New direction for VSE? Phobos instead of lunar base?

Status
Not open for further replies.
G

gunsandrockets

Guest
Excerpt...<br /><br />------------------------------------------------------------------<br />Meanwhile, a new study sponsored by the respected International Academy of Astronautics (IAA) is proposing a new emphasis on the exploration of such small bodies and asteroids as even a potential alternative to a return to expensive manned lunar operations. The IAA sees this as a way to develop technologies for future manned Mars exploration without development of a lunar base, while also doing something exciting and truly new. The report has only just been released publicly. Two of the major goals of this IAA assessment are a human mission to a near-Earth asteroid and a human mission to one of the Martian moons, either Phobos or Deimos.<br />--------------------------------------------------------------------------<br /><br /><br />link
 
W

webtaz99

Guest
Mars first! Mars first! Bahhhhh. Bahhhhh. <br />Mars first! Mars first! Bahhhhh. Bahhhhh. <br />Mars first! Mars first! Bahhhhh. Bahhhhh. <br /><br />and so on.....<br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>
 
B

Boris_Badenov

Guest
Selene first!!! I believe there are billions of tons of platinum there. Imagine all the goodies we could build & launch from Selene once there is some infrastructure in place. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <font color="#993300"><span class="body"><font size="2" color="#3366ff"><div align="center">. </div><div align="center">Never roll in the mud with a pig. You'll both get dirty & the pig likes it.</div></font></span></font> </div>
 
S

scottb50

Guest
Are you sure that's not Latnum you believe is there? <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>
 
A

Aetius

Guest
I have to agree. I don't just believe that the colonization of Mars can be sustained without a functioning, profitable lunar economy.
 
R

radarredux

Guest
> <i><font color="yellow">The IAA sees this as a way to develop technologies for future manned Mars exploration without development of a lunar base, while also doing something exciting and truly new.</font>/i><br /><br />NASA has been pretty open about building a general exploration architecture, and this past year they released a NASA-directed study that explored using Constellation to explore NEOs. With a heavy launch vehicle, Orion, and basic habitat capabilities in hand, NASA will have lots of opportunities.<br /><br />The primary problem doesn't appear to be technical issues but budgetary issues and to a lesser extent political support issues. NASA can barely build the skeleton of a Lunar base with its expected budget through 2025. Hard decisions will need to be made at some point (e.g., whether to build out a Lunar base or redirect resources to Mars).</i>
 
Q

qso1

Guest
I'd like to see a mars mission come out of this too. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><strong>My borrowed quote for the time being:</strong></p><p><em>There are three kinds of people in life. Those who make it happen, those who watch it happen...and those who do not know what happened.</em></p> </div>
 
D

docm

Guest
Mars Society sez that manned Mars expenditures are out in the '08 budget;<br /><br />http://www.marssociety.org/portal/Members/schnarff/SaveMarsCampaign/<br /><br /><blockquote><font class="small">In reply to:</font><hr /><p>September 6, 2007 - The United States House of Representatives version of the FY08 budget contains language that would prevent NASA from using money on programs that are exclusively intended for sending humans to Mars. We cannot allow this language to appear on the final version of the budget, as it would prevent R&D necessary for enabling human Mars exploration. Thankfully, the Senate version does not contain this language. However, if our voice isn't heard, there is a greater chance that the language will end up in the final bill after the House and Senate reconcile their versions in committee. WE NEED TO TAKE ACTION. If this language ends up on the final version of the budget, it could prevent us from ever being ready to send humans to Mars<p><hr /></p></p></blockquote> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>
 
3

3488

Guest
It is anabsolute travesty if the funding cannot be freed up to develop plans<br />for the goal of human exploration of Mars.<br /><br />The knowledge of Mars, particularly from Mariner 9, Vikings, MGS, Pathfinder, MO 2001, <br />MERs, MRO etc is putting humanity in a good position to be able to advanced plans for human visits.<br /><br />There is still a tremendous amount that we still need to do with unmanned craft, <br />like the Mars Phoenix Lander (which is landing in a location that is probably not <br />suitable for early human missions, but will reveal much) & I would like to see a <br />Pathfinder type craft land in one of the calderas of the giant Tharsis volcanoes & <br />further MER / MSL / Pathfinder type missions elsewhere.<br /><br />The point is, we are getting to know Mars now very well generally, from mostly orbital data<br />& have extensive imagery & data on five locations, six soon hopefully from the successful landers.<br /><br />I would love to see humans walk on Mars in my lifetime, but the language in the report is not good.<br /><br />I still would not rule out India, China or Japan getting a human there first though.<br /><br />BTW, does anyone think that humans will land on either Phobos or Deimos first, before Mars itself?<br /><br />Does it make sense?<br /><br />Andrew Brown. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080">"I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before".</font> <em><strong><font color="#000000">Linda Morabito </font></strong><font color="#800000">on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.</font></em></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://www.launchphotography.com/</font><br /><br /><font size="1" color="#000080">http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearth</font></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://web.me.com/meridianijournal</font></p> </div>
 
T

thereiwas

Guest
In what respects is the MPL location not suitable for human habitation?
 
3

3488

Guest
Hi ThereIWas,<br /><br />Good question.<br /><br />It is my opinion only. I think for early human visits, that landing site is of such a high latitude<br />(about 69 degrees north), that seasonal variations are rather extreme.<br /><br />IIRC the Summer temperature of the landing site of Mars Phoenix Lander is still no<br />warmer than -65 C. <br /><br />During Winter, perhaps as low as -140 C & buried under approx 2 metres of CO2 snow.<br /><br />During Summer, the Sun does not set here, so perhaps humans visiting during <br />Summer may not be too bad. During Winter, the Sun @ noon stays below the southern horizon <br />(there will be bright twilight, but the sun itself does not rise).<br /><br />My guesses is that the early Human visiters stay between the <br />Tropic of Aquarius & Tropic of Leo, where IMO communications & stronger <br />solar energy are better for safety reasons. Once a human presence<br />has been there for a little while & we have more data on the high latitudes, then humans<br />venture towards the poles.<br /><br />In a way, this mimics human development on Earth, but on a vastly shorter time frame.<br /><br />Andrew Brown. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <p><font color="#000080">"I suddenly noticed an anomaly to the left of Io, just off the rim of that world. It was extremely large with respect to the overall size of Io and crescent shaped. It seemed unbelievable that something that big had not been visible before".</font> <em><strong><font color="#000000">Linda Morabito </font></strong><font color="#800000">on discovering that the Jupiter moon Io was volcanically active. Friday 9th March 1979.</font></em></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://www.launchphotography.com/</font><br /><br /><font size="1" color="#000080">http://anthmartian.googlepages.com/thisislandearth</font></p><p><font size="1" color="#000080">http://web.me.com/meridianijournal</font></p> </div>
 
Status
Not open for further replies.

Latest posts