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).
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.
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.
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.
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:
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.
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.
