Put Sheila on the first trip.
Posted on 04/24/2017 2:33:12 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
What we are reporting here isn't fake news. But it doesn't feel exactly like real news, either. It's in that foggy realm of Trump news in which everything is slightly ambiguous and wobbly and internally inconsistent and almost certainly improvisational and not actually grounded in what you could call “government policy.” What happened was: Trump called the International Space Station and talked to astronauts and, in passing, mentioned that he's going to send Americans to Mars, and soon, like really lickety-split.
Trump was marking the historic achievement of astronaut Peggy Whitson, the commander of the International Space Station, who set a record for most days in space by an American astronaut. (Also on the call from the Oval Office were Ivanka Trump, who spoke about the administration's efforts to encourage women and girls to get involved in STEM fields, and astronaut Kate Rubins.)
During the call, the president asked Whitson and fellow American astronaut Jack Fischer a question:
TRUMP: “Tell me: Mars, what do you see a timing for actually sending humans to Mars? Is there a schedule and when would you see that happening?”(continued)
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtonpost.com ...
Other than a human fly by, it is too soon.
We learn to walk before we run.
A moon base would be a better accomplishment in the short term and from it we will have lessons learned that will aid in setting down bases on other planets, like Mars.
We can make the tours on the moon base about as long as the length of time it will take to travel from Earth to Mars. That alone will help with preserving human health in the zero gravity, vacuum of space and outside earth’s magnetosphere (which the moon is outside of during part of it’s orbit). That is an important element as to human health, as we down here on earth are shielded by the magnetosphere’s deflection of many high energy solar particles, to which we are exposed to a lot, lot less than would be in empty space or on the moon.
There are other “how to” lessons we can learn by developing a base closer to home before we go to the planets.
Using another planetary body’s materials, and or how to burrow there, to construct shelters is another. The more we can learn such techniques the less we will have to carry with us.
Meanwhile, robotic visits and analysis therefrom on Mars can be providing a richer knowledge base that early earth explorers can use. The more they know before they go, the less difficult and more beneficial should be what they can accomplish when they do go.
I’d expect we should also be exploring the method of having an earth orbiting platform, that the humans taking planetary voyages are shuttled up to, to connect to long-distance ships that are docked there, and from there totally reused, instead of having to take off and land on earth every time. Why? Breaking earth’s gravity, from the surface of the earth, is a big task requiring lots of power, every time. The a ship not only needs tons of fuel for than, but retain fuel reserves for the long trip. Were that not the case, a long distance ship leaving from an earth orbiting platform, would only need fuel for (a) the long distance trip & back to the platform, and (b) extra fuel for its own shuttle craft ferrying humans and equipment to a planetary body’s surface and back.
The first such ships would have a maiden trip up to the platform, followed by a “refueling” ship that would make a one-off trip with new fuel supplies (as needed). Later I imagine long distance ships will be constructed at the platform from modules and materials sent up from the earth. We haven’t been doing all the “maintenance and repair” lessons with our own shuttles, just for those necessities alone. I think some at NASA have had in-space construction as a possibility all along. One difference is that robots at the construction platforms will be doing more of the work.
Put Sheila on the first trip.
Moon first - Re-establish space flight beyond LEO capabilities, and test methods of construction of habitats in a vacuum environment. Safest option, if something drastically goes wrong (not including the return vehicle), return is much easier with a shorter transit time, not having to deal with narrow launch windows, etc.
We used Gemini as a means of researching multi day flights, docking in orbit, maneuvering in orbit, etc, as preparation for Apollo.
The moon shot was a real stimulus program, unlike Barry Dunham’s “shovel ready jobs”, not just due to economics, but due to being one of the biggest technology incubators which we still benefit from. I truly think JFK realized that. We pushed the envelope, and we accomplished the goal.
The watermelons will protest to their dying breath about nuclear waste in space.
That wouldn’t be such a bad thing either.
O’Neill class space station.
Why?
Two words - Lisa Nowack.
Melting of the permafrost that exists at all latitudes on Mars. Subsurface ice probably is abundant.
Except that Trump was joking with the Astonauts....
The Post knows this but they put it out as real news....
LIARS!
Bad move!
There is no point in sending man to Mars.
I spent 10 of my 45 years in Aerospace working manned programs.
(Shuttle and Orion)
Robots can do as much or more for 10% of the cost of sending manned craft.
Who is Sheila? Do you mean Maxine Waters? That’s who that looks like.
Won’t happen until 2032 at the earliest, if everything goes right.
There was a proposal called “Mars Direct” developed by NASA in the 90’s and then cancelled. An unmanned habitat module would be sent to Mars in the first launch window. It would synthesize fuel for about a year for the next return trip. An manned Earth Return Vehicle (ERV) would be sent in the next window if all looked good. From there on, a different crew would be sent every two years, returning with their ERV using the fuel synthesized by the HAB. The movie Mission to Mars was loosely based on this plan.
Agree....costly and damn risky.
From another Michoud vet.
As for me ever going? I saw "The Martian." I'm good.
It's Rep. Sheila "Don't you know who I am" Jackson Lee (D-TX). Do a search for her many, many idiotice quotes.
Don’t forget Harry Reid
yes!!!
If we get any where near the benefits from this that we did from the moon program the world will be an entirely different place 20 years from now
PLUS I love he is driving an agenda, rather than responding to the media every day and letting them control what is being talked about every day
“you’d have to wait until it is in the right position, then pack enough supplies such as food, water for 9 months and that is just one way!”
Probes have done it in less than 5 months.
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