Posted on 11/12/2018 11:28:24 AM PST by ETL
WASHINGTON — The moon may be the next space destination for American astronauts, but the frontier of Mars still beckons, NASA chief Jim Bridenstine says.
Monday evening (Nov. 8), a crowd of reporters, scientists, politicians and space enthusiasts gathered here at National Geographic headquarters to celebrate and discuss Season 2 of the National Geographic series "Mars" and the Project Mars competition's film and poster winners. Bridenstine addressed the crowd, saying he was excited about the return of "Mars," the competition, and the steps the U.S. is taking to get back to the moon and then the Red Planet.
"We're going to the moon not because the moon is the end game," Bridenstine told the crowd. "We're going to the moon because there's science to be discovered there, there's risks to be retired, there's technologies to be developed, and there's human physiology that needs to be understood. And when all of this is complete, the idea is that [traveling to the moon] is the best way, as a proving ground, to develop everything that needs to be developed so that we can get to Mars."
[Living on 'Mars 2': The Real Tech Behind Nat Geo's Martian Colony]
Bridenstine said that, alongside Mars research efforts, going to the moon will be a critical step if we are to successfully land and house humans on the Red Planet. He joked about his responsibility as the new administrator, having been in the position for only six months, saying, "I'm responsible for getting us to Mars."
In the short time since Bridenstine became administrator, researchers have already made critical discoveries about Mars that make our efforts to get to the planet that much more exciting.
First, Bridenstine said, scientists found complex organic compounds on the surface of Mars. Second, they discovered that the planet has methane cycles that happen to match seasons on Mars. Third, scientists found that liquid water resides less than a mile (1.5 kilometers) below the planet's surface.
This "doesn't guarantee there's life on Mars, but it increases the probability," Bridenstine repeated a number of times, careful not to jump ahead of where the science has taken us. But such incredible scientific progress continues to move us closer to discovering if Mars does, or did, in fact host life. "It seems like we ought to find out," Bridenstine said. "And that's what we're going to do. We're going to Mars to make these discoveries. We've got a lot of really important missions upcoming — things that are going to help us understand Mars better."
Bridenstine pointed specifically to the InSight lander, which will touch down on the Red Planet on Nov. 26. The mission will study the inner workings of the planet and gather data on volcanic activity, marsquakes and asteroid impacts. This research will be essential to astronaut safety on Mars, Bridenstine said, adding that "this InSight lander is critical to a future of human-exploration activity on the surface of Mars."
Mars' history is a major reason the Red Planet is so intriguing, Bridenstine said. "Mars used to have three-fourths of its surface covered by an ocean. It used to have a strong magnetosphere that protected it from that harsh radiation environment. It used to have a thick atmosphere, and over a billion years ago, all of these things went away when its magnetosphere went away.
"We need to understand what caused that to happen," he added. "We need to get a better understanding of these other planets, their histories and their futures so that we can get a better understanding of our own planet."
Defund everything except those items callled for in the 18 enumerated powers of congress.
Guess they didnt notice the election where congress will divert funding from human achievement in order to make sure every crack whore squirting out babies gets a shiny new iphone
There was a time when walking cane handling was a manly art.
“We’re going to the moon not because the moon is the end game,”
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Tell that to future lunar hotel management and guests.
“Hopefully folks understand that with current tech, the trip to Mars is a one way ticket. As in kiss it good bye if there’s a problem.”
5-10 years of good scouting and detailed surveying first for site selection.
Then a few years of pre-positioning supplies, equipment and materials. Send robots ahead to build the shelters, drill the wells, and start the farms.
Maybe get some improved propulsion to decrease travel times from two years to a few months.
Suicide colonists with unlimited resources could go in a few years (like the Mars One folks, but with money).
If the money was there, serious colonization efforts could really start as robotic capability matures - in about ten years. In twenty years, the capability should be really strong, an life support could be strong and multiply redundant.
Lunar boogie.
So the civilization that can’t manage Earth is going to Mars to f*ck that planet up too.
Ha! Her right boob is a detonator.
There goes my plan of opening a gaudy country and western burger joint and bar on Mars.
The idea flopped in the Martian Chronicles mini series too.
These dreams are going to be crushed by none other than NASA . They are far more interested in their employees getting paid and adding layer upon layer of bureaucracy to do this. If NASA wants the moon and mars then they have to decide to make so hard choices with their budgets.
So, is NASA now done with the Muslim outreach thingy and ready to do some non-philosophical engineering and research in space? The only criteria should be “what does it do for the US?” all else should be thrown under the (fiscal) bus, including this “origins” thing.
I like your definition of Muslim outreach. Reach out and place them in another galaxy
Thanks fieldmarshaldj. If the Florida election stealing is allowed to stand, NASA's budget should be vaporized. Too bad the House was lost, eh?
NASA Chief Sees Bold Future on Mars and the Moon
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So. That’s where Bold Future has been hiding. I wondered were it went.
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