What Celestial Body Should Mankind Colonize First?

[The Fascist American Empire]

I was getting into a small debate with one player on what world should humans colonize. However, since the thread was about climate change, I decided to make a new, more appropriate one.

Now, we've all heard about the supposedly Earth-like planets that are being discovered. Now, let's just pretend for a minute that we have the technological capabilities to go to any of them. Which one should man try to live on first? Or should we stick to the solar system until we have people on every planet and moon? What say thee?

I personally think that Mars would be a good first step, but saying that we have the capability to go to any of these exo-planets that we've discovered, I know that we don't but, again, just supposing we did, then I believe that a world like Gliese 581-C or Gliese 581-D would be prime real-estate as far as virgin soil is concerned. They're close to Earth, only 20 lightyears away; they orbit their star, obviously Gliese 581, at the edges of the goldilocks zone; and it's highly possible that Gliese 581-D has vast quantities of liquid water. So, what do you think?

Here's a few links about entirely different worlds, if you want to look them over so as to be better informed about what you're talking about.
http://www.npr.org/blogs/thetwo-way/2014/04/17/303806575/scientists-spot-a-planet-that-looks-like-earths-cousin
http://www.mnn.com/earth-matters/space/photos/10-nasa-images-of-planets-like-earth/a-new-earth
And to save myself some time,
http://exoplanets.org/

[Shie]

Agreed, it's Mars.

[Sun Wukong]

Earth Beta. I'm tired of their smug "our dimension is better then yours just because it rains LSD here" attitude.

[The Fascist American Empire]

Earth Beta. I'm tired of their smug "our dimension is better then yours just because it rains LSD here" attitude.

Perhaps you don't get that this is a serious question?

[Sun Wukong]

Earth Beta. I'm tired of their smug "our dimension is better then yours just because it rains LSD here" attitude.

Perhaps you don't get that this is a serious question?

No it's not. Mars is the only realistic option.

[The Fascist American Empire]

Perhaps you don't get that this is a serious question?

No it's not. Mars is the only realistic option.

Then perhaps you need a dictionary?

suppose |səˈpōz|
verb
1 [ with clause ] assume that something is the case on the basis of evidence or probability but without proof or certain knowledge: I suppose I got there about half past eleven.
• used to make a reluctant or hesitant admission: I'm quite a good actress, I suppose.
• used to introduce a hypothesis and trace or ask about what follows from it: suppose he had been murdered—what then?
• [ in imperative ] used to introduce a suggestion: suppose we leave this to the police.
• (of a theory or argument) assume or require that something is the case as a precondition: the procedure supposes that a will has already been proved | [ with obj. ] : the theory supposes a predisposition to interpret utterances.
• [ with obj. ] believe to exist or to possess a specified characteristic: he supposed the girl to be about twelve.

Or how's about "saying that we did have the capability" or "supposing the technology was available."

[Monkeykind]

Perhaps you don't get that this is a serious question?

No it's not. Mars is the only realistic option.

What about the moon? We should colonize our own planetar system first.

[Sun Wukong]

No it's not. Mars is the only realistic option.

Then perhaps you need a dictionary?

suppose |səˈpōz|
verb
1 [ with clause ] assume that something is the case on the basis of evidence or probability but without proof or certain knowledge: I suppose I got there about half past eleven.
• used to make a reluctant or hesitant admission: I'm quite a good actress, I suppose.
• used to introduce a hypothesis and trace or ask about what follows from it: suppose he had been murdered—what then?
• [ in imperative ] used to introduce a suggestion: suppose we leave this to the police.
• (of a theory or argument) assume or require that something is the case as a precondition: the procedure supposes that a will has already been proved | [ with obj. ] : the theory supposes a predisposition to interpret utterances.
• [ with obj. ] believe to exist or to possess a specified characteristic: he supposed the girl to be about twelve.

Or how's about "saying that we did have the capability" or "supposing the technology was available."

I read the OP. The responsible answer would still be always be mars. You crawl before you run.

[Sun Wukong]

No it's not. Mars is the only realistic option.

What about the moon? We should colonize our own planetar system first.

The moon is not a planet.

[The Fascist American Empire]

Then perhaps you need a dictionary?

suppose |səˈpōz|
verb
1 [ with clause ] assume that something is the case on the basis of evidence or probability but without proof or certain knowledge: I suppose I got there about half past eleven.
• used to make a reluctant or hesitant admission: I'm quite a good actress, I suppose.
• used to introduce a hypothesis and trace or ask about what follows from it: suppose he had been murdered—what then?
• [ in imperative ] used to introduce a suggestion: suppose we leave this to the police.
• (of a theory or argument) assume or require that something is the case as a precondition: the procedure supposes that a will has already been proved | [ with obj. ] : the theory supposes a predisposition to interpret utterances.
• [ with obj. ] believe to exist or to possess a specified characteristic: he supposed the girl to be about twelve.

Or how's about "saying that we did have the capability" or "supposing the technology was available."

I read the OP. The responsible answer would still be always be mars. You crawl before you run.

Then why not just say that before you made such a smart@$$ comment?

[Monkeykind]

What about the moon? We should colonize our own planetar system first.

The moon is not a planet.

Oh fine. How about 3753 Cruithne? Or as it's (Incorrectly) called, Earths second moon?

[Dejanic]

Mars, the planets a pretty good candidate for Terraforming also. We could theoretically have more land-mass there than on Earth also, as long as we made sure the planet had a lower land-water ratio than what we have on Earth.

[Lunatic Goofballs]

Mars, the planets a pretty good candidate for Terraforming also.

If we're talking terraforming, Venus would be a better candidate. Or maybe we could do both. We could ship some of the excessive CO2 on Venus to Mars and help build up it's atmosphere.

[Monkeykind]

Mars, the planets a pretty good candidate for Terraforming also.

If we're talking terraforming, Venus would be a better candidate. Or maybe we could do both. We could ship some of the excessive CO2 on Venus to Mars and help build up it's atmosphere.

I say we go colonize http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3753_Cruithne first!

[McCatsonia]

We should colonize the oceans before colonizing other planets, for obvious reasons.

[Lunatic Goofballs]

If we're talking terraforming, Venus would be a better candidate. Or maybe we could do both. We could ship some of the excessive CO2 on Venus to Mars and help build up it's atmosphere.

I say we go colonize http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/3753_Cruithne first!

It's a bit dinky.

[Czechanada]

Why don't we just drown ourselves in science fiction instead and save ourselves the trouble?

[Kratu]

Mars is the only planet I can see Humans colonizing in the near future.

[Arcadonisia]

How about we learn to take care and heal our own planet before we try to conquer and potentially destroy others?

[Indira]

Mars. Maybe the Moon, assuming that counts. I'd avoid Alderran though

[Senkaku]

I'd go with Mars. If we have that sort of tech, to reach other Earthlike planets, Mars would be a piece of cake. It's close, it would only require around a millennia of terraformation to bring temperatures up to Earthish standards, we know what it's like (whereas we only think Gliese-581d and -581c might be Earthlike) and there's no threat of a native-evolved bacterium getting someone sick and starting a pandemic.

Or of ebul alienz.

[Frankia]

Mars.

[Priory Academy USSR]

Mars for the science/prestige of developing the first colony on another planet, then probably a gas giant for the resources. AFAIK, Mars doesn't have anything unique to offer us in term of exploitation.

[Scomagia]

Why don't we just drown ourselves in science fiction instead and save ourselves the trouble?

Even the best Science Fiction can't save us from extinction.

[Blakullar]

Mars.

Firstly, because we have the technology to get there now (and we still don't know whether it's possible/practical to travel to other stars). Secondly, because we can use the greenhouse gasses that are unwelcome on Earth to improve the Martian climate and take it a step closer to transforming it into a second Earth. The lack of environmental regulation might be enough incentive for industries to set up there, and therefore provide an easy boost to the development of potential colonies.