That would be the Biosphere. And it did fail, it was a lack of protien that made all the participants scrawney. If it can't be done on earth....yet....it certainly can't be done in space.

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“I think every good Christian ought to kick Falwell right in the ass.”-Barry Goldwater

Mabe not yet but if we further the science in such a thing, we may eventually be able to do such a thing, not that we'll see it in out life time.

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Well now that is the new space race right? Getting what few of us we can off this rock before it goes the way of all things in this universe. The next question would be how long do we have, if you ask a Republican they'll say forever, if you ask a Democrat they'll say 20 minutes to 200 years. But you're more than likely right, not in our lifetime.

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“I think every good Christian ought to kick Falwell right in the ass.”-Barry Goldwater

The International Space Station provides humans practical physiological experience in space and is an excellent platform for scientific observation/experimentation.

The idea of space exploration has always fascinated me, if nothing for the fact it will help us survive as a species in a shrinking and increasingly volatile world. Now that scientists have started finding extrasolar close-to-Earth-like planets such Gliese 581 c, the excitement has reached new levels.

The theories and possible ways to propogate the stars are just amazing, everything from sub-light generation ships to Embryo space colonization (robotic missions with frozen embryos on board, to be seeded once they reach the end of their long journey.)

And what happens a few thousand years from now when the numerous colonies of man have each changed differently via participant evolution to match their new and diverse biomes? Will we even be the same species anymore?

It's one of the few areas left that still fills me with that child-like awe.

At the rate we are destroying the earth vs. the rate at which we are solving the problems of space travel indicate to me that we will destroy ourselves long before we can either terraform mars or find out how to travel at above the speed of light to get to even the nearest solar system. For all practical purposes, we can kiss our asses goodbye.

You little optimist you I hope that if a threat gets big enough we'll move on it but.......At least.....I would like to have a burial in space.....not creamated.....just my dead ass floating in orbit....hopefully the rigamortis will make it look like I'm waving when I float past the space station

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“I think every good Christian ought to kick Falwell right in the ass.”-Barry Goldwater

So you should ask an independent.

Any colonization of Mars that we can hope for, really is the science fiction of living in domes. You'll need the light, atmosphere, and warmth that you won't be able to get from the outside enviroment. So the population will be greatly capped, but it would work well for mining and research (just not living). But you can also do the same with Venus (even though it is more of a "fixer-upper").

I definitely agree, our planet is wonderful, but it is not infinite.

This would also be amazing, its just the cost of the construction of such a structure would be quite large, though, like many renewable resources, it would most likely be just an up-front cost.

This is an extremely, considering we can spend so much on arms and armies, undertake-able task. We could definitely, with some genetic modification on the plants, be able to plant organics on Mars. The Mirror Plan would be extremely expensive, but how about a solar power plant or something as such, or, if nobody cares about emitting a ton of CO2 into the Martian atmosphere, then we could just set up one of the most environmentally inefficient power plants that is available to us to help give the planet an atmosphere, and the plants CO2. Not coming from a scientist, but that idea sounds like the beginning of a possible plan for making Mars habitable.

True, domes would definitely make the planets slightly habitable. As far as Mars goes, who said we couldn't do a larger scale biosphere experiment, with occasional resupply missions from Earth, the prospect of living in domes on Mars is quite visible. We already have the technology available to get to Mars, the only problem in the foreseeable future is that we need a way to get building materials to Mars and find a way to get back from Mars. This may bring on a new round of the highly dangerous Apollo missions of the 60's and 70's, but if it , as it should, brings us the capability to sustain life on Mars, then so be it. I personally, and I believe many others agree, believe that many would be willing to take on another series of missions like the Apollo missions in order to help further and prolong the human race.

The research and mining capabilities of the domes would allow initial construction of living quarters for the initial colonists, but, over time, they could add more and more living areas, and attempt to start terraforming projects. The research being performed on the I.S.S. could be mimicked on Mars to see the planet's effects on people. The major problem I see is that at present times it would be hard to pack enough fuel to make it both to and back from Mars.

We could send robots to perform the initial construction of the first living habitats for colonists. They could construct a farming dome, which would be large, but sustainable, and a hotel-like structure that would serve as living quarters. Though the Martian nights are much colder than here on Earth, there could be certain building elements that were the most insulating and fire-resistant that are available.

After the first bout of robot construction, then we could send actual human beings to do more precise building. They could live in the initial structures built by the robots while they make better structures for more people and better methods of greening their areas. An area could be constructed as a forest, which could be used to help produce oxygen and foods. Another area as a farming area, where protein-rich foods could be grown. Of course, a well-balanced diet would have to be grown on Mars, but we can do it on Earth, we just have to adapt it for Mars!

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"Those who fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it..." -George Santayana

I believe that, no matter what, life should be lived to the fullest.

Live fast, but have fun with it.

"LIFE'S SHORT... PARTY NAKED" -Hilarious Bumper sticker I saw on some guy's truck