Go to Mars

[zobar]

am one of those guys that does not like to wait around for NASA to decide to start a maned mission to Mars, so I am inventing ideas for interplanatery travle. (and i'm only in 9th grade!) I am currently trying to design spacecraft for travle to Mars. If any one has ideas, please tell me. I cant come up with them all!<br /><br />Zobar

 

[jcdenton]

Perhaps you should consider joining the Mars Society, or at least looking at some of their proposals. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[JonClarke]

Hi zobar<br /><br />Congratulations on your enthusiasm! Your generation is the one that may walk on Mars, and you can help make it happen. Certainly you should join one of the space related groups, such as the Mars Society, Planetary Society, or National Space Society. If it is Mars in particular you are interested in then the Mars Society might be best. All these groups have discounts for students and a range of activities that are well worth being involved in.<br /><br />Best wishes<br /><br />Jon <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><em>Whether we become a multi-planet species with unlimited horizons, or are forever confined to Earth will be decided in the twenty-first century amid the vast plains, rugged canyons and lofty mountains of Mars</em>  Arthur Clarke</p> </div>

 

[wvbraun]

If your main interest is manned Mars missions read "The Case for Mars" by Robert Zubrin. You won't regret it.

 

[arobie]

Hi Zobar.<br /><br />Will you show us some of your ideas?

 

[zobar]

sure. just give me a week or so. only have rough copy done and coputer is acting up. but other than that, no prob.

 

[thermionic]

Way to go Zobar! If you need any integrated circuits designed for your space-ship, let me know. I'd be delighted to help. As you are developing your ideas, you might want to get involved in whatever aero/space activities are in easy reach. Hang out at the airport, get an R/C glider or plane, model rocketry. Do some sailplane or hanggliding. Keep us up to date on your progess... /jd

 

[zobar]

Thanks! Right now all i got is ship/lander/orbiter desigened. still need help on propultion and life support system. I'm not that far along yet!<br /><br />zobar

 

[lowendfreq]

you can do it Zobar!!!<br /><br />Let me know if you need help with navigation software.<br /><br />I can also help with interior design - grey bulkheads are so yesterday!!!

 

[spacester]

Hey zobar, good for you!<br /><br />Let me know if I can help with any of the math. I love space math. <br /><br />Have you seen my reference thread on Hohmann transfers to Mars? One of my main points is that humans should get there faster than Hohmann, and that it doesn't take that much more detaV to do so.<br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[zobar]

Thanks for all the support! great enthuseasim! now that those prblems appear out of the way, does anyone know of a space contracter that will work for free?

 

[zobar]

yes. and little problems lead to bigger ones.

 

[bobvanx]

I'd never really thought about how our fiscal quarters impede our progress.<br /><br />Hmm.<br /><br />Zobar, do you have any friends that are looking to be business majors? If they can discover how to lengthen the time that investors expect a return on their money, we might be able to get them to wait the time it takes to run a mission.

 

[zobar]

i don't. maby we could get a sponser? Bill gates, Doneled trump, as long as they have a LOT of money. <br />also, if you have any ideas that are to long for the post, just privet message me.

 

[kdavis007]

I have read that book. Good Book.

 

[halman]

bobvanx,<br /><br />Perhaps the time is right to seek donors to the 'Foundation Of Space', a non-profit foundation which could be created to administer funds for private space exploration. Foundations are not concerned with profits, they are focused on making their money grow before spending it on selected projects. Contributions from foreign nationals is not a problem, and regulations prohibiting government soliciting would not apply. By avoiding citing specific planetary goals, people who are more interested in zero-gravity manufacturing will not be alienated. Diverse investments in mutual funds, bonds, Treasury bills, and Certificates of Deposit would help to protect the funds from market fluctuations. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> The secret to peace of mind is a short attention span. </div>

 

[zobar]

well all right! only thing i dont understand is do we ask them to donate to us, or ask them to pay for it direct?

 

[halman]

zobar,<br /><br />Ideally, a foundation is established with a donation, called an 'endowment'. However, there are many ways to start a foundation, the easiest being to get some people to donate money, open a bank account in the name of the foundation, and register with whatever state you are in as a non-profit organisation. After that, ask for, or 'solicit' donations from anyone interested in the goals of the foundation. By adding the money together, you can use it to make more money. Eventually, you will be able to use some of the money without affecting your ability to make more money.<br /><br />When the money starts getting substantial, say a million dollars or more, it is time to hire a person to manage the money to make more money. It is also a good idea to establish a contract, called a 'retainer', with an lawyer. At this point, you can start looking for companies that you think have good ideas to give some of the foundations money to, to help that company develop new technology.<br /><br />This is all very simplified, and if really large amounts of money get involved, it takes a lot of people to deal with all the details. But this is a way that people who want to help space flight advance faster could work together. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> The secret to peace of mind is a short attention span. </div>

 

[thermionic]

Zobar,<br /> So far several people have offered to provide time and expertise for your project. In order to convince someone to provide financial support, you will need a compelling presentation. In the commercial world, this is called a business plan. In academics, it is a grant proposal. There are a lot of issues which distinguish a successful plan or proposal from the many that get rejected. Some of the foundations are: 1)The fundamental ideas and goals must be correct and worth-while; 2)The details of implementation and execution must be thoroughly and accurately attended to; 3)The quality of the presentation must be impeccable. There are people and organizations which might provide financial support, but you will need to convince them. It takes more than enthusiasm. Good luck! /jd<br /><br />

 

[propforce]

Hi Zobar, that's a wonderful news !!!<br /><br />First thing I can advise you is to learn, learn and leran !! There's so much to learn about how to get out of earth's orbit, what is the best way to get to Mars, and how does the space environment affect humans. The more you learn, the better your design will be.<br /><br />Here's a good place to start: http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/basics/<br /><br />Second thing is to start building something. Start with Este rocket, then build a better rockets. Lauch it and watch it go !!! <br /><br />Good luck and if you have any propulsion questions feel free to ask me <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[lunatic133]

Hey I did that basics of spaceflight minicourse when I did my senior seminar project! Good memories <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" />

 

[propforce]

Senior project? Does this mean you're in college already? <<< kids grow up fast >>> <img src="/images/icons/laugh.gif" /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[arobie]

Ok, thank you zobar. I can't wait to see your idea's. <br /><br />I want to vouch for spacester. He is a great teacher of space math, and his Hohmann transfer thread is awesome. There is alot of information in it and alot of explaining of space math. Spacester is great at explaining things and also very patient with questions. I have learned alot from him.<br /><br />I also want to reinforce what propforce said. http://www2.jpl.nasa.gov/basics/ is a great place to learn about space. It explains it very well. I have read the entire thing. <br /><br />Prop also talked about model rocketry. Model rocketry is great. I love it. I am putting together a model rocket right now. After this post I have to attach a fin, the other should be dry by now. Model rocketry helps you to understand rocketry. It takes it off of the text and out of the numbers and makes it real.<br /><br />One way to learn alot about spacecraft and space science is to fly spacecraft. There is this awesome space flight simulator called Orbiter. I have learned alot just from playing it. It is alot of fun, and very realistic too.<br /><br />Well good luck. Can't wait to see your idea's!

 

[zobar]

just found an excelent idea for propultion! its at http://www.universetoday.com/am/publish/mag_beam_propulsion_system.html?14102004<br /><br />also, i have another thread there. topic: space exploration, thread: go to mars.<br /><br />zobar