People on Mars Possible in 20 to 30 Years

[JonClarke]

Mailing them might be in order.......<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>

 

[jcdenton]

<font color="yellow">(Gotta shout to get the Mods' attention).</font><br /><br />Try the Suggestions board...<br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[lunatic133]

You're very adamant about keeping politics out of M&L aren't you? Can't blame you though. Theres enough of it in Freespace <img src="/images/icons/smile.gif" />

 

[yurkin]

Sorry but with 45 days left we're seeing political agenda everywhere.

 

[JonClarke]

Some of us have elections in 20 days..... <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>

 

[alokmohan]

Robert Zubrins new frontier is the only thing we can do.Rest are repeaitation of some pictures ,monotonous too.

 

[crowing]

I certainly don't hate bush,I don't agree with everything he says but that goes across the board!<br />I don't want to talk politics,but as far as space travel and exploration goes of course we have to get out there.<br />How could anyone imagine doing everything by remote control from here,and one day in centuries to come we can leave our solar system and continue mankinds great adventure!

 

[crowing]

I just hope it stays on track no matter who wins!<br />NASAs budget is really so insignificant compared to the whole american budget,and robots and man(and woman) will all be travelling out there one day!

 

[serak_the_preparer]

<i>Many technologies may have (probably would have) developed on their own, but certainly war accelerated or at least motivated much of the work. For example, rockets were developed for many years without being driven by war, but WWII certainly took it to a new level.<br /><br />Look at the difference between planes at the beginning of hostilities in 1939 and 1945. Radar. Electronic computers were originally driven by war, and the original packet switched network was a sponsored by the DOD to survive nuclear war. GPS. Plastic surgery was accelerated by attempts to reconstruct war wounds. And so much more.<br /><br />Sadly, so much of what we associate with CIVILization owes a lot to conflict.</i><br /><br />It is sad, but I must also agree. Von Braun worked for Hitler because the Nazis were eager to fund any technology which might accelerate their quest for world domination. And then von Braun worked for the US, which was locked in a struggle with the USSR for world domination. Which struggle ultimately brought Neil and Buzz to the Sea of Tranquility, a shining moment in the long history of our species.<br /><br />China finally puts a man in orbit and makes tentative - but consistent - noises about going to the Moon. Not long after China orbits her first space-traveler, the George Bush II administration announces it intends to renew manned space exploration by returning men to the Moon and perhaps even forging beyond toward Mars. Also among things not coincidental about the joining at the hip of military and space interests are Rumsfeld's ambitions to extend Reagan's 'Star Wars' program much further by expanding the militarization of space.<br /><br />Bush has since dropped the talk about Mars, and lowered his sights to the Moon. Kerry speaks of CATS and replacing the Shuttle with something better. Neoconservative admirers (worshippers?) of Bush try to use space as a wedge issue as they throw stones at Kerry. All of which has been discussed at </safety_wrapper

 

[radarredux]

> <i><font color="yellow">I just hope it stays on track no matter who wins!</font>/i><br /><br />So far I think things look good, primarily because I have been impressed with the adult leadership provided by Steidle and O'Keefe. I don't agree with everything they have said or haven't said, but on balance I am happy.<br /><br /> /> <i><font color="yellow">NASAs budget is really so insignificant compared to the whole american budget</font>/i><br /><br />I think this is part of the reason it will succeed. I don't expect any major cuts at NASA. While we focus on NASA getting <i>new</i> money (and new money would definitely be great), much/most of the overall budget for the mission comes from focusing existing funds.<br /><br />This is where I think O'Keefe and Steidle will earn their pay: taking an existing distributed organization often described as a bunch of independent feifdoms and sometimes a dysfunctional family and getting them act as a single unified organization working towards a common and clearly defined goal.</i></i>

 

[halman]

imran10,<br /><br />Considering that the person who made this statemont has absolutely NOTHING to do with manned spaceflight, being instead the lead man on the rover missions, I would take what he says with a large grain of salt. And he qualified his statement with the condition that sending humans to Mars became a 'primary priority.' Certainly, if we threw hundreds of billions of dollars at the problem, we could have a Martian surface manned expedition within that time frame. It would be about the equivialant of the Apollo program, only it would last twice as long, or longer.<br /><br />We may not even have humans on the MOON in 30 years, the way we are going about it. Without big Heavy-Lift Launch Vehicles, it is going to be very difficult to send people anywhere beyond Low Earth Orbit. Not impossible, mind you, just very difficult. Like, say, 20 launches of Delta Heavies to put all the required mass for a Lunar expedition in LEO.<br /><br />The Saturn 5 was just barely big enough to send twe men to the Moon and get them back. And they were traveling in the most minimal spacecraft we can imagine. How big of a rocket will we need to send 5 people to the surface of the Moon, and be able to return them? And provide them with the equipment to actually DO something while they are there? Or, are we going to have to develop a totally new kind of spacecraft, one which never operates in atmosphere? And a mission to Mars? Well, if you need a minivan to get to the Moon, you are going to need a semi (articulated lorrie) to go to Mars. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> The secret to peace of mind is a short attention span. </div>

 

[crowing]

Well I certainly like the positive way you went about explaining that,and I hope like you do that it does go that way!<br />Finishing the space station,and lets hope everything goes okay there,and then redirecting funds to at least the moon first is at least a step again in the right direction!<br /><br />A very small,mynute,infintecimal increase in NASAs budget would be nice..............................say about 1000%........................okay then,only a 100!!!!<br /><br />Seriously though I just hope they can get the shuttles going,it's a huge problem if they can't!

 

[serak_the_preparer]

<i>We may not even have humans on the MOON in 30 years, the way we are going about it. Without big Heavy-Lift Launch Vehicles, it is going to be very difficult to send people anywhere beyond Low Earth Orbit. Not impossible, mind you, just very difficult. Like, say, 20 launches of Delta Heavies to put all the required mass for a Lunar expedition in LEO.<br /><br />The Saturn 5 was just barely big enough to send twe men to the Moon and get them back. And they were traveling in the most minimal spacecraft we can imagine. How big of a rocket will we need to send 5 people to the surface of the Moon, and be able to return them? And provide them with the equipment to actually DO something while they are there?</i><br /><br />As usual, you've phrased the problem realistically and intelligently.

 

[lunatic133]

LMAO!<br />And in the name of the holy spirit of mars, amen <img src="/images/icons/tongue.gif" /><br /><br />Greendude --<br />I completely agree in that those who supported Gore would be a lot more friendly to the electoral college if Gore had won the presidency but lost the popular vote. As it's the other way around, it's the republicans who love the electoral college and not the democrats. If only we as humans had the ability to look at things objectively and not judge based on the party line...

 

[liquidspace2k]

see the thing is, just as an example...... if everyone in the United States voted for Gore, Bush could have still won, even tho no one voted for him.. its not the people that vote for the President its the Electoral College that votes for the President... Some states have it that the Majority of the Popular Vote in that state gets all the Electoral College Votes from that state(ex. if Majority of the Popular Vote was for Gore, then that State Electoral College would vote for Gore)..... but not every state has it that way, they tend to vote the same way as the popular vote of the state is but not always.. in some states even if everyone in that state voted for Gore the Electoral College could still vote for Bush... <br /><br />Its not that the Electoral College helped Bush.. i'm not sure what is the case is for Florida... i'm not sure if there state law says or not, that the electoral college has to vote the same way as the popular vote... i guess it is cause it would make sense for everyone to count down every last vote there

 

[halman]

lunatic133,<br /><br />Has American politics become such a science fiction story that we have to go to Mars to discuss it?<br /><br />Too bad that one of the debates couldn't be held on Mars, we might see things in a different light.<br /><br />I am to the point where I would like to go to Mars to get away from the endless muckraking, finger-pointing, and posturing.<br /><br />How many people remember that John Kerry was a little rich kid, just like George W. Bush? One of them seems like a Martian to me, but I can't decide which one.<br /><br />If only the X-prize could get the publicity that the personalities in the forthcoming election are getting. If only the issues we face could get the publicity that the personalities are getting.<br /><br />Of course, the last thing that either party wants is for people to THINK! <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> The secret to peace of mind is a short attention span. </div>