"The Shuttle can't go to the Moon"

[jatslo]

I guess it would pretty safe to say that the President did not mention "The Earth, The Moon, Then Mars" in his state of the union speech last night.<br /><br />--- http://jatslo.com/ : Jatslo

 

[jatslo]

I'm kinda at a loss for words. I do not understand why exploring humankinds origins in space is so petty.<br /><br />Where did we come from? What we learn will benefit humankind, and that is a forgone conclussion.<br /><br />http://jatslo.com/ : Jatslo<br /><br /><br />

 

[jatslo]

The new research suggests that forcing global warming by injecting greenhouse gases may be the best way to terraform, should governments decide to do so. The conditions warming Earth could be harnessed to transform Mars, the scientists determined.<br /><br />Jumpstarting global warming in a planet-sized laboratory would be a boon to science in some respects.<br /><br /><br />http://jatslo.com/ : Jatslo

 

[scottb50]

A very good idea. I would advocate sending all the coal power plants, refineries, motor vehicles major industries and such to Mars.<br /><br />Unfortunately Mars doesn't seem to have the hydrocarbon resources needed.<br /><br />Maybe we should think about short circuiting it in our planet size laboratory before we think about exporting it. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[jatslo]

No hydrocarbons on Mars?<br /><br />Each successive member of a homologous series of hydrocarbons has one more carbon and two more hydrogen atoms in its molecule than the preceding member. The second alkane is ethane, C2H6, and the third is propane, C3H8. Alkanes have the general formula CnH2n+2 (where n is an integer greater than or equal to 1). Generally, hydrocarbons of low molecular weight, e.g., methane, ethane, and propane, are gases; those of intermediate molecular weight, e.g., hexane, heptane, and octane, are liquids; and those of high molecular weight, e.g., eicosane (C20H42) and polyethylene, are solids.<br /><br />http://jatslo.com/ : Jatslo<br />

 

[jatslo]

Lockheed Martin will announce that it is teaming with EADS Space Transportation for the CEV contract?<br /><br />Maybe McDonald Douglas will call for a team that includes the private sector? <br /><br />http://jatslo.com/ : Jatslo<br />

 

[scottb50]

I said it doesn't appear to have the resources comparable to Earth. The Moons of both Jupiter and Saturn have high concentrations of hydrocarbons, Carbon is abundant in the middle of the solar system, at least from Venus outwards to Saturn and Uranus. <br /><br />Earth seems to be the only place it formed life. In the outer Solar system temperature pretty much determines what molecules are formed and the atmosphere on Titan could be explained chemically much easier than biologically. Of course higher molecules of hydrocarbons are going to form when condition exist, they do naturally. <br /><br />To equate that to life having an involvement would require what we see here on Earth, Oil, coal, the products of biological processes. If a swamp existed in the primordial Mars theorized, and life existed, then complex hydrocarbon deposits should exist. <br /><br />What we see is Methane, Ethane and hydrocarbons at the lower end of the molecular chain. So far I haven't seen any indication of biology and since Mars seems to be the best candidate, besides Earth to harbor, or have harbored, life I think the odds are pretty slim to find it has existed. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[jatslo]

Were going to have to drill for it, and we don't need biology for methane production.<br /><br />All we need is one nice pocket that will burn for a thousand years.<br /><br />http://jatslo.com/ : Jatslo<br />

 

[jatslo]

Anyone traveling to Mars is going to be hanging around for while, so they might as well drill, and if they do not find trapped gases, well then, at least we have some really good core samples for the return flight to Earth, or the the moon.<br /><br />http://jatslo.com/ : Jatslo

 

[jatslo]

“ The 2029 event will be the closest brush by a good-sized asteroid known to occur. The rock will pass Earth inside the orbits of some satellites. No other asteroid has ever been clearly visible to the unaided eye. “<br />“ The asteroid is roughly estimated to be a little more than 1,000 feet (320 meters) wide. “<br /> http://www.space.com/spacewatch/050204_2004_mn4.html<br /><br />Someday, one of these bad boys is going to smack the Earth pretty hard, and of we do not learn how to adapt to extreme climate and atmospheric changes were all going to get wiped off the face of the Earth.<br /><br />A base on the Moon can help insure the survival of our species, and the highest priority should be placed on its success at whatever cost!<br /><br />What other variables threaten humankind?<br /><br />Nuclear War?<br /><br />What would force our species to live in the very containers we developed on the Moon, and Mars?<br /><br />http://jatslo.com/ : Jatslo<br /><br /><br />

 

[jatslo]

" A Nova within 50 light years or further away if a super Nova "<br /><br />That is worth investigating. I have thought of that before, but I have never heard anyone speak of it until just now.<br /><br />I know of two habitat programs, and as soon as I find their home page, I'll provide the links.<br /><br />--- http://jatslo.com/ : Jatslo

 

[rocketwatcher2001]

4 Billion years......<br /><br /><br />How about ten thousand years? I'll bet that by the year 30,000, a trip across the galaxy will be like a trip to Europe from Florida.<br /><br />Or we'll be dead, and racoons will evolve into the next space fairing species. <div class="Discussion_UserSignature"> </div>

 

[Astrosag]

Or a Gamma Ray Burst (GRB) within 10,000 light years from the Earth.

 

[rogers_buck]

Or a large mass of dark matter. An Indian group modeled such an event. There would be two extinction events seperated by 2000 or so years. The first would be with apparently no cause. The critters would be rad'ed. The second would be from massive vulcanism. They looked at the record and found several such events.<br /><br />Another group reasoned that if a small amount of dark matter collided with the earth there would be two nearly simultaneous earth tremors in unrelated areas (possibly on the opposite side of the globe). They looked at the available seismo records from before they stopped keeping the data (as I recall the process of collection has been scrapped) and found several candidate events.<br /><br />Doesn't prove that this sort of thing happens, but its nice to know we might be killed by something we can't see coming.

 

[jatslo]

There are a number of smaller events that could wipe out handfuls at a time, and if these smaller events coincide the combined totals are staggering.<br /><br />300,000 dead from tsunami, 30,000 dead from the Iran earthquake, 100,000 killed in action, 300,000 killed by viruses, etc.<br /><br />When the rate of death exceeds the rate of births, we are in trouble.<br /><br />What do we do?<br /><br />The reason humankind is so resilient, is because we are spread out across the four corners of our globe, whereas when one corner gets wiped out, we still have three corners left.<br /><br />I am saying that this is not enough. We must spread out to the four corners of the universe.<br /><br />What are some other smaller events, if simultaneous, could wreak havoc on humanity?<br /><br />--- http://jatslo.com/ : Jatslo <br />

 

[jatslo]

With respect to births, can we even conceive children in space or other planetary bodies.<br /><br />How will the developing fetus deal with its environment? Will it mutate?<br /><br />What might the children of Mars look like?<br />The children of The Moon?<br /><br />How do we create an artificial Earth environment in space and other Planetary bodies?<br /><br />--- http://jatslo.com/ : Jatslo<br /><br />

 

[jovan36]

Mars if frozen... why can't we detonate a few nuclear devices at the north and south poles, melt the icecaps, and create a new atmosphere..??

 

[tap_sa]

Who is going to colonize this bold new Mars full of radioactive fallout?

 

[jovan36]

time heals all wounds..... no pain... no gain...<br /><br />The point is let's put our nuclear weapons to good use... detonate a few on various planets and moons and see what happens over time.

 

[tap_sa]

<font color="yellow">"The point is let's put our nuclear weapons to good use"</font><br /><br />This is a good point, but surely there are better ways to use them than blowing them up in various places causing radiation pollution for centuries. How about turning them into small reactors, there's plenty of need for them when things get rolling in moon, mars, trips to jovian planets etc.

 

[jatslo]

Nuclear Winter?<br /><br />Not Nuclear Summer ;o)<br /><br />--- http://jatslo.com/ : Jatslo

 

[paulvwwhalen]

I cannot wait to see the permanent colonization of the moon happen. It should have been done decades ago...

 

[jatslo]

Will you help promote this thread, and help get others to promote this thread?<br /><br />If we can get enough people hitting this subject, Space.com will get involved too...<br /><br />There is power in numbers...<br /><br />--- http://jatslo.com/ : Jatslo

 

[jatslo]

Aquarius is an underwater ocean laboratory located in the Florida Keys National Marine Sanctuary. The laboratory is deployed three and half miles offshore, at a depth of 60 feet, next to spectacular coral reefs. Scientists live in Aquarius during ten-day missions using saturation diving to study and explore our coastal ocean. Aquarius is owned by NOAA and is operated by the National Undersea Research Center at the University of North Carolina at Wilmington. <br /><br />--- http://www.uncw.edu/aquarius/<br /><br /><br />This above web site is not necessarily something we can use as extraterrestrial habits in space or other planetary bodies, but the concept is interesting nevertheless.<br /><br />The ocean would be a good testing bed for self sustaining habitats on “The Earth, The Moon, Then Mars…” missions.<br /><br />What do you think?<br /><br />--- http://jatslo.com/ : Jatslo<br />

 

[jatslo]

--- http://www.exploremarsnow.org/<br /><br />The above URL is something that I found on Yahoo.com, and it is worth taking a look at, if you are for a manned mission to Mars.<br /><br />In addition, I think these guys have tested some prototypes in Iceland, or somewhere cold. Maybe Antartica?<br /><br />Anyway, it is worth checking out!<br /><br />--- http://jatslo.com/ : Jatslo