Book Series
This is an interesting paper estimating the minimum number of people required for a self-sufficient colony on Mars. Using a mathematical model to estimate work time requirements vs. work time capacity, the researchers come up with a surprisingly low number: 110.
In the forthcoming second book of the Generation Mars series, I peg the colony population at around 5000, so I think I’m good there.
Nature Neal Stephenson, commenting on a bunch of stuff.
Reason.com His comments regarding personal freedom in a Martian colony don’t gel with mine. The social system that I imagine in Generation Mars has a great respect for personal freedom.
However, that is tempered by a level of social responsibility that we would likely find unrecognizable here on Earth.
A brief but inspiring interview with Robert Zubrin:
“… that’s what we need: a place where the rules haven’t been written yet, so people can give new ideas a try. Martian society will be an engine for invention.”
“I want to inspire that first girl who is going to walk on Mars.”
We share the same goal!
“This perfect society we’re striving towards should always be a spot on the horizon, something we’re still moving towards even if it seems like we’ve fixed everything. Utopia is a journey: not the happy ending, but the continued improvement of ourselves.”
This is a near perfect summation of my thoughts regarding Dawn Colony in Generation Mars.
Ut melius faciat! (To do better)
What would it be like to have only experienced another planet, yet know about Earth?
background: illustration by Luis Peres for Scratching the Surface
How will we keep law and order on Mars? This article digs into various facets of concern, from the physics of hand-to-hand combat in low gravity to the ethical implications of humans living in an environment controlled all the way down to the air they breath. There’s a lot to digest here, but it’s interesting to think about.
WPR 
the Guardian 
The Atlantic