been watching too many TVLand reruns:

http://www.abcnews.go.com/wire/SciTe...20912_135.html

The (Shoot-out at the OK Canal) Curtmudgeon

So Rees is concerned that privately funded adventurers will go to Mars cheaply via space elevator and nuclear rockets within the next 100 years and that it will be a wild lawless place.

I think any colony established on Mars will be very well planned, maintained, and controlled.

It's hard to control something that is at minimum 6 months away. Unless, of course, you use nasty coercive methods (eg. hold family hostage, threaten to detonate nukes, etc.)

Mars is the New New World. (Unfortunately, it's not exactly an upgrade from Old World conditions.)

The whole idea of this kind of exercise is to postulate "what if" scenarios. They're not to be taken as gospel.

Sometimes things come about the way we expect, but usually they don't. This is because we can't take into account everything that might happen in the future. The best we can do is make educated guesses based on past understanding.

I personally think it's at least a reasonable guess. Knowing human nature, if uncontrolled colonization were to occur, there might just be something similar to a "wild west" scenario. Lots of people up there for themselves, and a lack of effective control by an organized government. However, at this time, I can't see such a thing happening. It's still too expensive and difficult for anybody but a huge governmental organization to attempt. There are a lot of other hurdles that would need to be overcome if private enterprise is to get there first.

It's fun to think about, but it's not something to take seriously yet.

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...And that, my liege, is how we know the Earth to be banana-shaped. --Sir Bedevere

Sounds like the makings for a cool sci-fi novel to me. Gunslingers on Mars. [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_lol.gif[/img]

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If E = MC², why do I have less energy the more mass my body acquires?
That is all.

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Actually, it's in the works (sorta): Paramount has the rights to all 11 Edgar Rice Burroughs 'Barsoom' books, and is starting work (i.e., finding a screenwriter; don't mean to imply they've started filming yet) on A Princess of Mars. Of course, there's both swashbuckling and gunslinging on Barsoom.

The (thank God Disney is out of the picture now) Curtmudgeon

I'm sure a Wild Utopia Plantia future would be much better. I mean, who wants a world run by smiling, gentle scientists and g-men who say that they just want the best for everyone? I say - lawlessness and bounty hunters! And eventually, maybe a war of independence.

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"I have been asked, 'Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?' I am not able to rightly apprehend the kind of confusion of ideas that could provoke such a question."

Me too. If the first human expedition to Mars is made up of folks anywhere near as tough, fearless, yet cheerful, and disciplined as the Shackleton expedition, it will be a success.

As for later large colonies, I think the level of crime and decadence will be low for a long while. For a remote group of people living far far from their point of origin, smuggling in harmless or dangerous goods and a "black market" will probably be the main "lawless" choice, which wouldn't be a huge concern unless organized crime got involved on the governing level. Of course, for a large colony there will also need to be some kind of security, even if everyone basically gets along. That means that in addition to scientists, explorers, farmers, engineers, and artists, (to name a few,) we'll also need (gulp) lawyers. [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_wink.gif[/img]

<font size=-1>[ This Message was edited by: Chip on 2002-09-17 02:04 ]</font>

Mars could resemble the lawless Wild West if privately funded adventurers seeking to exploit the planet get there before government-backed expeditions, a leading British astronomer said on Wednesday.

Oh soooo cliche. [img]/phpBB/images/smiles/icon_rolleyes.gif[/img] As if government-backed expeditions are always pure and conscientious and private-backed expeditions are always tainted and reckless.

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Seems this guy never heard of Ray Bradbury...