[Synthetase]

It's odd that any mention of Elon Musk colonizing Mars results in rapturous worship.

Other efforts, China in particular, seem to attract scorn. Especially in light of the fact that Elon Musk's original plan was to send a greenhouse with plants to Mars.

Perhaps I over-estimate the HN crowd.

[blhack]

>Perhaps I over-estimate the HN crowd.

Perhaps this has something to do with China's absolutely atrocious record regarding:

1) The environment

2) The rest of the world

3) Human rights

--

Is it really that difficult to understand that some of us have the foresight to realize that China's method of interfacing with its environment is not something that we want to see tarnishing a yet-untarnished planet?

[ww520]

1) The environmental burden is simply offshored from the West to China along with offshore manufacturing. The environmental impacts are also offshored since they suffer the majority of them. It's ludicrous for someone enjoying the fruit of globalization along with clean air and clean water to blame China for destroying the environment. No, you are the one destroying it since you are part of the globalization. You are the one allowing the multinationals to skew local environment laws by offshoring, in the guise of capitalism. You are the enabler of the environment problems.

2) What is China's absolutely atrocious record against the rest of the world?

3) This one is on the spot.

[anigbrowl]

Get over yourself. The US had a terrible environmental record until recently, and most conservatives want to see the EPA abolished; the US has been at least as expansionist as China internationally, if not more so; our human rights record is also atrocious. I don't mean just in historical terms, but in the ongoing travesty that is our prison-industrial complex.

This is not to excuse China's poor record by any means, but your sanctimony is unwarranted.

[angersock]

Think of the verdant fields that could be reduced to red dust!

Truly, an environmental catastrophe. They could render the planet uninhabitable. :(

[nitrogen]

Is it really that difficult to understand that some of us have the foresight to realize that China's method of interfacing with its environment is not something that we want to see tarnishing a yet-untarnished planet?

What does it mean to "tarnish" a lifeless planet? Or even Earth for that matter? Every single kilogram of hazardous material on Earth was here long before humans evolved; all we're doing is moving around what occurs naturally. In the worst case, the same would be true of Mars.

[danielweber]

I think the thing most likely to give America a swift kick in the back of their pants about their space program is hearing that China is going to do it first.

There's a whole lot to be skeptical about here, but even rumors can kick off a space race.

[patrickk]

Competition is good.

Perhaps NASA will get more funding for Mars missions as a result of this. Everybody wins long-term.

It's a shame that it takes a threat of one-upmanship to get people off their asses rather than doing it for the sake of scientific endeavour, but that's human nature.

[Jach]

I see mixed opinions whenever Elon Musk comes up. Perhaps your sample size of comments for both Elon Musk and China is insufficient. Indeed, when you posted your comment in this thread, there were less than 10 other comments.