Comments on: What Antarctica says about Star Trek.

By: Glenn

Glenn — Fri, 18 May 2012 05:33:31 +0000

http://www.cracked.com/video_18398_why-star-trek-universe-secretly-horrifying.html

Seems about right.

By: Glenn

Glenn — Fri, 18 May 2012 05:20:28 +0000

“…we are so much further ahead trying to find a way to a sustainable future here, even with the mess we’ve made of the place.” Yeah, no doubt Sharon. Thanks for the comment.

By: Sharon Howe

Sharon Howe — Fri, 18 May 2012 05:08:28 +0000

Well said. When I think about Star Trek and Antarctica, I think of that original series episode with the landing party inexorably freezing to death on the planet as night falls, while the crew are trying to fix broken tech to rescue them ….When I think about Antarctica and SF, I think of Robinson’s thoughtfully optimistic Red Mars/Blue Mars/Green Mars trilogy about the colonization and terraforming of Mars and the colony’s attempts to deal with the fact of an Earth in ecological and political collapse. The colonists, a hundred scientists from around the world, spend a year in Antarctica as preparation for dealing with the sterile landscape of Mars. Even after Antarctica, Mars still comes as a shock.

We hit minus 40 at least couple of times a winter where I live – not quite as cold as Alaska, but cold enough that the promise of spring is the only thing that makes even that worth enduring. A sustainable human future in space? Could be done under some circumstances, I’m sure, but we are so much further ahead trying to find a way to a sustainable future here, even with the mess we’ve made of the place.

By: Glenn

Glenn — Fri, 18 May 2012 03:51:14 +0000

Thanks for the comment Jonathan. And I hear ya about gardening in Colorado…I have some good friends there who are making the “back to the land” journey, and since there are so many people in that state the only way to get enough food to be self-sufficient seems to be gardening, even though it can be tough. It’s even tougher where I live these days (Alaska), but we have the benefit of being able to hunt and fish a whole lot more to make up for our lack of veggies.

By: Jonathan Hontz

Jonathan Hontz — Fri, 18 May 2012 02:21:57 +0000

“As I see it, that continent is proof that not everything in this universe was made “for man”. It might be appropriate that some places stay beyond our reach.”

Not only appropriate, but necessary. Although identifying something impossible as something that should necessarily be out of our reach is pretty redundant.

I live in Colorado, and even here, when I try to grow food for the four or five months out of the year that it’s possible to do so, I can’t help but marvel that people live here at all. At least the ancient tribes of the plains had some meat on the hoof that they could take advantage of, but come September, it’s time to pack up the teepee and head someplace warmer.

By: rustic

rustic — Tue, 01 May 2012 06:05:14 +0000

yeah, if we can’t populate Antarctica what makes us think we can make it on other planets or, even better, space ships? that’s ridiculous! another good point, Glenn.