Yes, so it is believed. Nasa are on the verge of announcing plans for the first manned mission to Mars. Word is they are to announce this on Thursday.
I believe the overall objective is to tap the vast store of frozen water beneath the Planet's surface which if harnessed correctly would be used for water (obviously) and hydrogen power generators for a longer term manned presence.
This is an exciting announcement, one I've looked forward to ever since the Viking missions in the 70's.
Posted by Alpha Centauri (Member # 338) on :
That's cool, it's about time. I've read about the subsurface ice today in the papers.
[ May 27, 2002, 11:50: Message edited by: Alpha Centauri ]
Posted by DeadCujo (Member # 13) on :
I wonder how much that's going to cost.
Posted by Snay (Member # 411) on :
$10.49.
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
All I can say is, it's about damn time! ....Assuming it makes it off the ground, of course.
[ May 27, 2002, 12:07: Message edited by: MinutiaeMan ]
Posted by Snay (Member # 411) on :
Not for $10.49 it won't.
Posted by Nim Pim (Member # 205) on :
Nooo, more like $3.50.
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
I presume you're refering to the somewhat over-eager reports from BBC News, among others, which appeared in stories about the apparent confirmation of vast amounts of subsurface water ice?
I'm in favor of a human presence on Mars as much as any rational person. More so, even. But any such proposal is going to be met in Congress with two questions: How much is this going to cost, and how will it increase our national security? NASA's budget would have to be given a huge increase to even begin seriously planning for such a mission. And in the eyes of many, NASA's job right now should be building better survellience satellites and space-based weapon systems, and I'd be hard pressed to say that such a priority is unjustified.
Posted by The Red Admiral (Member # 602) on :
You're probably right, and funding will of course run into billions. All I know is that Nasa are about to annouce the plans for such a manned mission to Mars. Any such mission, if it does get off the ground, might not be for some years.
Posted by thoughtychops (Member # 480) on :
They must be scared of the Chinese space program. They intend to put a man on the moon inside eight years, and then go on to Mars themselves.
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
And I have to say that I sincerely doubt any such announcement is forthcoming. I'm not going to put money on it, as I have none, but I bet the only thing NASA will say regarding all this will be along the lines of "This certainly solves several problems a future Mars mission will face."
And no one is scared of the Chinese space program. Space races are for nations with something to prove. A Chinese flag on the moon is more or less meaningless (to everyone but the Chinese, to whom it would rightfully be a great feat) when it comes 30 years after the American one.
When China starts building a near earth orbit infrastructure similar to that of the U.S., then you'll see concerns about keeping up, because that's where access to space actually matters on a geopolitical scale.
As for Mars, China is in far less a position to go than the U.S., and the U.S. is in no position to go, "Case For Mars" or not.
Posted by The_Tom (Member # 38) on :
What Simon sez, erm, said
Posted by Veers (Member # 661) on :
Where did you hear about the announcement? Was it from a reliable source?
And any such mission to Mars wouldn't happen until the ISS is completed, and maybe not for ten years after that. So, I'd say, the earliest a Mars mission will launch is 2015.
[ May 27, 2002, 14:17: Message edited by: Veers ]
Posted by Cartman (Member # 256) on :
I hope that the Chinese beat NASA (which is a rather pathetic shell of its former self) to it; their space program has been kicked into high gear and -- as it stands now, anyway -- the odds are stacked heavily in China's favor.
I'm betting the first flag planted on Mars will be red... quite a fitting color.
Posted by Omega (Member # 91) on :
Did it occur to anyone that this would likely be an international mission? China could well go with us. Assuming we go.
Posted by TSN (Member # 31) on :
"And in the eyes of many, NASA's job right now should be building better survellience satellites and space-based weapon systems..."
They really should have put something about "science" and "exploration" into NASA's title, so they wouldn't have to bother w/ crap like that.
Posted by Vogon Poet (Member # 393) on :
As regards the national security issue, all they have to do is prove that those caves and the rocky terrain in Bin Laden's videos actually show he's on Mars, and Bjorn Stronginthearm's your uncle.
Posted by Wraith (Member # 779) on :
So the ice is there- unconfirmed rumour that NASA'll 'commit to a timetable'.
If they do though it'll be the best news for a long while... ...and to all those who say we need to sort out problems on Earth first, well maybe this will help; an international mission will help unite humanity. Hopefully.
[ May 28, 2002, 07:05: Message edited by: Wraith ]
Posted by Vogon Poet (Member # 393) on :
Of course, the whole subsurface ice thing was suspected anyway; it's a major part of Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars Trilogy.
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
Of course. But when a multi-BILLION dollar national (or international) effort is hanging in the balance, I'd sure as hell want proof before committing to spending that money.
Yeah, I firmly believe that we need to get to Mars. But NASA is probably right too, in doing it carefully. (But they're also probably dragging their feet, too...)
Posted by First of Two (Member # 16) on :
Congress drags NASA's feet a lot more than NASA does.
It's all about the funding, baby.
Posted by Alpha Centauri (Member # 338) on :
Some hard data here: estimates for mission costs range from $60 billion to $800 billion. The cheapest alternative foresees in only one visit by one crew, while the more expensive variants include the establishment of a small colony and a series of multiple missions.
Posted by thoughtychops (Member # 480) on :
Reagan spent 1.2 trillion on the Star Wars program in his eight years in office. Personally, I don't see what the big deal about spending 800 billion on a mission to mars is, comparatively.
It's not like anybody is going to see a red cent of that money anyway.
But I'm not a fool. I know the space program is always the first thing to be cut by congress. They'd rather fund studies on ketchup viscosity.
Speaking of the Chinese, it's pretty likely that they will build a space station. Much of the R&D has already been done. The technology is thirty years old. They already have some lower end boosters that can reach near earth orbit.
I think the state department is probably a bit more concerned about this than we think they are. Men, after all, are not the only thing you can put inside of those boosters. You can also put warheads on them.
Posted by Cartman (Member # 256) on :
quote:Reagan spent 1.2 trillion on the Star Wars program in his eight years in office. Personally, I don't see what the big deal about spending 800 billion on a mission to mars is, comparatively.
The big deal is that you can't use a Mars-mission to shoot eeeeeevil Commies.
Posted by The_Tom (Member # 38) on :
Much as I love the space sciences and all, I don't think you can call half a trillion dollars chump change just because greater amounts have been mis-spent in the past. The US Congress isn't "wasting" potential Mars money on ketchup-viscosity studies, it's spending public money on a variety of things with a variety of usefulness. 70 billion in agricultural subsidies, 2/3rds of which go to the wealthiest 10% of agribusiness? Waste. Writing off third world debts? Probably a hell of a lot more worthwhile.
Rock #4 will still be around for the exploring in a century, if we really need to take that long to get our affairs in order on Rock #3. Let's go to Mars, sure. But Edmund Hillary logic shouldn't work when we're talking about enough money to feed billions people for their lifetimes.
Posted by OnToMars (Member # 621) on :
I'm hurt. Almost to a third page and nobody's even mentioned me.
I'm not getting my hopes up. Announcing definitive plans for a manned mission to Mars would be such a paradigm shift at this point that it would be extremely suprising.
What's more likely is that if they anounce anything at all, it will be along the lines of reaffirming that a manned mission to Mars within twenty years or something like that. And then the matter will be promptly dropped. Anybody remember a few months ago the Russians announced they intended on landing humans within twenty years and a week later, NASA did the same thing.
Oh, and China would have absolutely NO motivation to make it an international mission. There would be no benefit for them doing so. They're actually the only spacefaring viable nation that wouldn't be pressed or could ignore urgings to make it international.
Posted by thoughtychops (Member # 480) on :
"But Edmund Hillary logic shouldn't work when we're talking about enough money to feed billions people for their lifetimes."
Well, Yeah, but only if you want to be reasonable about it.
But the US government does fund ketchup viscosity research. Amongst other things.
Doesn't prove anything. Just amuses me.
Posted by MinutiaeMan (Member # 444) on :
And of course there's the farm subsidies that are an honored tradition in our country...
Really, if Congress is paying almost $200 BILLION in order to get people to NOT do any farming, then what is the problem with sending a manned mission to Mars?
I don't see the logic here...
Posted by First of Two (Member # 16) on :
Think about it... people are going hungry, and the government is paying farmers NOT to grow food.
Doesn't this tie in to something I've been saying on the Flameboard?
Posted by Sol System (Member # 30) on :
I hope not. Why does every interesting thread always doom itself?
Posted by Cartman (Member # 256) on :
Threads not themselves doom do.
Posted by thoughtychops (Member # 480) on :
Around surviving thread, a perimeter create!
Posted by The_Tom (Member # 38) on :
Looks like it's time for all of us to get in touch with our inner musk-ox.