Talk:Crucial issues

A few days ago I sent two E-Mails to the Mars Society, asking for help to find information about the Crucial Issues. The first message went to Jean Lagarde (U.S. Mars Society) and the second to Juergen Herholz (German Mars Society). Both messages have the same contents.

http://www.marssociety.org/portal/author/jlagarde
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Name:    Rfc
Email:   
Subject: Energy and Money

Dear Jean,

as a writer on www.Marspedia.org I am trying to evaluate
the viability of an autonomous colony on Mars. I have 
identified two crucial issues: 1. How to produce enough 
energy from local resources (probably by photovoltaics) 
and 2. How to raise enough money to afford it all. During 
my attempts to clarify those two issues I tried to find 
information about the wear lifespan of photovoltaics under 
Martian conditions, and I tried to find information about 
how many people find the colonization of the Read Planet 
an interesting idea. Both seems to be hard to obtain.

I am sure the Mars Society is investigating on the same 
subject. I would be glad if you could help me find such 
information.

Sincerely yours
Rfc

Date: Fri, 27 Feb 2009 22:32:25 +0100
From: 
To: Juergen.Herholz@marssociety.de
Subject: Marspedia

Sehr geehrter Herr Herholz

als aktiver Autor auf www.marspedia.org versuche ich, die Machbarkeit
einer autonomen Kolonie auf dem Mars darzustellen. Ich habe zwei
kritische Punkte identifiziert: 1. Wie kann man genügend Energie
nachhaltig produzieren (wahrscheinlich mit Photovoltaik) und
2. Wie lässt sich genug Geld für dieses Mammutprojekt auftreiben.
Beim Versuch, diese beiden Punkte zu klären, habe ich festgestellt,
dass es sehr schwer ist, Informationen über die Lebensdauer von
Photovoltaik unter Marsbedingungen aufzutreiben. Genauso schwer
ist es herauszufinden, wie viele Menschen sich eigentlich für die
Kolonisation des Roten Planeten interessieren.

Sicherlich sind das Fragen, die in der Mars Society bereits gründlich
untersucht wurden. Ich würde mich freuen, wenn Sie mir helfen könnten,
diese Informationen zu finden.

Mit freundlichen Grüßen
Rfc

I have not yet received an answer. -- Rfc 20:25, 1 March 2009 (UTC)

I need help. Is there anybody with connections to the Mars Society? Or to other corporations/experts with the required knowledge? Does anybody know, how to make contact? Does anybody know whether or not the Mars Society is willing to share their knowledge? -- Rfc 19:19, 5 March 2009 (UTC)

Answer from Juergen Herholz:

Translation:

dear rfc,
on this I can only tell you my opinion as a space engineer:

# Photovoltaics on Mars is unlikely to my mind. Due to
its large dimensions it would have to be made in-situ
on Mars. Unlikely.

# whether or not, and how many people are interested in a
life on Mars, can not be determined before. This just depends
upon many, today to some extent not predictable, factors.

Greetings