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Obama Targets 2025 for Asteroid Landing, 2030s for Mars
Science Insider ^ | 06/28/10 | Yudhijit Bhattacharjee

Posted on 06/28/2010 5:08:50 PM PDT by KevinDavis

President Barack Obama today released a National Space Policy that affirms the Administration's commitment to commercial space flight. The policy also lays down the mid-2030s as a target date for the first human flight to Mars and 2025 as a target for a human mission to a nearby asteroid. The mention of the two timetables appears to be an attempt by the White House to counter criticism over Obama's new plan for NASA, which some lawmakers say lacks clear direction and goals. The release of the policy is also a signal that Obama is not prepared to back off from the fight that has begun in Congress over the president's proposed termination of the Constellation program.

(Excerpt) Read more at news.sciencemag.org ...


TOPICS: Astronomy; Miscellaneous; Science
KEYWORDS: mars; space; xplanets
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To: KevinDavis

20+ MORE years to get to Mars?

You’re no JFK, Obama. No forward thinking at all.

Hell, going to Mars could stimulate the sciences and we might CREATE the replacement to oil as a spin-off.

Idiot.


21 posted on 06/28/2010 6:42:19 PM PDT by hattend (The era of John McCain is over, the era of Ronald Reagan is back! Go Sarah Go!)
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To: KevinDavis

"No you stupid twit, it's not land on an asteroid 15 years in the future, it's "make it so!"

22 posted on 06/28/2010 6:55:53 PM PDT by anymouse (God didn't write this sitcom we call life, he's just the critic.)
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To: KevinDavis
mid-2030s as a target date for the first human flight to Mars

25 years from now? How audacious...

23 posted on 06/28/2010 7:03:41 PM PDT by NittanyLion
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To: NonValueAdded; All

Also some nice resources that we could use on this planet.. But we need to spend money on trains...


24 posted on 06/28/2010 7:04:50 PM PDT by KevinDavis (Soccer was invented by European ladies to keep them busy while their husbands did the cooking.)
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To: KevinDavis; annie laurie; garbageseeker; Knitting A Conundrum; Viking2002; Ernest_at_the_Beach; ...
Thanks KD.
President Barack Obama today released a National Space Policy that affirms the Administration's commitment to commercial space flight. The policy also lays down the mid-2030s as a target date for the first human flight to Mars and 2025 as a target for a human mission to a nearby asteroid.
 
X-Planets
· join · view topics · view or post blog · bookmark · post new topic · subscribe ·
Google news searches: exoplanet · exosolar · extrasolar ·

25 posted on 06/28/2010 7:34:54 PM PDT by SunkenCiv ("Fools learn from experience. I prefer to learn from the experience of others." -- Otto von Bismarck)
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To: KevinDavis

Venus is much closer. How about exploring it?


26 posted on 06/28/2010 7:35:30 PM PDT by eccentric (a.k.a. baldwidow)
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To: KevinDavis

ASTEROIDS HAVE VERY LITTLE GRAVITY.
We cannot “LAND’ on one as far as i know.

Hussein has watched the movie Armeggedon one too many times if you ask me.

Hey, maybe there are asteroids out there made of Diamonds or solid gold.
So what?
If Hussein could spent 7 Billion dollars to get to the asteroid. he could possibly brings back 800 Million in diamonds.

After Husseins 25% cut he will be set for life.


27 posted on 06/28/2010 7:44:21 PM PDT by mowowie
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To: eccentric

Venus is slightly smaller than Earth.
Imagine being on the ground exploring a new, giant world like that.
The caves, The valleys, The HUGE mountains....

Unfortunately to walk the surface of Venus is like walking the surface of the Mariana trench with a tee-shirt on.

kinda tight on the skin....


28 posted on 06/28/2010 7:53:24 PM PDT by mowowie
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To: KevinDavis

“And all you have to do is remove that pesky 22nd amendment to make all those dreams come true....”


29 posted on 06/28/2010 8:10:16 PM PDT by Tench_Coxe
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To: eccentric

Venus is no good for “boots on the ground”, it’s far too hostile an environment to land people there—acidic atmosphere, high heat and high pressures.

It would be useful for a fly-by or orbital manned mission to prepare for missions deeper in space (like Mars.) Several proposals were developed for such flights back in the Apollo days. Here’s one on the “Beyond Apollo” blog which also features some of the other Venus proposals:
http://beyondapollo.blogspot.com/2010/05/piloted-single-launch-venus-flyby-1967.html

A mission doesn’t have to be about planting flags to make it worth doing with people. In fact, Venus is a useful waypoint to other places in the outer solar system, in addition to being a deep space target for checking our systems out before embarking on longer flights.

I’m in favor of Moon, Venus, then Mars, myself.


30 posted on 06/28/2010 11:03:17 PM PDT by saundby
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To: KevinDavis
The policy also lays down the mid-2030s as a target date for the first human flight to Mars and 2025 as a target for a human mission to a nearby asteroid

I think this is too far shortsighted.

We should set our goals on a DISTANT asteroid.

And Barack should man up. He should show his dedication to this program by volunteering to be launched to this distant asteroid himself.

I'd get behind the financing for that plan. Money well spent.

Bon voyage.

31 posted on 06/29/2010 7:46:25 AM PDT by a fool in paradise (I wish our president loved the US military as much as he loves Paul McCartney.)
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To: eccentric

We can’t even send a man one mile down in the ocean to repair a leaking well.


32 posted on 06/29/2010 7:47:28 AM PDT by a fool in paradise (I wish our president loved the US military as much as he loves Paul McCartney.)
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To: KevinDavis

By the 2030’s the socialist utopia will be in full swing. All former illegals will be living in their own homes, purchased for by government. The legals will be out in city dumps. 70% of the country would be registered Democrats. The Republican Party would no longer exist, or exist as a tiny marginal party under a different name. Vote buying programs would no longer be needed. And then, maybe then the govt could find some spare change to finance a space trip here or a space trip there.


33 posted on 06/29/2010 7:55:47 AM PDT by libh8er
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To: KevinDavis

National Space Policy of the United States of America
http://cryptome.org/dodi/space062810.pdf


34 posted on 06/29/2010 7:59:00 AM PDT by Constitution Day
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To: KevinDavis

The last time a president said “let’s go here” in space, we got there in 8 years. He’s going for 10 and 20 years.


35 posted on 06/29/2010 10:05:21 AM PDT by wastedyears (The Founders revolted for less.)
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To: wastedyears; All

With the Chinese flag on Mars...


36 posted on 06/29/2010 6:13:09 PM PDT by KevinDavis (The meek shall inherit the Earth... the rest of us will take the stars!)
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