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Boeing chief believes he can reach Mars before Musk does
engadget ^ | 10/6/16 | Mariella Moon

Posted on 10/06/2016 11:20:40 PM PDT by aquila48

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To: wastoute
One thing for certain, it will never be anything but a barren desert.

Yes...because Mars has a smaller mass than earth....its gravity is less....so that the escape velocity to leave mars is smaller than that of earth.

So any breathable atmosphere created would leak out into space.

21 posted on 10/07/2016 1:49:27 AM PDT by spokeshave (In the Thatch Weave,..Trump's Wing Man is Truth.)
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To: spokeshave

No magnetosphere. No atmosphere.


22 posted on 10/07/2016 2:01:43 AM PDT by wastoute (Government cannot redistribute wealth. Government can only redistribute poverty.)
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To: Mjreagan
today’s government agencies and the cronies who run them lack incentive and ingenuity.

This is true. So you see, it's not some magical "free market" that makes thing happen, it's human ingenuity. Without it, things don't happen. Free market or no free market.

If you hate Rand so, much try Marx, I think you’ll be happier.

Rand, Marx, Ragnar Redbeard, Anton LaVey... all from the same bucket of philosophical sh*t.

23 posted on 10/07/2016 2:41:17 AM PDT by Ethan Clive Osgoode (Nuke Saudi Arabia now)
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To: cynwoody
Back in the 60's, the only rockets that returned to base and landed vertically were science fiction, the LEM being the only possible exception (out of necessity).

Von Braun's original plan for Saturn V was to put a man on Mars, believe it or not. But it was decided that this was not necessary to beat the Russians. If the USA needed VTVL in the 1960s to beat the Russians, we would have had VTVL in the 1960s.

24 posted on 10/07/2016 2:47:09 AM PDT by Ethan Clive Osgoode (Nuke Saudi Arabia now)
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To: Mjreagan

This debate about Apollo is missing Alternative 3.

The public face of NASA, including Apollo, is a cover story to hide a secret military space program.

Ditto for the “race to Mars”.

Wake up and smell the coffee, people.

Arguing ideology and policy is for ivory tower professors—I expect to see a little “street smarts” here in FR.


25 posted on 10/07/2016 2:50:16 AM PDT by cgbg (Warning: This post has not been fact-checked by the Democratic National Committee.)
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To: Ethan Clive Osgoode
Von Braun's original plan for Saturn V was to put a man on Mars, believe it or not.

Von Braun also figured out that a Mars mission needed to be assembled in orbit, not launched whole from Earth's surface. That is a key element of Musk's plan.

26 posted on 10/07/2016 3:02:16 AM PDT by cynwoody
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To: cynwoody

It’s too bad that communist-china-loving bastard NIXON sacked von Braun’s Mars mission, probably the grandest, most impressive technological plan in human history. It would have given the USA dominance in human history until the end of time. It must have hit von Braun pretty hard. He left NASA a couple years after that.


27 posted on 10/07/2016 3:08:47 AM PDT by Ethan Clive Osgoode (Nuke Saudi Arabia now)
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To: aquila48
I bet Pan Am thought they'd be the first to the Moon. Didn't work out that way.


28 posted on 10/07/2016 3:38:29 AM PDT by C210N
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To: Mjreagan

Perhaps they will send muslims to mars


29 posted on 10/07/2016 3:48:04 AM PDT by teeman8r (Armageddon won't be pretty, but it's not like it's the end of the world.)
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To: Talisker

Alien Lives Matter.


30 posted on 10/07/2016 3:51:24 AM PDT by broken_arrow1 (I regret that I have but one life to give for my country - Nathan Hale "Patriot")
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To: wastoute

I’m no scientist.. but if there is water there, there may be an energy source. That being said, a space city makes much better sense.


31 posted on 10/07/2016 3:56:06 AM PDT by ArtDodger
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To: wastoute

Not if we pulverize it.


32 posted on 10/07/2016 3:59:26 AM PDT by Lisbon1940 (Trump-Pence 2016: No full-term Governors!)
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To: aquila48

The analogy I come up with for Elon Musk & the guy at Virgin Galactic is Sir Walter Raleigh. The Roanoke expeditions to America are a useful comparison. That one failed, but others succeeded.


33 posted on 10/07/2016 3:59:31 AM PDT by Tallguy
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To: Talisker
 photo Martian Lives Matter 00 CAPTIONED 3_zpszwindduh.jpg
34 posted on 10/07/2016 4:03:17 AM PDT by ETL (God PLEASE help America...Never Hillary!)
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To: aquila48
The race to Mars is over.


35 posted on 10/07/2016 4:08:49 AM PDT by Islander7 (There is no septic system so vile, so filthy, the left won't drink from to further their agenda)
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To: aquila48

As long as Boeing and the main-stream government contractors are enabled to sabotage independents on the pad, they will get there first...as long as the government money lasts.


36 posted on 10/07/2016 4:19:34 AM PDT by Redleg Duke (Okay, the Primaries are over and it is us against the DC Uni-Party!)
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To: ArtDodger
I’m no scientist.. but if there is water there, there may be an energy source.

You may not be a rocket scientist, but...

2H2 + O2 = 2H2O + ENERGY

This is an example of an exothermic reaction, a reaction that produces energy. It is also an example of what is called a combustion reaction, where a substance (in this case hydrogen gas) is combined with oxygen. You are probably familiar with this reaction through two tragic examples of the unleashed energy of the combustion reaction of hydrogen, the Hindenburg, and the spaceshuttle Challenger.

Hydrogen Fuel?

Yes - hydrogen is a good, clean fuel, producing only water as a by-product.

Unfortunately it produces so much energy that it can get out of control, resulting in an explosion. But let's forget about that explosive part for a minute and think about the possibilities - Hydrogen as a New Clean Fuel - it could be the end of the energy crisis - but where would we get the hydrogen?

Can we create Hydrogen from Water?

Yes! It's the same chemical reaction, but run in reverse:
2H2O + ENERGY = 2H2 + O2

Notice now that the requirement is for energy to be ADDED TO the reactants. This is an example of an Endothermic reaction. This means that we could use Water as a Fuel! IF (and this is a big if) we could find an easy way to convert the water to hydrogen and oxygen, then the hydrogen could be used as a clean fuel.

One way to convert Water to Hydrogen and Oxygen is through the process of Electrolysis - using electricity as the source of energy to drive the reaction. Let's take a look at what that might look like:...


Isn't this rather circular?

Using Energy to break water to form hydrogen to combine oxygen to form Energy - in this way is rather circular. In fact, because of the laws of thermodynamics, you can't break even in this exchange of energy. However, there exist better ways to disassemble water - namely using CATALYSIS.


What does a catalyst do?

A catalyst is a chemical compound that acts to speed up a reaction, but in the process is not itself changed. Therefore the catalyst, at the end of the reaction, is free to act again to assist another reactant through the reaction.

Catalysts work by lowering the energy barrier between the reactants and the products. In this case:

2H2O + ENERGY = 2H2 + O2

where it normally takes a tremendous amount of energy to convert reactants to products - the addition of a catalyst can decrease the amount of energy required and therefore speed the reaction up!

2H2O + CATALYST + energy = 2H2 + O2 + CATALYST


Does this catalyst really exist?

Sort of...... Have you ever wondered how a plant uses water and carbon dioxide to create glucose and oxygen? This too is an endothermic reaction, an energy producing reaction run in reverse. Normally we would think of using glucose as a fuel, through oxidation we could produce carbon dioxide, water and energy - In fact this is what OUR bodies do to provide us with the energy we need for maintaining all of our bodily functions including THINKING!

Glucose (C6H12O6) + Oxygen (O2) = Water (H20) + Carbon Dioxide (CO2) + ENERGY

To run the reaction in reverse, the plant utilizes a catalyst - CHLOROPHYLL - and the energy from the SUN to aid in the decomposition of water. While the chlorophyllic reaction does produce diatomic oxygen gas, it does not produce the hydrogen in a gaseous form. The hydrogen released from the water is used for the formation of glucose.

Could we use such a catalyst for converting Water and Sunlight into Fuel?

Scientists often use Nature as a model for the development of new compounds. One such development, which has been studied extensively in this regard, is a molecule known as Rubippy. The structure of Rubippy is shown below. It is similar in structure to the chlorophyll molecule having a metal center (in chlorophyll it's a magnesium ion, in rubippy it's a ruthenium ion) and an attached system of organic rings (in chlorophyll its a porphyrin derivative, in rubippy its a pyridine derivative).

Acting as "relay" channel for the transfer of electrons, Rubippy has shown some potential to do just that - convert water and sunlight into a clean, seemingly inexhaustible, source of energy. However, while rubippy has shown promise in this regard, it is not a commercially viable enterprise because of it's high cost, instability, and low efficiency.

If Scientists were able to get Rubippy to work, or created a viable alternative, what would we do about the explosion potential of using Hydrogen Fuel?

Good question! Would you believe that it is possible to do the combustion of hydrogen without letting the oxygen and hydrogen come in contact? This can happen in a FUEL CELL. A fuel cell is like a battery - It utilizes a chemical reaction to produce electricity. A drawing of a hydrogen-oxygen fuel cell is shown below:...

The kind of fuel cell shown here are routinely used in the space program. If this technology ever becomes viably available to the common person, the estimated cost of a fuel-cell hydrogen powered car would be less than half that of your current gas-mobile. In addition, it would be simpler, require less maintenance, and be environmentally friendly!

source:
http://witcombe.sbc.edu/water/chemistryelectrolysis.html

37 posted on 10/07/2016 4:26:46 AM PDT by ETL (God PLEASE help America...Never Hillary!)
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To: Ethan Clive Osgoode
"Rand, Marx, Ragnar Redbeard, Anton LaVey... all from the same bucket of philosophical sh*t."

While I hate to see that mindless grouping, they all did have one critical trait that is sadly lacking in folks like you.

IMAGINATION!

Go ahead and remain in your earth-bound Lagrange point. You and your ilk have forever criticized and insulted the explorers and dreamers. They might well not find the Seven Cities, King Solomon's Mines, or "Gold in them thar hills!", but imagine what they might find!

Oh, I forgot...you can't imagine! Pity!

38 posted on 10/07/2016 4:29:31 AM PDT by Redleg Duke (Okay, the Primaries are over and it is us against the DC Uni-Party!)
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To: aquila48

The Ford Model T began production in 1908. There were a few cars before that, but not widespread availablity (about 1886 for the first one). In 1969, we were walking on the moon, air travel was common, air conditioning, outhouses non-existent, automobile travel everywhere.

Look at the progress since 1969 to now. This rate of progress is due to freedom. Freedom means capitalism too. If we somehow keep our freedom (which at this point I would not bet on), then what humans are able to accomplish in the next 200 years will be absolutely amazing and space travel should begin by then. Artificial gravity, shielding, propulsion are a few of the key challenges, but then before 1800 did anyone ever think air or car travel would be possible?


39 posted on 10/07/2016 4:41:33 AM PDT by rigelkentaurus
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To: Redleg Duke; Ethan Clive Osgoode

Anton LaVey? Some “imagination” he had...

Lol!

Anton Szandor LaVey[1] (born Howard Stanton Levey; April 11, 1930 – October 29, 1997) was an American author, musician and occultist.[2]

He was the founder of the Church of Satan and the religion of LaVeyan Satanism.

He authored several books including The Satanic Bible, The Satanic Rituals, The Satanic Witch, The Devil’s Notebook, and Satan Speaks!.

In addition, he released three albums, including The Satanic Mass, Satan Takes a Holiday, and Strange Music.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anton_LaVey


40 posted on 10/07/2016 4:48:14 AM PDT by ETL (God PLEASE help America...Never Hillary!)
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