[Lurker]

I remember the days when Scientific American was both.

[Yo-Yo]

For ballistic capture, the spacecraft cruises a bit slower than Mars itself as the planet runs its orbital lap around the sun.

I'm rusty on my orbital mechanics, but wouldn't slowing down the spacecraft cause it to fall inwards towards the Sun?

[hattend]

You would still need a lander. So I don’t see how you save anything anywhere.

Complex orbital manipulations so Mars catches up to you seems to me would extend the mission time significantly.

[blueunicorn6]

So, you get in front of Mars and wait for it to catch you. I do that with the bus. I get run over a lot. I’d hate to get run over by Mars. Probably doesn’t have any insurance.

[Paladin2]

Teleporter?

[Mad Dawgg]

Getting to Mars in not the problem, it’s getting Home from Mars that makes it a complicated mission because we will need to send unmanned stuff there first that includes a self sufficient and fully automatic fuel manufacturing station... For when the astronauts show up later so they can get off the surface of Mars and back into orbit.

[BlueStateRightist]

Mars: low gravity Antarctica without oxygen. Have fun!

[DaxtonBrown]

Why wouldn’t you launch to a point behind and a tad slower and let Mars gravity suck you up to speed?

[montag813]

Can we shield ships and living spaces from cosmic rays sufficiently to prevent radiation deaths in astronauts/settlers and birth defects in pregnant women?