President and space exploration

[alokmohan]

It will be nice if China and USA compete.

 

[R1]

good thought, or even better if China and U.S. co-operate.<br /><br />The good news is that I think I remember reading somewhere that China does want <br />to get involved with the ISS or something like that.<br /><br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[radarredux]

> <i><font color="yellow">good thought, or even better if China and U.S. co-operate.</font>/i><br /><br />A good athlete performs best when competing against a strong challenger.<br /><br />I prefer "coopetition" (cooperative competition), where US, China, and whoever compete, but they design their architectures and goals so that they can support each other when needed or when both sees it in their best interest. A good example is standard interfaces (e.g., docking ports, communications, etc.) so that one group could support the other in case of an emergency.</i>

 

[R1]

I know what you're saying, but there's not much taxpayer money going to Mars, I'm thinking<br />in terms of our military. For example, some $700 billion will go to our military next next year, vs.<br />less than $20 billion to Nasa. Evidently we want to have a good army and a good navy and a good air force<br />and good marines.<br /><br /> We really should work together a lot more, we will not be able to have good transport<br />to and from Mars, plus a good hospital over there, plus a good mining division, geology space center, etc.<br />everything will be small scale, and we might be lucky with a just a nurse station, gelology compartment (cubicle),<br />or<br />if we do, it may take us 10 or 100 times longer to get to that point. If we worked together, where<br />the challenge becomes space exploration and development itself, ESA could perhaps build and send a Mars hospital base,<br />as well as the living quarters facility <br />Asian countries could possibly build and send a parts, supplies, and construction/repairs facility over there, Arabian<br />countries could possibly build a Martian fuel manufacturing and storage facility, providing all the<br />necessary fuel or its funding, and the U.S. could provide the <br />transport to and from Mars, and perhaps the Martian geology and space science lab facility .<br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[alokmohan]

Military point is main thing.Sputic came for this reason.

 

[tanstaafl76]

<br />International cooperation often does not mean the process becomes better or more efficient. From our first mission to the moon to competitions like X Prize, we clearly seem to be more motivated when there is a competitive goal at stake. <br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[j05h]

<i>> I know what you're saying, but there's not much taxpayer money going to Mars, I'm thinking<br />in terms of our military. ... If we worked together, where<br />the challenge becomes space exploration and development itself, ESA could perhaps build .... Asian countries ... Arabian<br />countries...</i><br /><br />You seem stuck in a 20th Century model. The ISS is a perfect example. Nations can only do so much. The type of development you are discussing is on a different scale that requires private capital, attention to economics and goals. Governments seem able to mount expeditions, but trouble establishing footholds on new frontiers. That takes settlers and frontier companies like the Massachusetts Bay Company or Dutch East India Company. An interesting and realistic option is proposing in-situ Institutes on Mars, Luna and a NEO. That is something that could utilize public and private capital, while producing open science and corporate research.<br /><br />What you are describing is bigger than McMurdo, you are describing establishing a town on Mars. <br /><br />Josh <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> <div align="center"><em>We need a first generation of pioneers.</em><br /></div> </div>

 

[vulture2]

Close, but not quite. Mr. Griffin doesn't want to work with China, apparently because he would perfer they be seen as an adversary to start a new space race. China has campaigned to be asked to join the ISS program for some time. Griffin went to China, ostensibly to investigate possible cooperation. The Chinese invited him to tour their launch site. He asked if he would be able to see all the details of their launch control center. They did not agree, and even though he was already in China he turned down the invitation and refused to come to the launch site at all, saying he had seen enough launching pads, a move which appeared calculated to insult to his Chinese hosts. <br />

 

[tanstaafl76]

Bottom line is the U.S. government doesn't appear to be getting faster or more efficient at much of anything, including space exploration. Because of that, in the next 50 years I think we're likely to see a lot of interesting commercial ventures peaking our interest interspersed with an occasional blip of news from NASA about some Martian rocks and such.<br /> <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[thereiwas]

Griffin seems to "calculate" a lot. He even insults members of the press.