Best news in a long time - manned mission to Mars planned (page 5)

botchtowersociety

First - let us recognize clearly and simply that any Mars mission proposed for the 21st century would be only exploratory.

Lower costs and it will become reality. You will never do that with a government program. If you had to ditch a government designed 747 every time you flew across the Atlantic, we'd still be crossing on ships. SpaceX has the potential to lower manned launch to a fraction of current costs. This should help increase frequency, which lowers costs further. Other, non man-rated launch platforms, like the Space Gun, can lower the cost of launching fuel and components into orbit to 1/20th of current prices. And, by the way, this isn't pie in the sky. SpaceX is already profitable! They also have the contract for the next generation of Iridium sats.

james_woods

SpaceX putting up a satellite is a far cry from colonizing Mars.

botchtowersociety

SpaceX putting up a satellite is a far cry from colonizing Mars.

90% of getting to Mars is just getting out of the Earth's atmosphere.

SpaceX has successfully launched a space capsule and returned it back to earth. Twice. The last time, it was on an ISS resupply mission. It can carry 7 people.

Cheap delta-v out of the atmosphere is what we really need, or we'd already have gone there. We have the basic technology. Von Braun had a blueprint all lined up decades ago.

james_woods

Don't get me wrong - I would like to see it happen.

I just don't think it is in the cards right now.

botchtowersociety

Don't get me wrong - I would like to see it happen.

Don't underestimate Elon Musk. Here's an interview from yesterday.

http://articles.latimes.com/2012/aug/01/opinion/la-oe-0801-morrison-musk-SpaceX-20120801

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6p6EruPdoXY

tootired2care

If Romney is elected, there will still remain critical budget problems for the next four years - something of this magnitude will be impossible to attempt without the cold-war implications which Kennedy had to drive the politics of the Apollo program. - James Woods

If Romney is elected I fear he may completely hamstring space programs based on his remarks to Newt, when Newt proposed big space initiatives. As far as cold war implications go, I think we should give little regard for communist and former communist states and just push forward with these endeavors.

As BTS pointed out - allowing the private sector (SpaceX Viirgin Galactic etc.) to take on a greater role is a move in the right direction, because they will do it cheaper and faster. I really do hope to see some structures and drilling for water on the moon or on Mars in my lifetime.

james_woods

Just as a matter of immediate interest - several aerospace engineers are debating on an Aviation chat forum that I go to the chances of a successful landing with the NASA Curiosity Rover Sunday night (actually 1:30 AM Monday morning Aug 7).

It was pointed out that the landing sequence is much more complicated than the two rovers with the airbags - these guys are giving it no more than a 40 to 50% chance of success. They say there have been 39 attempted missions to Mars - with only 15 successful landings.

I for one sure hope it makes it down intact and gives us good data.

The success of that mission may have big implications for the future of any further NASA Mars missions - including a possible manned attempt.

tootired2care

Yes let's hope that mission is successful. I think Botch may have already brought this out but I just saw this other article which is interesting. It looks like they are trying to scaffold a sustainable private sector taxi service to and from the ISS. This is the kind of infrastructure they need to really get things moving as mentioned previously.

Nasa hails a space taxi: Agency gives three firms $1.1bn to build spacecraft to ferry astronauts to the space station