Politics of Water: Ancient Sea on Mars Begs Human Exploration

space.com ^ | 3/24/04 | Tarig Malik

[KevinDavis]

The discovery that a salty sea once covered party of the surface of Mars will have lasting effects on the future exploration of the red planet, according to scientists and policy experts inside and outside NASA.

[GeronL]

I forsee a science vessel first... and when it becomes a bit obsolete (bigger, better) they turn it into a luxury cruise vessel.. Imagine the casino...

[Robert_Paulson2]

[GeronL]

I am sure we could come up with a better design than something that looks like a giant bullet.

[GeronL]

Have you seen this page?

http://www.newworlds.com/nucpro.html

[GeronL]

[RadioAstronomer]

I still like the NERVA or VASIMR design better. Add the SP-100 and a couple of "keep alive" RTGs for power and you are in business. Orion would never "fly" so to speak anyway. The respective governments would never allow nuclear weaponry to be launched no matter for what purpose they were intended.

[RadioAstronomer]

Nice link. :-)

http://www.newworlds.com/nucpro.html

[GeronL]

No weapons... just explosives used for propulsion. Is rocket fuel not explosive?

[GeronL]

http://www.strangehorizons.com/2004/20040112/nuclear.shtml

[GeronL]

www.bambam131.com/ussyorktown.htm

check this page out... weird.

[RadioAstronomer]

No weapons... just explosives used for propulsion. Is rocket fuel not explosive?

Sure, but it is a controlled chemical burn. Nuclear weapons (and that is what these are no matter how you couch the term) will never fly.

Nerva and the like would be far more practical IMHO.

[LibWhacker]

Am I right about it's capacity as reported in the articles?

That was the vision in 1960. Today I think we could do much, much better.

[GeronL]

check out the link in 50.

bambam131.com, this guy does good space art in 3-d.

bambam131.com/ussyorktown.htm is his design for a nuclear propulsion vessel. Peice by peice!!!

[LibWhacker]

I think so. How would it slow down?? Another nuke??

Yep. It would spin around 180 degrees, roughly at the half-way point to Mars, and begin firing off nukes in the opposite direction.

[GeronL]

I can't even draw very good. How does someone do that? Thats 2 different ships I think. Plus he has a bunch of them.

[GeronL]

Slowing down sounds more dangerous than speeding up.

[RadioAstronomer]

They are getting prettty good at 3d. Check out the "Adobe Atmosphere" program.

Also here is a wonderful website: :-)

http://www.desktopstarships.com/

(go to the galleries page)

[LibWhacker]

Darn, with one of these in orbit, who needs a space station?

Heck, the price is so reasonable I think, we could eventually have a fleet of 12 of the darn things, say, exploring the entire solar system -- while holding a few back to hover above the Earth to keep the Chicoms, Muslims and French in line. It'd be the closest thing to having a fleet of starships. There wouldn't be any solid body in the solar system we couldn't put a man on in short order. It's a dream.

[GeronL]

I'd like to try it. Who needs thousands of nuke missiles anyway??