Putting Boots on Mars Requires a Long-Term Commitment, Experts Tell Senators

Space.com ^ | July 26, 2018 | Meghan Bartels, Space.com Senior Writer

[ETL]

Democrat Rep Sheila Jackson Lee wants to know if Neil Armstrong's boots are still there.

Sheila Jackson Lee (Democrat!)
Member of the U.S. House of Representatives
From Texas's 18th district

On a visit to the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory in 2005, Jackson Lee made embarrassing news by asking if the Mars Pathfinder had taken an image of the flag planted there in 1969 by Neil Armstrong.[2]

Prior to the 110th Congress, Jackson Lee served on the House Science Committee and on the Subcommittee that oversees space policy and NASA.

http://web.archive.org/web/20100409095818/http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheila_Jackson_Lee

[PGR88]

Mars is just a refueling station for trips to Jupiter!

[Harpotoo]

No, it requires a one way only commitment:-)

[ealgeone]

We’re not allowed to go there per 2010.

[cuban leaf]

Obviously the first step is to figure out how to fold space. It’s easy peasy from there. :)

[Zathras]

Make it easier by setting up base on Phobos.

[UCANSEE2]

[Zuben Elgenubi]

like anti-cancer advances that could spring from tackling the threat posed by radiation in space.

Boy, there's a leap of faith.

[Buckeye McFrog]

"We have to have a vision that lasts more than one administration,"

Kind of hard to do that when you get an administration that thinks NASA's mission is to boost self-esteem among Muslims.

[ETL]

Sorry, UCANSEE2, ICANTSEE the image you posted. Only empty box on my end.

[Vendome]

Really?

And here I though it would be just a weekend trip....like going to Vegas.

Looking forward to going....Can’t wait to leave

[Boogieman]

Translation: we need lots and lots of money for many, many years, and don’t expect to see any actual results for a long time.

[wally_bert]

At least it isn’t Manchester 1973.

[plain talk]

Boots on the ground is cool... but REAL expensive. I would like to see an analysis of what next gen robots could do on Mars. The future of space exploration is machines not people. I would put resources on robots.

[onedoug]

We’ll never be able to discover if life rose or didn’t there until we put geologists on the ground.

[cdcdawg]

We can’t go to Mars, we have to take care of our vulnerables!

[ETL]

Boots on the ground is cool... but REAL expensive. I would like to see an analysis of what next gen robots could do on Mars. The future of space exploration is machines not people.

NASA has a plan to put robot bees on Mars

FoxNews.com/Science ^ | Apr 9, 2018 | Rafi Letzter Staff Writer | LiveScience

NASA has two teams of researchers working to design a robotic bee that can fly on Mars.

The space agency announced the project on March 30. It's in its early stages, but the idea is to replace modern rovers — which are slow, bulky and very expensive — with swarms of sensor-studded, fast-moving micro-bots that can cover much more ground at a relatively low cost.

Literally called Marsbees, the little bots are "flapping wing flyers of a bumblebee size with cicada-sized wings," NASA officials wrote.

(Excerpt) Read more at foxnews.com ...

[leaning conservative]

; )

[DiogenesLamp]

Democrat Rep Sheila Jackson Lee wants to know if Neil Armstrong's boots are still there.

I assume that is a joke at her expense?

[ETL]

Well, you obviously were able to see the image. Could be a needless security block on the public PC I’m currently using.