(2019 Archived) - An Address to Anti-Venusian Surfacism
Having written this in 2019, and originally published in 2021.. when I was 15 and 17, there would be inaccuracies that I would correct here. Having removed it, I'm publishing again, for sake of completion so that the efforts wouldn't have gone to vain:
In
our enquiry for an extraterrestrial home – a new haven for humanity – unlike a
hundred pages ago, we found the Venusian cloud-tops rather than
Venus-as-a-whole, to be a candidate (the other being the Martian surface). We
found it to be quite ideally par with human likings – protection from
meteorites and cosmic radiation, more solar energy, better travelling, calm
weather, easy supply, abundances of resources, easy to commercialize,
Earth-like gravity, pressure and temperature – what more would we have to ask
for. That’s literally like everything Mars doesn’t have! path
Well,
there would still be a fault in the Venusian system, which a nit-picky
few might demand for – a true surface (If, a fan of PBS Space Time,
you’d probably know this as surfacism). The absurdity of how surfacism underscores the absence of
Venu-atmospheric terra firma along with the floccinaucinihilipilification of
all Venu-atmospheric benefits was just overwhelming. Having calmed-down over
the months, I understood that surfacism is rather an unconscious instinct;
a favouration than an ideology that people guard with the full power of their
belief. I understood that a firm surface is rather symbolic as a
foundation for civilization – well, sort-of.
It is slightly fair, considering that there were never
Earth-civilizations which thrived over the heights of the cloud-tops, or under
the depths of the ocean: Every civilization ever-to-thrive and every person
ever-to-live; rose and fell on the Earth’s surface. It was same for the past,
is same for the present, and likely same for the future. Other than the air,
the Earth’s surface gives literally everything we need. Getting those 55km up
in the atmosphere – that’s simply too unnecessarily challenging. That is, any
floating civilization would have to incur an expense – a gargantuan expense –
to implement an artificial surface to act as the foundation,
which would be an unnecessary measure to take on natural terra firma.
However,
do note that the artificial surfaces of the cloud-cities would be as stable;
considering stability and functionality; it would technically be
indistinguishable from natural terra firma. With good engineering and
precautionary measures, any artificial surfaces would be no worse than the
Earth’s. But, the seemingly humongous expenditure – that’s a different
story. Presumably, this logic and stream-of-consciousness would have taken
place with the surfacism that deems the Martian surface as ‘better’ than the
Venusian cloud-cities. However, you and I are still likely to believe that the
Venusian cloud-tops are truly better, and for a solid reason: The contrast
between the Venusian cloud-tops and the Martian surface is quite very different
from that between the Earth’s cloud-tops and the Earth’s surface. I mean, we’ve
literally found 84 good reasons as to why the Venusian cloud-tops give a more
hospitable home than Mars, and we cannot merely underscore one down-side
over the collective effects of the 84 up-sides. Don’t believe me? Well, I’ve
plotted a list of the alleged 84 up-sides just to be sure:
1. Venusian
gravity is Earth-like and physiologically sound
2. Martian
gravity is critically-low and physiologically unsound.
3. The
alleged artificial gravity for Mars, at present, would be costly and
un-experimented.
4. The
cloud-city exterior has the ideal Earth-like pressure of 1 bar or something
near that.
5. The
exterior of the Martian bases have a freakishly low pressure of 0.0168 bars – a
vacuum to the first decimal place.
6. Pressurized
suits are unnecessary for outdoor activities and EVA of the cloud-cities.
7. Pressurized
suits are mandatory for outdoor activities and EVA of the Martian bases.
8. The
EVA suits of the Venusians would be quite flexible, comfortable and convenient
to use.
9. The
EVA suits of the Martians would be quite rigid, uncomfortable, clumsy and
inconvenient to use.
10. The
Venusian cloud-cities and habitats won’t explosively decompress when seriously
compromised.
11. The
Martian bases and habitats might violently decompress when seriously
compromised.
12. There
is ample time to repair a seriously compromised cloud-cities or Venusian
habitats.
13. There
is little-to-no time to repair a seriously compromised Martian base or habitat.
14. Dealing
with the Earth-like cloud-top pressures wouldn’t incur a large significant
expense.
15. Dealing
with the low Martian pressures bears a high price-tag.
16. The
cloud-top temperatures are Earth-like and hospitable.
17. The
Martian temperatures are un-survivably low.
18. Venus
offers a better sleep-cycle with a dampened chance of Sleep Deprivation.
19. The
Martians would require more-expensive heavy life-support and thermal protection
to deal the low temperatures with other factors.
20. The
Venusians would require lighter and cheaper life-support and thermal protection
for the ideal cloud-top temperatures and other factors.
21. Martian
temperatures vary seasonally and subject metallic structures to tear-and-wear.
22. The
cloud-top temperatures are always constant with no fear of metallic structures
being thermally subjected to tear-and-wear.
23. Dealing
with the cloud-top temperatures bears a low cost.
24. Dealing
with Martian temperatures and temperature fluctuations would be requiring more
maintenance expenditure.
25. Cosmic
radiation is a problem on Mars, with several undesirable consequences.
26. Cosmic
Radiation on Mars would lead to the Martians to live most of their lives metres
underground, which can be psychologically agonizing.
27. EVA
and outdoor activities on Mars would be timed and limited by radiation hazards.
28. Cosmic
Radiation is neither a threat nor a hazard nor a general concern to Venusian
life.
29. UV
is neither a hazard to Venus (nor Mars).
30. 218%
more availability of UV on Venus than Mars, would make UV-based industry on Venus
more profitable.
31. Venus
is a faster-moving target, and fast-moving targets are harder to be hit by a
solar storm.
32. Mars
is a slower-moving target, and slow-moving targets are more prone to being hit
by a solar storm.
33. A
geomagnetic storm on Mars wouldn’t be any less bad than that of Venus.
34. The
Martians are mostly on the mercy of Mars’ rotation, with a half of the planet
facing the sun.
35. The
Venusians can modify their destiny with all of Venusian civilization
staying-put in the night-side of Venus, until the geomagnetic storm passes.
36. Venus
has an Earth-equivalent atmosphere to protect cloud-civilization upon the
cloud-tops, from meteorites.
37. The
Martian atmosphere offers little-to-no protection from meteorites.
38. Micrometeorites
can cause tear-and-wear over extended periods of time.
39. The
Venusians can survive an asteroid impact in-advance by fleeing from the alleged
impact zone.
40. The
constantly fast-moving Venusian cloud-cities and cloud-archipelagos are a
harder target for unsuspecting asteroids.
41. The
Martians are at the mercy of Mars’ rotation, which has almost no effectiveness
in protecting Martian civilization from both unsuspecting and prior-noticed
impacts.
42. The
Hohmann transfer orbit to Mars is longer than that to Venus.
43. The
Hohmann transfer orbit to Venus is more economically-sound and efficient, than
the most efficient and economically-sound path to Mars.
44. The
launch windows of Venus open more frequently, meaning more missions
could be done in unit time.
45. The
Martian launch windows open less frequently, meaning that fewer missions
could be done in unit time.
46. Less
travel-time needed for Venus.
47. More
travel-time needed for Mars.
48. Martian
travellers are more prone to the risks of interplanetary travel.
49. Venusian
travellers are less prone to the risks of interplanetary travel.
50. Everything
we’ve seen so far told us that Venus is a better destination to start a colony.
51. Venus
receives 218% more solar energy than Mars.
52. The
Martians would have to survive underground in their bases for a long time,
until the Duststorm passes and the dust settled.
53. EVA
and outdoor activities are un-conductible and left behind schedule.
54. Solar
Energy is unable to reach the Martian surface, potentially leaving the Martians
without energy and relying on expensive back-ups.
55. Abrasive
properties of Martian dust could wear-off structures in prolonged exposure to
Duststorms.
56. Suddenly
formed Duststorms could mess with the EDL procedure, and cause fatalities.
57. The
triboelectric effect during a Duststorms could give rise to strong electric
fields that could cause damage.
58. The
damages of communication, transportation and related essential systems must be
repaired after the storm passes.
59. Irreversible
destruction by Duststorms could have deadly consequences to Martian colonies.
60. Atmospheric
super-rotation in Venus is essential in circumnavigation and day-night cycle.
61. Venusian
weather is predictable and perpetual, meaning that they could be dealt with
easily.
62. The
Venusian weather above cloud-tops is pretty calm, blue, and sunny and not
dangerous.
63. Airborne
Martian dust or soil contains toxic compounds like Perchlorates.
64. Airborne
Martian dust or soil might contain toxic heavy metals like Hexavalent Chromium.
65. Presence
of Hazardous atmospheric gases and Organic compounds on Mars.
66. Inhalation
or Ingestion of Martian particulate matter is carcinogenous, and could harm the
Martian’s health.
67. Acidity
of Martian soil could be harmful when introduced into habitats.
68. Abrasion
and Accumulation of Martian dust could disrupt systems.
69. A
simple acid-resistant coating is enough to deal with all Sulphuric acid issues.
70. Sulfuric
acid is quite industrially and sartorially useful for Venusian civilization –
it’s free!
71. Venusian
supply would only require a buoyant Titanium sphere.
72. Martian
supply would be more complex with large parachutes and ballooned landing.
73. Precautions
needed for safe Martian supply is expensive.
74. The
Physiological difficulties which the Martians are burdened with, but the
Venusians are free from, would create much more room for psychological effects
and overall unhappiness (or even envy).
75. Purification and Filtration of
Martian soil is costly.
76. Artificial lighting for Martian
agriculture using low Martian sunlight makes the system inefficient.
77. We have the ability to use safe and
ideal Earth soil in Venusian agriculture.
78. We have the ability to use natural
sunlight in Venusian agriculture.
79. The
Venusian atmosphere houses an incredible 3 bars of Nitrogen.
80. The
Martian atmosphere houses a meagre 0.0004536 bars of Nitrogen.
81. The
Venusians would never run-out of Nitrogen as a buffer gas or derived
fertilizer.
82. The
Martians might run-out of Nitrogen as a buffer gas or derived fertilizer.
83. The
Venusian atmosphere and surface has plenty of resources and allows for many
mass-producibles (82-groups already!).
84. 20
of those 84-groups are broad, consisting of many individual types of
resources and mass producibles. Another 9 are elements, which could be used in
the mass-production of many of its compounds. Thereby, there are a
theoretically infinite amount of mass-producibles.
Think
of all these benefits and advantages. Could merely one factor outweigh the
combined good of all the aforementioned 84 reasons? Considering that an
artificial surface would be as good as the Earth’s surface (and much better
than the Martian surface), and functionally and stability-wise
indistinguishable from natural terra firma; wouldn’t you agree that the absence
of true natural terra firma above the Venusian cloud-tops wouldn’t be a
problem? If not yet convinced; just think of all the benefits and advantages of
living above the Venusian cloud-tops that need to be sacrificed, merely for
Mars having a natural surface. Do note that this would also be done against the
will of 84 good acts of reasoning, which are unsupportive of Martian
colonization. That absurdity is simply intolerable! Presumably, the expenditure
for implementing an artificial surface seems to be similarly absurd, and this absurdity
seemingly takes the cynosure of this issue – it’s like the nexus of this entire
affair. It’s almost as if the absurdity of Venusian surfacism and the absurdity
of artificial-surface construction cancel each-other out! That’s good logic –
too bad that it has a flaw!
Let’s
not forget that by sacrificing the benefits and advantages of colonizing the
Venusian cloud-tops, the Martians would have to make-up with lots-of cold hard
cash. The freakishly low pressures and temperatures – the Martians would have
to deal with this by living under the influence of heavy life-support and
thermal-insulatory systems: systems which need to be implemented by spending
heavy sums of money. The fields of solar arrays needed to be constructed to
gather the 35% less solar energy received – think of the overall efficiency of
these systems and the hefty sums of money needed to install them. Think of how
expensive it would be to extract atmospheric material from the vacuum to the
first decimal place, for the maintenance of structures against dust
abrasion, to recover civilization from Duststorms, and for the filtration of
Martian soil from Perchlorates and most heavy metals for agriculture.
Succinctly, dealing with those lost benefits would require a price to pay –
costs that may far exceed those needed for the construction of artificial
surfaces. Radically
thinking, Venusian colonization could save humanity of billions, or even
possibly trillions of dollars of investment, which could be invested elsewhere
for more wore worthy causes. As for expenditure! :
Technically
speaking, over the course of centuries in a Marsless universe, the compound
effect of Venusian colonization could probably save-us from quadrillions and
perhaps quintillions of dollars of potential accumulated expense in our own.
Similarly, on a more human level, having an artificial surface over natural
surface wouldn’t be of any concern, if the natural surface belongs to a
planetified version of sorrow and torture. Simply, spending an
confined-underground lifetime with the physiological and psychological
incongruities of the cumbersome Martian circumstances – it isn’t simply worth
having natural surface, over a much-better lifetime spent on artificial
Venusian surfaces.
By
now, any thoughts concerning Venusian surfacism and Venu-atmospheric
colonization would have become ahōsi – it would have been stirred dissolved and
into nothingness. Presuming so, I believe that this chapter achieved its
purpose. But perhaps another consternating issue might have reincarnated in
surfacism’s place – How are the cloud-cities to be mid-atmospherically
constructed and what are the pioneering steps needed to be taken today for
it?
Achinthya Nanayakkara (31.03.2025)
Originally written - 2019
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