NASA study paving way for human travel to Mars

FoxNews.com ^ | January 19, 2017 | Associated Press

[ETL]

HONOLULU – A group of NASA-funded researchers are poised to enter an isolated geodesic dome on a remote Hawaii volcano to study human behavior in long-term space exploration, including a planned voyage to Mars.

The six scientists enter their new home Thursday on the Big Island's Mauna Loa volcano for an eight-month stay.

The team will have no physical contact with people in the outside world and will work with a 20-minute delay in communications, the time it would take for an email to reach Earth from Mars.

The study will assess the psychological difficulties associated with living in isolated and confined conditions for an extended time.

The project is designed to help the U.S. space agency send humans on long space voyages including to Mars by the 2030s.

[ETL]

According to Sheila 'Jackass' Lee we've already landed men on Mars.

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

[max americana]

“if the Mars Pathfinder had taken an image of the flag planted there in 1969 by Neil Armstrong.[2]”

Of course there is a US flag. It was planted by Optimus Prime you Dummycrat moron.

[dp0622]

:) That one NEVER gets old!!

The future of the dem party!

More importantly, since we’re talking about science, I wonder who would win in an all out war between the Star ship Federation and The Empire from Star Wars :)

[Telepathic Intruder]

Not really an accurate psychological test since the researchers know they can just quit anytime they want. A launch window between Earth and Mars only opens once every two years, however, and travel time is six months.

[Az Joe]

Robots can do more for less. Not sure of the value of sending people to Mars. Unless you plan on keeping them there.

[MNDude]

Majorly MAGA!

[Gator113]

“The study will assess the psychological difficulties associated with living in isolated and confined conditions for an extended time.”

Actually, it might be more cost effective and provide valuable results by simply filling a prison with politicians and light the prison on fire.

[bobk333]

As far as Mars explorations, the focus should first be on building robots and drones that can sustain themselves on Mars.

These robots should be able to build and maintain themselves — i.e. robots building and fixing other robots. They should also be able to collect energy of some sort.

Once we have this capability — and it might be just a matter of deciding to do it — then we send armies of them to Mars: dozens or even hundreds of them.

When there is an army of robots which can sustain themselves and build energy, then they should start building safe human habitat, whose safety should be tested using animals, with the robots feeding and caring for the animals.

Then it should be an easy matter to send the first humans to Mars.

This can be done. It can be done now with the technology we have.

.

[Fungi]

A worthless expenditure of valuable money earned by real people to do mindless nonsense by unaccountable bureaucrats.

[GraceG]

Trump should build a hotel on Mars...

Heck he should put Newt Gingrich in as head of NASA!

Newt wanted to go back to the moon last time he ran, well, tell him he has the job if he can get us to Mars!

[ETL]

As far as Mars explorations, the focus should first be on building robots and drones that can sustain themselves on Mars. These robots should be able to build and maintain themselves — i.e. robots building and fixing other robots. They should also be able to collect energy of some sort...Once we have this capability — and it might be just a matter of deciding to do it — then we send armies of them to Mars: dozens or even hundreds of them.

[GraceG]

As far as Mars explorations, the focus should first be on building robots and drones that can sustain themselves on Mars.

These robots should be able to build and maintain themselves — i.e. robots building and fixing other robots. They should also be able to collect energy of some sort.

Once we have this capability — and it might be just a matter of deciding to do it — then we send armies of them to Mars: dozens or even hundreds of them.

[ When there is an army of robots which can sustain themselves and build energy, then they should start building safe human habitat, whose safety should be tested using animals, with the robots feeding and caring for the animals.

Then it should be an easy matter to send the first humans to Mars.

This can be done. It can be done now with the technology we have. ]

We can test all that tech on the Moon first and there is only 1 second time lag to make ironing out all the kinks easier!

[plain talk]

As far as Mars explorations, the focus should first be on building robots and drones that can sustain themselves on Mars.

Interesting. I was thinking the same thing. The risks and costs of manned exploration are so great. Send fine-tuned robots that can do anything a person can do and more until sufficient breakthroughs emerge to send people there.

A critical thing IMO from a strategic perspective is to establish US bases on the moon, Mars and elsewhere before the Chicoms and others.

[GraceG]

[Telepathic Intruder]

That’s debatable. A robot can only do what it’s programmed to, using only the tools it is equipped with. Humans can improvise and devise new methods to analyze the environment based on discoveries made in the field. A human might also notice things that a robot will ignore because it doesn’t have the intelligence to recognize something significant. It would in fact be interesting to put a human or two on Mars for a while.

[Java4Jay]

Why?

We have more pressing needs right here at home!

[sargon]

As far as Mars explorations, the focus should first be on building robots and drones that can sustain themselves on Mars.

These robots should be able to build and maintain themselves — i.e. robots building and fixing other robots. They should also be able to collect energy of some sort.

Once we have this capability — and it might be just a matter of deciding to do it — then we send armies of them to Mars: dozens or even hundreds of them.

When there is an army of robots which can sustain themselves and build energy, then they should start building safe human habitat, whose safety should be tested using animals, with the robots feeding and caring for the animals.

Then it should be an easy matter to send the first humans to Mars.

This can be done. It can be done now with the technology we have.

Interesting. One of the things which would obviously be needed for this notion of self-sustaining robots would be the ability to gather needed raw materials from the environment and process them for use in their construction projects (maintaining and replicating each other, building shelters, agriculture, sustaining animal life).

And we really are on the cusp of the needed technology. All we really need to do is "put it all together". Wouldn't it be great if this Nation led the charge towards putting a man on Mars, and beginning to colonize it?

Such a venture needn't be entirely subsidized by government, of course. American industry and ingenuity (and maybe the World's) are certainly up to the task.

In addition to using rockets, I have a recommendation: any plan for putting a man on Mars, and building a sustainable colony, should involve rocks. Lots of rocks of all shapes and sizes. Rocks are a big natural resource on Mars.

Anyway, a "Mars shot" would be a great undertaking, one which President Trump won't shrink from, IMHO.

[ETL]

We’ll always have more urgent things to do. But it’s in our nature to explore and discover.

[UCANSEE2]

Gee, what could go wrong ?

[dhs12345]

Is that a pointy head that she is covering under that wig! She’s a martian!