# Antarctic colony **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [December 5, 2024, 3:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antarctic-colony/1011204 "2024-12-05T15:53:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2024, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antarctic-colony/1011204/21 "2024-12-06T17:59:03Z")
On the contrary, I think that self-sufficient Antarctic colonies are feasible, and there will probably be a few different attempts in the next few centuries in order to practice for living on Mars, Europa, Titan and Pluto, among other places. In order to be successful we’d need a lot of not-invented-yet technology and a new set of not-yet-acquired skills, like in-situ resource utilisation and closed environment life support management, but it would be considerably easier and safer attempting to develop these skills and technologies on Earth than getting to the Outer Solar System (and failing to do so without hope of rescue). ---
**Author:** ![snowthx](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/snowthx/32/10660_2.png) [@snowthx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/snowthx)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2024, 7:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antarctic-colony/1011204/22 "2024-12-06T19:01:07Z")
I would agree with all of this, but the one bugaboo, the one fat fly in the ointment is, well, us. Humans are deeply flawed in such a closed environment and unless we can figure out a way to curb our inbred savagery toward one another, I cannot see how any such “practice” is going to succeed, no matter how advanced the technology and skills. Such a closed system is really just a microcosm of the world we live in today. ---
**Author:** ![mixdenny](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mixdenny/32/2962_2.png) [@mixdenny](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mixdenny)\ **Post date:** [December 6, 2024, 7:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antarctic-colony/1011204/23 "2024-12-06T19:41:29Z")
You would have to revise some laws first. Right now viable seeds and animals are forbidden in Antarctica. The only exception are for veggies for salads and such and I think they bring in the plants, not the seeds. A minor point I guess. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2024, 5:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antarctic-colony/1011204/24 "2024-12-08T05:51:26Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > any fossil fuel system would require replenishment quite frequently Antarctica has plenty of fossil fuels. Just site your colony near a reliable supply. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2024, 6:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antarctic-colony/1011204/25 "2024-12-08T06:05:22Z")
> [@gnoitall](#): > > Even coal would be challenging to mine There are places in Antarctica with literally [exposed coal seams](https://www.swisseduc.ch/glaciers/antarctic/geology/4_heart_of_gondwana/index-en.html). Where’s the challenge? ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2024, 6:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antarctic-colony/1011204/26 "2024-12-08T06:31:57Z")
> [@Great\_Antibob](#): > > Antarctica is a paradise compared to Mars - free oxygen for the breathing, access to safe water, etc. Yes and no. Water is no problem on Mars–there’s a ton of it under the surface. A Martian colony can be solar powered, while an Antarctic one cannot. Mars has no significant weather to speak of. It also has useful resources like iron just sitting on the surface in the form of meteorites. Mars actually has quite a few advantages compared to Antarctica. ---
**Author:** ![MrDibble](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mrdibble/32/114_2.png) [@MrDibble](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MrDibble)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2024, 7:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antarctic-colony/1011204/27 "2024-12-08T07:08:27Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > Water is no problem on Mars–there’s a ton of it under the surface Isn’t most of the Martian water supposed to be quite salty brine? ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Strangelove](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dr.strangelove/32/6613_2.png) [@Dr.Strangelove](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Strangelove)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2024, 7:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antarctic-colony/1011204/28 "2024-12-08T07:17:25Z")
It varies. Most is just normal water ice. Some may be brine in liquid form. The ice at mid-latitudes is buried, but it’s sometimes exposed by geological features. Small amounts of water can be extracted from the atmosphere by condensation. Regardless, purifying water isn’t that difficult if you have an energy source. And really, most of the water is going to be recycled anyway. It’s already done on the ISS, leading to articles like this: [![Imgur](https://i.imgur.com/ulEidRO.png "imgur.com") ](https://imgur.com/ulEidRO) ---
**Author:** ![CairoCarol](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cairocarol/32/3825_2.png) [@CairoCarol](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CairoCarol)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2024, 7:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antarctic-colony/1011204/29 "2024-12-08T07:40:50Z")
> [@LSLGuy](#): > > UFN Sorry, hate to be That Poster. I’m pretty much okay with acronyms that most people can be expected know; it’s my problem if I don’t recognize it and up to me to Google it. So I did, and came up with “Until Further Notice.” If that isn’t what UFN means, take pity on an ignoramus and set me straight, please. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2024, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antarctic-colony/1011204/30 "2024-12-08T17:00:04Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > A Martian colony can be solar powered, while an Antarctic one cannot. Why not? Little light is not no light. It would require more surface area and energy storage. And as @dorvann suggested, the wind energy potential is fantastic. [https://www.amnh.org/learn-teach/curriculum-collections/antarctica/extreme-winds](https://www.amnh.org/learn-teach/curriculum-collections/antarctica/extreme-winds) Yes technically challenging but the test kitchen of doing that is the point. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2024, 5:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antarctic-colony/1011204/31 "2024-12-08T17:03:20Z")
If we start an Antarctic colony, could we hire the Flat Earthers to chart the ice wall? ---
**Author:** ![xtenkfarpl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c2a13f/32.png) [@xtenkfarpl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xtenkfarpl)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2024, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antarctic-colony/1011204/32 "2024-12-08T17:16:11Z")
There’s an ice wall? I thought the ocean just poured over the edge, like in DiscWorld? ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2024, 5:16pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antarctic-colony/1011204/33 "2024-12-08T17:16:50Z")
> [@Dr.Strangelove](#): > > Mars has no significant weather to speak of. Also? The air is thin so wind force is weak despite the speeds (Sorry “The Martian” open) but lots of bad dust storms to deal with. [How’s the weather on Mars? - Aerospace America](https://aerospaceamerica.aiaa.org/departments/hows-the-weather-on-mars/#:~:text=Mars%20also%20has%20seasonal%20variations,that%20cover%20the%20entire%20planet). Easier to do a rescue from Antarctica than Mars if collapse. ---
**Author:** ![eburacum45](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eburacum45/32/8690_2.png) [@eburacum45](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/eburacum45)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2024, 5:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antarctic-colony/1011204/34 "2024-12-08T17:17:58Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Little light is not no light. It would require more surface area and energy storage. Exactly. Sunlight all summer long. Much more sunlight in total than in orbit around Saturn, for example. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2024, 5:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antarctic-colony/1011204/35 "2024-12-08T17:29:59Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Why not? Little light is not no light. It would require more surface area and energy storage. But my battery is low and it’s getting dark. ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2024, 5:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antarctic-colony/1011204/36 "2024-12-08T17:35:45Z")
> [@Just\_Asking\_Questions](#): > > They couldn’t even get biosphere to work for a year. Nitpick: Biosphere has been working for a few billion years. What didn’t work was Biosphere 2. Which really wasn’t surprising, because it was the first try: You expect your first try at anything to fail, and then you analyze how it failed, fix it, and try again. The funding got cut off before they could really finish the experiment. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2024, 5:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antarctic-colony/1011204/37 "2024-12-08T17:44:53Z")
> [@Horatius](#): > > I’d expect significant icing issues for a large part of the year I don’t think so. Antarctica is a desert; “the driest place on earth” … [The USAP Portal: Science and Support in Antarctica - About the Continent](https://www.usap.gov/aboutthecontinent/#:~:text=Antarctica%20is%20the%20coldest%2C%20windiest,the%20driest%20place%20on%20earth). ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2024, 6:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antarctic-colony/1011204/38 "2024-12-08T18:17:21Z")
Would building the colony into the ice sheet be the way to go? Would winching up extremely large blocks of ice be a practical means of energy storage? ---
**Author:** ![dtilque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/d6d6ee/32.png) [@dtilque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/dtilque)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2024, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antarctic-colony/1011204/39 "2024-12-08T19:40:56Z")
> [@DSeid](#): > > Would winching up extremely large blocks of ice be a practical means of energy storage? No. At least not for the amount of energy needed for an entire winter. ---
**Author:** ![DSeid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dseid/32/20194_2.png) [@DSeid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DSeid)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 2024, 7:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antarctic-colony/1011204/40 "2024-12-08T19:52:37Z")
Well given wind use I’m not necessarily looking to store for the entire winter, but … Why not? The blocks can be of immense size, mass, and arbitrary number. What is limiting scaling it up to the needs of a colony? [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antarctic-colony/1011204.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/antarctic-colony/1011204.md?page=3)