I'm starting to think the correct form of a Mars colony is a giant nuclear-powered truck, not unlike Star Wars's Juggernaut, carrying an Outback-style road train. Why fix your habitat modules at one site when you could put them on wheels and roam the whole planet instead?

Image is of the Juggernaut from "Star Wars: Complete Vehicles", for reference.

#Mars #spacecolonization #spaceflight #life #lifestyle #future #futurism #vehicles #technology

@adamasnemesis
What is the point of roaming through an empty planet though?

@rastinza Unpopulated land is still land, rich for scientists to study, prospectors to survey, tourists to experience, and adventurers to challenge themselves in. Hence why big rovers are usually included in Mars mission plans. I'm just taking it one step further by proposing the whole colony be itself a rover.
Personnel will be spread very thinly; doesn't make much sense to confine them to just a few small parts of the planet, as the usual visions with clusters of little buildings do.

@adamasnemesis
However you'll be using a lot of energy for the transportation of the whole colony for no real practical reason

@rastinza Exploring the whole planet instead of one small piece of it isn't a real practical reason? And TBH the extra energy should be rather trivial given an abundance of large nuclear reactors. If it's not, if energy is that rationed, you won't be able to colonize space in a serious fashion anyway.

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@adamasnemesis
Moving a whole colony around doesn't look so cheap energy wise, moreover I don't understand why you would explore an uncolonized planet.
You can surely send some research expeditions, but what's the benefit to the normal people living in the colony?
Moreover the movement will surely be bumpy and not always comfortable...

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