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Comment by justin66 | Hacker News Reader

Nobody actually knows what an extended period living in 38% of Earth-normal gravity will do to a person. It seems probable that there will be bone density problems that might not be correctable with any existing drug or exercise regimen, but there's no evidence it will be as systematically debilitating as living for an extended period in microgravity.

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Are the bone density problems actually a problem if you never plan to return to Earth?

Well, your constant mass means that you will still have the same inertia when playing sports. I would expect pairs of fractured skulls, pairs of broken shins in soccer players, etc.

Wow, soccer would be epic in low G!

Maybe ... you can't run much faster, so i'd imagine it would be like ultimate aerobee[0] - i.e., minutes-long chases of errant balls with no other player within hundreds of yards.

[0] is this a thing?

I've always dreamed of finding a field big enough and 10 people willing to play ultimate aerobee. If we can find 8 other people like us, want to rent a polo field?

That would be lame. Maybe, try massive multiplayer soccer, with an average of 1 player per square decameter? Now the captain's most important quality is management skills, and they might need a handful of squad leaders. I guess this isn't soccer anymore, but whatevs.

We don't know. If the bones are "adapting" to a lower gravity, and stop getting weaker at some point, then it may be OK. If the bones are losing strength all the time, then it may not be.

And, of course, bones are not monolithic atomic objects but complex living things. Different parts of them may be described by either of those two cases, or others.

Also I haven't seen any data on what happens if you break a bone in low or zero gravity. Would it even heal?

If you don't plan to return to Earth, the whole thing could conceivably be a win. Less bone density but considerably less wear on the joints. It's anyone's guess at this point, but it'll be interesting to find out...

One of the interesting arguments for colonization of Mars is that it could be a good place for old people with serious joint problems. There are likely quite a few people who would be in wheelchairs on Earth but could walk around just fine on Mars.

It sounds terrible to suggest sending your elderly relatives to an old folks home on Mars, though.

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