Topic: Mars One: Bitcoins in space? (Read 2137 times)

Hey people should do what they want to. I'm definitely not one to restrict people's freedom, but I can go home after visiting Everest (and you have to be weak, very unlucky or an idiot to die on Everest these days), while they will be stuck on a boring dead planet, in confined space with nothing to do. Most applicants seem to think there will be adventure, instead it will be the dullest life ever.

More people die going up the side of a (mostly) dead mountain then from the entire space program.  If we sent eight willing people to explore mars there would be great benefit compared to climbing Everest even if all of them die younger on Mars then they would here. 

For the record, I noticed the Mars One project is accepting Bitcoin donations! (see: http://mars-one.com/en/donate )

I was on their site (http://applicants.mars-one.com/) so watch the videos of people wanting to go because I cannot comprehend why someone would want to throw their life away to visit a dead planet. Sounds like the lamest vacation ever.

After viewing some of the videos I felt quite sorry for a few. These people don't seem to understand what they are signing up for, especially the young ones. As an example check this video http://applicants.mars-one.com/profile/23514b17-9974-45dc-8f58-56b3abac3caf if they pick her I feel sorry for her, she hasn't got a clue

On the other hand, if this is for real, I'm definitely watching the show. I'm curious whether they will even make it to Mars with all participants alive.

Interesting idea.

The Mars is to far for bitcoin mining.
A new protocol is needed for slower confirmation time if we want a common blockchain with the Mars colony.
 

That's the best I could find: http://everything2.com/title/Quantum+entanglement+and+faster+than+light+communication

we should start with the ISS first. then mars.

We could make Solcoin, merged-mined, with a target time between blocks of maybe a day to a week or so.

I suppose it might make sense at that point to make it the primary chain and adapt bitcoin to be a secondary chain.

-MarkM-

So far this being near earth thing works for most people.  Gravity helps with this. 

Bitcoin could be used like a fiat currency on other planets with a trusted issuer creating bitcoin-backed credit. If you want to have the advantages of the real-time decentralized bitcoin network used on Earth though, you have to be on or near Earth.

that would make any (future) Fiat currency model a better deal in space/space station, etc... rather than the bitcoin protocol then.

Real time bitcoin would be out.  But making a payment would still be possible and confirming receipt of a payment would be possible too.  Double spends would be an issue, so you would really have to wait longer or have some form of trust between parties. 

You could not run Satoshi Dice or any type of real time exchange from Mars on the Bitcoin blockchain.

So then bitcoin has no future in space exploration and will forever be locked on planet Earth.

A planet and its orbit are about the limit of how widely spread the use of a single bitcoin network can be, given it has a block time of 10 minutes, and all planets are at least 10 light minutes apart at some point in their orbit.

So lunar colonist could use bitcoin, but not martians.

But what would be the point of "splitting" the concept of bitcoin? As an organism mankind is moving forward. Although this is science fiction now, there will be a point in the future where we will look back at 2013 like the societies in Europe were before the discovery of the American continent.
The concept of a Marscoin is cool. But let's say something very rare and amazing exists on Mars. Then going there won't be a matter of being suicidal as you may never come back. Because of that new found rare Mars dirt, you may NEVER EVER want to go back on Earth. Then what would happen? The Marscoin would have a bigger value than the Earthcoin. Instead of Forex between countries people will bet against whole planets. transfers of technologies, minds, wealth will travel to Mars, leaving behind on Earth only those who can only afford to live with that very old Earthcoin, Marscoin being too valuable and too expensive. Maybe some could see their demise as being because of all those fat cats on Mars creating chaos on Earth They were the first ones mining the planet, risking their lives at first, and a lot did die, but now they are ruining the lives of those on planet earth. The one left behind.
Actually, if it was not for Earth, no one would have been able to even travel on Mars anyway. Some would demand a fair share of Mars fortune thanks to their ancestor's investments at risk. This could only escalate to its logical next step. War.

If the same protocol is used everywhere, no split will ever happen no matter where we ended up and those types of division will not repeat in the future like it did many times in our History's past.

Weird, i was under the impression that wasnt the case. got a link or something? (ill try to look it up later either way)

As already mentioned, currency won't be a sensible concept for the first wave of settlers, they'll just be trying to build an infrastructure. I'm not sure how much money gets used at Amundsen-Scott station, for instance.

Once there is a permanent human presence on Mars, and at least some of the inhabitants are producing extra food, fancy clothes, and works of art, they'll need a currency. It would be insane for that currency to depend somehow on how things are back on Earth, since there'd be almost no traffic of goods or people between the two. If the Martians did try to implement a Marscoin operating on the same principles as BitEarthcoin, they'd need their own internet, miners, genesis block, and subsequent blockchain. It would be fascinating to see how a variant of Bitcoin would develop in a 'virgin' environment, where it doesn't have to compete with existing currencies and all the dodgy things that go on with them.

Currency won't be a problem for a long time.  Everything would be strictly controlled just to survive.  You are in a world where there is no breathable air outside, no food, no water and colder then most places on earth.  If any number of things don't happen exactly right everyone dies. 

Maybe not but it does make two photons to act in sync no mater the distance in space it seems, unless some new tests happen that forbid this I was not aware of. I would like to apologize as I am not a scientist, but the thing that makes this possible may be on a under layer of "our" reality, below the whelm of what we understand as reality were light travels.

In any case no matter the solution, for bitcoin to be amazing for ever (150, 250 years of existence and beyond) the protocol should be linked to the genesis block, no matter where in space and time and represent mankind's official currency when starting trading with other species if ever... :-)

Unfortunately, quantum entanglement doesn't allow faster than light communication.