Recent content by HobartStinsonian

There are huge problems to overcome before landing any long-term presence on Mars, or on the moon. Basic engineering: how much weight can the soil support? No idea? You can’t rely on any ship remaining level, not sinking down, until you get this figured out to high reliability. Second issue...

The plan for living on the moon is to what? Mine lunar regolith for the trace amount of water? Then discard the dry waste dirt. Strip mine the moon? When they’ve completely used up all the wet regolith, then move away and strip mine other land on the moon? How long will that last? Is that...

Or it’s the old saying, “Go west, young aliens”.

ALL rocket engines and many gas turbine engines form shock diamonds in the exhaust. It’s a normal part of underexpanded supersonic free jet flows. Nothing against the immense power of Starship booster. It’s awe inspiring.

Utopian goals are very nice. They are important to the uplifting of humankind. But let's get some engineering practicality into the discussion. First, any existence on Mars will depend on high technology to maintain life. Sustaining air, water, food, and mobility about the planet Mars can't...

Think about the engineering challenges of building on Mars. The first consideration for any structure is what? Making a foundation that can support the weight of the structure. Even in Mars’ low gravity this will be paramount. Bad foundation? Your structure sinks into the soil. Think: parking a...

Do you expect to land humans on Mars in a whisker less than 2½ years? I am a huge supporter of SpaceX, but let's consider the challenges. Navigation from Earth to Mars, life support for what, 2 years, landing site on Mars, crew exposure to sudden g-loads after long duration zero-g travel to...

I hope Starship is successful. Assuming it will be uncrewed? How well will it survive reentry with that spotty heat shield?

That'll be one small step for 'it/them/whom', one giant leap for 'Itkind ' Shameful, NASA.

I'm pretty good with math, and the article states, "nearly $3.5 billion contract to SpaceX to provide three additional Crew Dragon launches". That's about $1 billion per launch by SpaceX. Aren't SpaceX launches supposed to cost mere tens of millions per launch? What is NASA buying?

I liked Thomas Gold's book, "The Deep Hot Biosphere " as a plausible theory for life's origins on Earth. Life started deep under Earth's surface. Microbes migrated upwards to the ocean floors and the surface.

Wait until commercial ventures and competing nations lay claim to overlapping areas of the moon or other off world real estate. Remember the European conquest of the New World and all the battles over territory? Think humans will learn from that, or repeat the past again?

Crazy idea, let's strip mine the surface of the moon. We will have to continuously move as we deplete a whole entire area of its oxygen, never to return? Great thinking people.

Just one small correction: the speed of sound in the Martian atmosphere differs from Earth, of course. On Mars it is much lower than on Earth. But the difference is not because of the low density or low pressure atmosphere on Mars. Instead it is due to the composition of the Martian...