posted
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.
-------------------- "To the Enterprise and the Stargazer. Old girlfriends we'll never meet again." - Scotty
-------------------- Picard: Mr. Crusher, what's our maximum speed this week? Wesley: [checking manual] Uh, 9.4, sir. Picard: Very good. Take us to Warp 9.8 then. Wesley: Aye, sir. Warp 9.2 it is.
Registered: Mar 1999
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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 ]
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Registered: Nov 2000
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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.
Registered: Mar 1999
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posted
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.
-------------------- "To the Enterprise and the Stargazer. Old girlfriends we'll never meet again." - Scotty
posted
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.
Registered: Jan 2001
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posted
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.
Registered: Mar 1999
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Registered: Mar 1999
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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.
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posted
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.
Registered: Nov 1999
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posted
Did it occur to anyone that this would likely be an international mission? China could well go with us. Assuming we go.
-------------------- "This is why you people think I'm so unknowable. You don't listen!" - God, "God, the Devil and Bob"
Registered: Mar 1999
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