I'm taking the liberty here of simply ignoring your earlier reply, as this post clearly shows that you understand the points.

It's probably escaped your notice, but during our "discussions" over the last several years I never said that establishing a "lifeboat" on Mars was a BAD idea. It was simply a matter of priorities - the best course appeared to me to do as much as possible to protect people here on Earth from impact, and THEN to set up the "lifeboat".

During those "discussions" you often rightly observed that the technologies which were needed for manned Mars flight were the same as thoose which would be needed for defense against asteroid and cometary impact. But in your observations you never noticed that the technologies which would be required for the deflection of asteroids and comets were the same technologies which would be required for terra-forming Mars.

While the current emergency will affect Mars exploration in the short term, it is the growing awareness of Mars' radiation environment which will affect it in the longer one. There is a growing awareness of Mars' radiation environment, and there will be no terra-forming, and perhaps not even the smallest of "lifeboat"'s established during our lifetimes.

That first space age is over now, but a new space age may yet begin - if we are fortunate.

First, we must not destroy ourselves. Not only does this include directly killing ourselves with the use of weapons of mass destruction, but also indirectly killing ourselves by diverting so many assets away from dealing with the impact hazard that we do not deal with it in time.

Second, we must hope that no impact occurs between now and that time when we are able to establish a planetary defense against catastrophic impact.

In this, if one is religious then one can hope for the favor of the deity; others, I suppose, will simply have to trust to the fates.

EP