Well by now I am sure everyone has seen the threads about a new space propulsion system....

This give anyone any new ideas?

Well apparently the new propulsion system is feasable, but not at the moment. Though I guess, we are going to Mars, so we would have more funds to accelerate the research. I say we should just have it.

Originally posted by netbound
It might be a good idea to bring along a great genetics engineer/scientist, as well. Looking ahead, it might be possible to genetically engineer the need for breathing oxygen out of our species. You know, maybe we could have occasional oxygen drinks, or something like that, instead of breathing air. Also, it might be possible over time to genectically transform our bodies to suit the environment, rather than worry about teraforming. I mean, who wants to have to suit up every time you go outside? Plus, at some point it would become like a jail sentence being confined to a pod all time.

The current condition of Mars would be like stepping outside in a vaccum. Your blood would boil inside your veins before you'd explode and die.

The gravity of Mars is much less than Earth so any descendants of Mars settlers would never be able to return to Earth.

With no atmosphere to burn up meteorites you could not live on the surface.

All living would be underground.

To make Mars Earth-like would require that no one live there for 10,000 years while we line up 1st heavy iron/nickel/uranium/ and other metal asteroids and crash them one by one into Mars, then stony, and then huge comets to add mass and water and atmosphere. After that, Mars would be ready.