Replying to Avatar SLCW

Can you specifically lay out the actual plan for setting up a group of humans to live on Mars permanently, and sustain their lives such that that could thrive on an ongoing basis? And I mean no abstractions or vagueries. What specific technology we do we have that can overcome the challenges of having no magnetosphere, no breathable air, and life-ending temperatures?
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lifeisjustreplication 1y ago

Maybe one could build some expandable transparent dome and put a selection of species like algae, tardigrades and some extremophiles in there to kick start a biosphere?

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Low Information Voter 1y ago

I think that's exactly how we should start :)

I have made some lists of candidate organisms.

There are several species of cyanobacteria that are extremophiles and can utilise perchlorate as an electron-acceptor, solving two problems at once (hypoxia and perchlorate stress).

Unfortunately they are also able to destroy nitrate in the same way, which would be a nuisance.

A geneticist friend was going to get back to me on whether the nitrate-reduction could be "knocked out" while leaving perchlorate reduction intact. I should annoy him about that again :)