[Freeport]

I always love these "We can get there in X days things. Yes, and the object can wave at Mars as it goes flying by since there's no equivalent system in Mars orbit, or the object of your choice orbit, TO SLOW IT DOWN! :-)

[samtheman]

Dont need to slow it down, just hop off and parachute in as you fly by.

:)

[Idaho_Cowboy]

Slowing it down is easy. It’s doing it and staying in once piece that is hard.

[mountn man]

Powerful Laser Could Blast Spacecraft to Mars in 3 Days

QUICK!!! Somebody tell Obama and the Wookie its Air Force One, taking them on another vacation.

Just think, 3 more days, no more Obama...

[Bringbackthedraft]

TO SLOW IT DOWN! ......Reverse rockets in the nose or tail? I thought the same thing, and the current velocity in liquid space formula may have to be revised some what.

[mountn man]

I always love these "We can get there in X days things. Yes, and the object can wave at Mars as it goes flying by since there's no equivalent system in Mars orbit, or the object of your choice orbit, TO SLOW IT DOWN! :-)

[Wissa]

I always love these "We can get there in X days things. Yes, and the object can wave at Mars as it goes flying by since there's no equivalent system in Mars orbit, or the object of your choice orbit, TO SLOW IT DOWN! :-)

They can just step on the brakes.

[PIF]

3 days to Mars, 6 years to return ...

[IronJack]

I'm sure the mission planners at NASA (in between muslime outreach efforts) have the brains to calculate the retrograde burn necessary to insert the craft into orbit. The gravitational pull of the planet alone might be enough to capture a passing object if it was on the right trajectory and moving at the right speed.

Point is, this has probably occurred to them too.

[Bubba_Leroy]

It would make a heck of an impact when it lands.

[MNDude]

99% of science headlines with the word “Could” in them are utter fantasy.

Oceans COULD rise ten feet, etc.

[Jack Hammer]

So we can get Mark Watney his food resupply after all...?

[Yo-Yo]

Or blast an asteroid out of a collision course with the Earth.

[InterceptPoint]

I’m betting there is an E=1/2 mv2 problem here. Someone should calculate E=1/2 mc2 (Yes George, that is c squared not v squared) for a reasonable payload and see what you get.

It takes a lot of energy to get something going at near light speed.

[V_TWIN]

What, no URANUS jokes yet? You guys are slippin”!

[TruthInThoughtWordAndDeed]

Will. Never. Happen.

[DugwayDuke]

“I always love these “We can get there in X days things. Yes, and the object can wave at Mars as it goes flying by since there’s no equivalent system in Mars orbit, or the object of your choice orbit, TO SLOW IT DOWN! :-)”

Another issue. How do you GET BACK?

[RansomOttawa]

I always love these "We can get there in X days things. Yes, and the object can wave at Mars as it goes flying by since there's no equivalent system in Mars orbit, or the object of your choice orbit, TO SLOW IT DOWN! :-)

While you're planning the actual mission, send another one of the laser doohickeys on ahead. This also solves the problem of the return trip.

[Salgak]

OF course, to do so, we would need to build a laser array at least 70 square miles. . . for the emitters. Power supply additional.

Minor, unimportant engineering issues. . . (grin)

[daku]

Then fly for another two weeks or so and use Jupiter to slow down
;)

[ml/nj]

"There's no known reason why we cannot do this."

F = M a    might be one.

ML/NJ