Which planet do you find more interesting for studying and exploration? (Page 7)

Finished: Without a doubt, I'd have to choose Mars.

Firstly, it's a nearby planet. Communication would thus be relatively easy, and rescue missions wouldn't be totally unfeasible, provided the crew could hold out on the surface for a period of months. It's also similar in mass to earth, which means you wouldn't suffer from a severe loss of bone- or muscle-mass during a prolonged stay, making a return to earth gravity a less miserable experience.

When it comes to the issue of life, Europa (and I think a couple of other moons?) may be more interesting, but they are much, much further away, and it's probably a more useful endeavor to seek out more immediately reachable "property" for earth life anyways.

Why mars most interests me is because it is essentially humanity's first "testing ground" for its ability to truly become an interplanetary, space-faring species. The moon is too close to be useful for these purposes, while anything else is too far, or offers little or no practical sustainability upon arrival. With mars, we could not only test our technology en-route, but we could also set up shop and live considerably more comfortably once a permanent settlement has been established.

StuckInTheSixties:

My preference for Europa discounted practicality, and the limitations of currently available technology.

If we're talking only within the constraints of current feasibility, then even Mars is out of the picture.

Finished: Sorry, I just edited my post above.

But I agree: were we to discount practicality, what I'd most like to do is land on Europa, drill through the ice, and drop down in a submarine.

Coastwind: Something I cannot understand is that the driver for exploring other planets is to try and find signs of life. When we find life on another planet, everything we have built our religions on will come into question. The idea of life somewhere other than earth will need to be explained away, how that is done will be very entertaining. Finding life on another planet as far as I'm concerned, would be a relief. Humans are turning out to be poor Stewards of life on this marble. What do we do with the verification of life on another planet? F..u..c..k.. It up like we are doing here. Ha

thewind200: i find the human universe as the most interesting to explore

StuckInTheSixties:

The most? As compared to what?

LiptonCambell: The non-human universe.

thewind200: like there r people who just ask questions for the sake of asking! basically they r stuck in themselves and cant get out! i find that the reasons behinde such behaviour is interesting to explore!

thewind200: thank you Lipton ur a good tea

StuckInTheSixties:

Can you elaborate on that?

LiptonCambell: Lipton is a brand of tea owned by Argyll Foods, founded by Thomas Lipton in 1871

Coastwind: Or he is giving 2000lbs of lip ha ha

thewind200: i have wind competition

StuckInTheSixties:

Not a bad joke, Coast.

thewind200: scarecrow strikes again

Jokerswiild84: pluto

LiptonCambell: Pluto, while interesting to say the least(it's rocks would be nearly the age of the solar system- something none of the inner planets have because of the constant remelting of stones in our mantle)- is not a planet.

Pluto is a Dwarf Planet.

Geoff: I was going to be facetious and say, "No Pluto is a dog."

But then I thought better of it.

Coastwind: Vesta, maybe Ceres or some other chunk of rock

StuckInTheSixties:

Not planets, but nevertheless, good suggestions. Investigating an asteroid is likely not to far off in the future. It's kind of on the "to do" list.

Coastwind: We have a satalite circling one right now. Yep just another chunk of rock.

StuckInTheSixties:

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dawn_(spacecraft)