ALL SCI-FI

Bud Brewster

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An underground community in Australia which houses over 1,700 residents in a comfortable subterranean "town" — complete with residences, stores, and churches — is the perfect model for a Mars colony. Cool

The town of Coober Pedy was originallt founded by miners who made their fortunes excavating the valuable opals from this region.

The remote underground community is sometimes referred to as the "opal capital of the world" because of the quantity of precious opals that are mined there. The residents actually excavate the opals . . . and then turn the mine shafts into new homes for the citizens! Very Happy

The community gets its energy from huge complexes of solar panel and wind turbines. However, the underground dwellings remain a constant comfortable temperature year round — so none of the energy is used for heating or air conditioning, despite the fact the harsh Australian land above reaches temperatures of 120° in the summer and well below freezing in the winter! Very Happy

I was amazed when I learned about this near-utopian subterranean habitat in a region of the world that so closely resembled the environment of Mars! Shocked

As I've state before on All Sci-Fi, I'm not a supporter of Martian colonies, because they require too much effort to create stable habitats so far from Earth!

I just don't see the point in fighting a harsh environment just to create a habitat which forces it's citizens to endure such unpleasant conditions! Sad

But Coober Pedy in Australia proves that a subterranean colony can combine a mining operation with a construction project which creates a human habitat while providing a profit which supports the colony.

Solar power and wind power would both be viable power sources on Mars. So, Coober Pedy has proven that an underground colony / mining operation can be successful on the Red Planet!

_ Life against the odds in Australia's underground town

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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)