[falcor84]

I'm not following. Are you saying that a colony by definition has to be self-sustaining? Why? At this stage of globalization, what part of Earth is self-sustaining? How certain are you that if the US was suddenly blocked from importing any goods that it would not descend into chaos?

[paxys]

I'm not saying it has to be by definition, but the costs and complications in regularly transporting oxygen, water, food and everything else in cargo ships from Earth simply makes such a colony unrealistic even for a very small number of permanent settlers.