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Sending astronauts to Mars would be stupid, says Apollo 8 pilot [Musk mentioned]
Fox News ^ | December 26, 2016 | Christopher Carbone

Posted on 12/26/2018 11:34:23 AM PST by jazusamo

Sending astronauts to Mars would be stupid, says ApolOne of the first astronauts to orbit the Moon said on Wednesday that it's "stupid" to plan human missions to Mars.

Bill Anders, who was the lunar module pilot for NASA's Apollo 8 mission, told BBC Radio 5 Live that sending crews to the Red Planet would be "almost ridiculous."

The U.S. space agency's goals include sending humans to Mars for exploration and scientific study.

"What's the imperative? What's pushing us to go to Mars?" Anders, 85, said, adding: "I don't think the public is that interested."

Still, the retired astronaut did explain that he's a big supporter of NASA's unmanned programs to Mars — "mainly because they're much cheaper."

NASA's InSight Mars Lander, which reached the Red Planet in late November, has been listening for "marsquakes," has 'heard' Martian winds and has beamed back a range of awesome images.

In a statement, NASA told the BBC that it was "leading a sustainable return to the Moon, which will help prepare us to send astronauts to Mars."

"That also includes commercial and international partners to expand human presence in space and bring back new knowledge and opportunities," the statement said.

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


TOPICS: Government; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: billanders; frankborman; mannedmission; mars; musk; nasa
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1 posted on 12/26/2018 11:34:23 AM PST by jazusamo
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To: jazusamo

I agree with him! Unless the planet can be proven habitable with unmanned flights why send anyone there? It’s a money sink hole otherwise


2 posted on 12/26/2018 11:36:26 AM PST by Jarhead9297
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To: jazusamo

Explore Mars and all of a sudden it will be Sutters Mill 1848!


3 posted on 12/26/2018 11:37:12 AM PST by Bringbackthedraft (What is earned is treasured, what is free is worth what you paid for it.)
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To: jazusamo

Having spent 45 years in aerospace (manned and unmanned), I’ve said for 20 years that we’ll need more Martian voters before we ever get funding approved for manned travel to Mars.


4 posted on 12/26/2018 11:39:37 AM PST by G Larry (There is no great virtue in bargaining with the Devil)
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To: jazusamo

How would you get enough water on Mars?


5 posted on 12/26/2018 11:40:19 AM PST by forgotten man
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To: Bringbackthedraft

You could find veins of platinum lying a foot deep, and it would still not be economically feasible to bring it back.


6 posted on 12/26/2018 11:41:32 AM PST by Buckeye McFrog
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To: jazusamo

Save all that money and instead spend it trying to achieve light speed. We’re never going anywhere worth going until we can.


7 posted on 12/26/2018 11:41:54 AM PST by I cannot think of a name
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To: jazusamo

Stupid, but cool.


8 posted on 12/26/2018 11:42:27 AM PST by rightwingcrazy
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To: jazusamo

At best Mars will end up being a scientist outpost similar to those in Antarctica today. Hardly a model for a new world colony. Where are the cities, cultural centers and transportation in Antarctica?

At worst, death and money lost.

On the other hand Musk’s revolution in space acces is useful for Earth to Earth transport, and defense against comets/ asteroids.


9 posted on 12/26/2018 11:43:09 AM PST by cicero2k
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To: jazusamo

Had he talked to Buzz Aldrin? I thought the Mars Cycler idea he came up with would be an economical vehicle for getting astronauts to Mars and back.


10 posted on 12/26/2018 11:43:12 AM PST by BradyLS (DO NOT FEED THE BEARS!)
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To: jazusamo

Has some value as a watering hole of course.
Be a long while before it’s needed.


11 posted on 12/26/2018 11:43:34 AM PST by mrsmith (Dumb sluts: Lifeblood of the Media, Backbone of the Democrat/RINO Party!)
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To: jazusamo

It’s good Bill Anders wasn’t in charge in Bill Anders’ day or no one would know who Bill Anders is.


12 posted on 12/26/2018 11:44:00 AM PST by John W (Trump/Pence 2020)
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To: jazusamo

We can alternatively stay home, let China and India colonize the moon and Mars, leaving us a illegal immigrant cesspool.


13 posted on 12/26/2018 11:46:32 AM PST by Reno89519 (No Amnesty! No Catch-and-Release! Just Say No to All Illegal Aliens! Arrest & Deport!)
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To: Jarhead9297

I’ve wondered what the big interest to do it is. There are dozens of very high obstacles that must be overcome before we can even consider interplanetary travel.

And on the movie “The Martian”, I wondered how many billions of dollars the government spent on saving one man while millions are homeless and sick and hungry.


14 posted on 12/26/2018 11:46:46 AM PST by Blood of Tyrants (Twitter is Trump's laser pointer and the media are all cats.)
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To: jazusamo
Is there a better place to send demoncraps?

PUSH this idea, don't denigrate it. Ship the Stupids to Mars, or tell them it's a tropical vacation on Venus. Then dream up some reason that radio com suddenly stops...

Talk about a win-win. What is better than sending technical retards with no survival skills, and the bland assumption they are "intelligent", to either a sub-zero near-vacuum, or a sulfuric acid atmosphere the temperature of molten lead?

15 posted on 12/26/2018 11:49:33 AM PST by jonascord (First rule of the Dunning-Kruger Club is that you do not know you are in the Dunning-Kruger club.)
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To: Blood of Tyrants

Can’t agree more


16 posted on 12/26/2018 11:51:01 AM PST by Jarhead9297
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To: jazusamo

Instead of going to Mars, we should be setting up an orbital assembly station to build both manned and unmanned space vehicles for long range explorations.

In particular we should be assembling space vehicles that will undergo high speed runs in order to perfect space drives which actually can be experimental craft at first with the drives assembled , tested and tuned in zero gravity conditions.

Then if we go to a planet such as Mars, the process of travel would not be so cumbersome.

We need a working space drive, and these likely cannot be invented or tested on the earth itself, there is just to much gravity and intervening factors which slow or prevent the transitions from theory to invention.

That’s why the nascent US Space Force makes sense.


17 posted on 12/26/2018 11:55:38 AM PST by Candor7 ((Obama Fascism)http://www.americanthinker.com/articles/2009/05/barack_obama_the_quintessentia_1.html)
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To: jazusamo

Dude, don’t spoil the fun. I’ve already got a list of people I’d like to send . . . on a one-way trip.


18 posted on 12/26/2018 12:04:32 PM PST by colorado tanker
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To: jazusamo

Yes and no. First off we should send nuclear powered tunneling robots to create underground habitats. They can work for years, augmented at stages with other, specialized robots, before humans go there for the first time.

Imagine how the value of the mission changes if people can live there for an entire year?


19 posted on 12/26/2018 12:04:45 PM PST by yefragetuwrabrumuy ("There is no 'try' only sasuga!")
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To: jazusamo

as far as I am concerned, it is necessary to send people to Mars in order to settle the place

we can’t rely on just one planet anymore
especially with all the Muslim terrorists and commies destroying or trying to destroy this planet

mankind needs additional options, and Mars (and the moon) are the obvious candidates for us


20 posted on 12/26/2018 12:07:18 PM PST by faithhopecharity (“Politicians arent born, they’re excreted.” Marcus Tullius Cicero (106 to 43 BCE))
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