re: How long until we have a self sustaining population on another planet?

never

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DavidtheGnome probably could give a detailed answer. In my opinion, it probably will never happen. Just getting a person to Mars is a colossal challenge and it’d never be self sustaining.

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I'm pretty sure Europe in the 1500's said the same thing about the new world. But humanity found a way....Humanity always finds a way

We actually have much of the technology to live a very difficult life on Mars. It would be disgustingly expensive but it is possible

1. Build a combination Biodome and underground network
2. Nuclear Power combined with Solar and Wind
3. Artificial light
4. Use cloning technology to "grow" the first livestock
5. The challenge is water. We would have to find a source of water large enough to sustain life. Water would need to feed crops and people as well as be used to generate O2 through electrolysis (submarines have been doing this for 60 years)

ETA: The atmosphere is made up of 98% CO2....could we possibly find a way to simulate photosynthesis on a large scale and convert CO2 to O2?

There are no planets in our solar system capable of sustaining life, so we would either have to have teraforming technology or the ability to travel to other star systems.

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self sustaining

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Never

50 or less years. Especially if we bring fertilized embryos to increase genetic diversity and remove that problem.

Ability to gather water, ability to grow crops, and ability to generate electricity/repair equipment.. those are the three things we would primarily need in a subsurface dwelling.

It shouldn't be a problem to get resource harvesting equipment there. Bring a hundred years worth of spare parts on the front end

3D printing can take care of most problems

We have a ton of people that can’t sustain themselves here

We need to utilize this one. It is the only one where life exists.

Mars has weaker sunlight which means knew cultivars of plants need to be developed to increase productivity for Martian conditions. This also limits the effectiveness of solar technology. There is no magnetosphere on Mars which really limits what could be done on the surface beyond living in a bubble.

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I don’t think we can draw that conclusion as of yet. First, only a few hundred people have spent any significant amount of time in space. Currently Earth has over 7 billion people. There is no way that those astronauts are fully representative of the level of genetic diversity within the human population.

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There can't be any genetic diversity regarding the effects of gravity on the body. All 7.6 billion humans currently living have been exposed to earth's gravity for their entire lives. Evolution has had no opportunities, or reasons, to cause adaptations to other gravitational strengths.

The structure of the human body has been crafted by evolution to withstand only our gravity. Change that gravity, or even eliminate it, and bodily processes go haywire. Muscles quickly atrophy in lower gravity. Blood pools in lower body parts in higher gravity. Gases accumulate in the blood in no gravity.

At best, humans may be able to visit local bodies such as the moon and Mars for short periods. Full time residency is not possible.

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Yes, living in space is taxing on the body. However, there may be genetic advantages that certain populations exhibit that we have yet to realize.

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Living in lower or higher gravity is much different than adapting to colder or warmer climates, to wetter or drier environments, or to higher altitudes. Humans have intelligence that enables us to modify our immediate environments to our needs. We can put on or take off clothes as needed to be comfortable regarding climate; dehumidify or humidify our dwellings; or use oxygen supplements at higher altitudes. There is nothing we can do to offset the effects of different gravitation levels, genetically or intellectually. Longterm exposure would be debilitating and eventually fatal.

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Not to mention, what traits would be selected for once people start reproducing in space.

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Evolution is a gradual and longterm change to a species' environment. A species must be able to live in a changed environment long enough for its offspring, of many generations, to optimally adapt to it. Humans can't withstand changed gravity that long.

Never