http://t.now.msn.com/mars-dirt-is-2-percent-water-curiosity-rover-soil-analysis-reveals 2% of soil is water....a water table in all directions...now we just need to figure out how to deal with radiation and the funding for humans to take a little trip...
That is so awesome, and we need to restore funding to NASA. IMO that's more important than keeping far flung US military bases open in countries that are our allies, with no threatening neighbors. I did find it odd how few people put themselves on the list to be considered for the first Mars mission. I think it was only a few 100,000, and of course they had way more volunteers for the shuttle and space station. If I could go, I would! I don't care how much Mars looks like central Nevada
NASA budget is something like $17 billion, compared with the federal budget of $3800 billion, so the NASA budget is mouse-nuts in the grand scheme of things. But no matter the NASA budget, NASA, unlike most all other government agencies, is scrutinized top to bottom, required to provide tangible achievements. Then we have what...1/2 of the USA who don't believe in the positive contributions of science and another 1/4 who ignore science due to religious preferences? I'm guessing the remaining 1/4 are sorely lacking in curiosity...which leaves us with very few people hell-bent on space exploration...
It was suggested years ago that one of the ways to "terraform" mars would be to pollute the atmosphere with as much CO2 and methane as possible
I have always thought that they would be better off not sending the youngsters into space but sending some old farts who could do the building of the basic structures and put up with more excess radiation than the youngsters because we (yep I am an older poster) don't have to worry about frying our reproductive system, well, as long as certain bits work........... Older people are more likely to be multiskilled, used to getting along in a team more mature outlooks etc But before they go raiding the geriatric facilities they have to make sure the bloody loos work properly - last I heard they still did not have that right!!
Wont work - who the hell are we going to complain to about how much better everything was back in the day................when there was not back in the day And who will listen to our stories of walking 5 miles to school and back again (up hill both ways) in a foot of snow??? And dont get me started on the state of my back. And who are we going to tell to get off our grass???????
But think on it..............on of the only ways to "eliminate waste" while wearing a spacesuit is to us a diaper Who else is used to THAT?
Wait...who...what? I wasn't paying attention, too busy day dreaming about the saggy bits not being quiet so saggy any more.
Ooooh! Didn't think of that - to once again have nice perky parts We just gotta elbow the young ones out!!
Humans will not land on Mars soon because of political reasons. 'Politics' has hold back everything since the Moon landings and the assasination of JFK. Same with the ecology, for three decades only but warnings about the polution and climate change (to cause resistance in the masses to organize them), but never a serious solution (only political/ideological 'solutions') We will only go to Mars and even travel to other stars (project Valkyrie) if we see how primitive we are. Because we are mass organized by politics, that massive organisation is not leading us to the planets and stars.
Unfortunately we will never be able to successfully terraform Mars because it lacks an electromagnetic field which is essential. Frankly I am more interested in getting stuff from the asteroids as they would be easier to mine.
If You Like Clorox You'll Love Perchlorate. Leave Bones Whiter Then White with No Organic Residue. Plastics, Metals, just future dust on a Perchlorate rich planet. Perchlorate, The Martian Answer To Clorox. Martian habitation projects need to learn to take on the Perchlorate factor. And any water is probably loaded with this soluble stuff. Moi
I know there are scientific reasons to preserve the Moon and planets in pristine condition with zero interference...however...seems to me once we understand the foreign object that we should consider altering the atmosphere and introducing plant species or whatever helps us further understand the potential. If we're in a hurry to see the outcome of such meddling then it would need to be a monumental effort on a large scale which with our current US bank-roll seems unlikely. Humans and animals cannot inhabit the Moon or Mars or anywhere without some major meddling...short of this it requires a few people living in hermetically sealed biospheres which IMO is a slow path to nowhere. I think if we ever are going to colonize other planets then we must meddle some...
Reproduction is necessary with or without the natural human process because if we send out a bunch of elders they'll just die out in short time...
No what I am suggesting is have them pioneer in the biospheres. Whoever does pioneer is going to have the tough end of the stick. Using older people makes sense - they pave the way for younger people when the conditions are better and reproduction is less risky.
We've had the biosphere living/research a few years ago in AZ, so if we can ever find our way to Mars or wherever, it will take younger and stronger people to construct a biosphere on another planet, and because of the time involved, I'm thinking there needs to be some reproduction from the beginning. I'm also thinking most of those missions might be one-way trips...
I think you might be missing the point. Bower is not suggesting older people be the colony, but we be the pathfinders. Go up there build the shelters and stuff, where frankly radiation is going to be less of a concern. Once something livable is established the young folk come up and breed like rabbits while safely expanding the foothold on the planet
To everybody saying that the state of NASA, the US economy, and politics are going to prevent any such mission, I would like to point out that the Mars mission is non-governmental and international. Governments have already done their screwing around, obstructing progress. Well, now, the civilians are saying, "We're sick of waiting on your non-moving asses. We're doing it ourselves"
Regardless of who funds it the core issue is still technology. Aside from that if you look at the great age of exploration you will notice most early voyages are government sponsored, then once viability is established people wanting to make money start to get involved. We are seeing exactly the same thing here. The problem remains though, outside tourism what is there for private enterprise in space?
Well, the Mars mission is supposed to be relying only existing technology. But, yeah, not much of a business model there. But at this point it's not really a business endeavor.
While existing technology can cope with what is needed. The problem is can we get it to work flawlessly for upwards of two years. There is doubt we could even protect astronauts from the cosmic ray issues during their journey out. One good Solar flare and a coffin will be landing on Mars
The way space exploration seems to work best is through government investment into the initial technologies and exploration. If not for the space race of the 60s and 70s, commercialization of space like we are seeing now and have seen since satellite technology spread to the private sector would probably not be happening or be much farther behind. Until endeavors like that become profitable enough for private industry to invest in it, they just won't, and there won't be innovation or progress. Government has to take the lead at the beginning.
I think I would have to agree. The current program of probes is doing a wonderful job of uncovering the science of Mars. Perhaps at some point the science will be such as to need direct human input, but I am not sure how far in the future that will be.
Yeah the whole point of NASA and the other government organisations is basically to create a proof of concept, we have now transitioned that and private industry is looking for business models to fund their commercial activities in orbit. Given NASA is now using private contractors to supply the space station allows NASA to spend money on the important stuff for them
