Mission to Mars

[Sétanta]

Do you think that humans will get to Mars? For what purpose will they go there? And will we end up colonizing it?


i am thinking eventually the US and Russa try and get there. fail miserably and screw space

[Cluny the Scourge]

There is no conceivable reason to waste time and expertise sending people to Mars, except the same reason used for going to the Moon, which is to arouse patriotic feeling and improve the administration's standing.

If it's going to be done for any reason at all, I would propose it be as a futuristic penal colony for space-travel enthusiasts. Possibly with video cameras set up to record them fighting to the death there, as the return-lander only has room for one person.

[Kanaric]

There is no conceivable reason to waste time and expertise sending people to Mars, except the same reason used for going to the Moon, which is to arouse patriotic feeling and improve the administration's standing.

People can stay an extended time on mars, and if their are a decent amount of natural resources (ie. gold or other metals) it would be VERY useful to stay their.

The only problem will be refining a craft and the technology to do it with reasonable amounts of cash. Right now as it stands the first trip would cost billions, however after a "base camp" is set up it would cost less as you wouldn't have to carry all the parts for it.

Staying on Mars would be EXTREMELY cheap as you can produce oxygen from plants and the ice and grow your own food as well. Also if their is enough ice you can power the base on hydrogen fuel. IDK what they would use right now, never read up on it.

IMO going to mars wont be a really big idea until China's space program advances to the point where they want to do it to "arouse patriotic feeling and improve the administration's standing" as you said. I find it funny though that Bush and other presidents always say "i will finance a trip to mars" and never divert any money, or simply take the money away after a week.

[Cluny the Scourge]

Personally, a lifetime of movies and books have made me too scared to tolerate the idea of exploring it. Better to just ****ing nuke the whole planet - launch a barrage of ****ing missiles and sterilise the whole crust. It's the only way to be sure about those little green Martian bastard sons of whores.

People can stay an extended time on mars, and if their are a decent amount of natural resources (ie. gold or other metals) it would be VERY useful to stay their.

Access to new planet-wide quantities of gold would be economically catastrophic. We at present depend upon artificial use of gold, which is actually materially useful for only a few industrial purposes, as a foundational base for economic stability. The global system can permit new excavations of gold at only the established and understood rate from mines worldwide. Add a whole planet's worth of extra gold and you have an instant worldwide depression.

As for other metals, meaning ones that are actually useful, titanium and iron and so on, there are enough unexplored deposits on Earth to last for centuries.

Staying on Mars would be EXTREMELY cheap as you can produce oxygen from plants and the ice and grow your own food as well. Also if their is enough ice you can power the base on hydrogen fuel. IDK what they would use right now, never read up on it.

Plants? There is no sustainable plant-life on Mars. The planet's soil is barren.

[RZZZA]

Access to new planet-wide quantities of gold would be economically catastrophic. We at present depend upon artificial use of gold, which is actually materially useful for only a few industrial purposes, as a foundational base for economic stability. The global system can permit new excavations of gold at only the established and understood rate from mines worldwide. Add a whole planet's worth of extra gold and you have an instant worldwide depression.

Gimme a break dude...to me this sounds like alarmist doomsaying...are you by any chance a republican? Cuz they specialize in this field. I'm of the opinion that not much can actually cause catastrophic reprecussions for humanity...life will go on, nature tends to balance itself out, thats what I think. I dont put too much stock in the immediate urgency issues that people will bring up to further their own interests, stuff like global warming, or pullution, or the eradication of the rainforests. There is some truth in what people have to say on these topics...but its not gonna catastrophically wipe out all mankind anytime soon...neither will SARS or the bird flu, or AIDS...and not even asteroids. We are capable of defelecting asteroids, the technology is there, its just waiting to be applied and seriously backed financially and with a common purpose. When humans are in trouble, they will find a way to overcome. We have to, because we're the smartest animals on the planet, right? If you believe in a divine purpose and a reasonable God then you have to believe that destiny will never be entirely stacked against us, because we were given independant thought, free will and all the tools we need to overcome any obstacle and global phenomenon that may occur. Its just up to us to figure out the how's, as long as humans want to survive and prosper then I think we will. Until we encounter some advanced civilization that wants us destroyed....then I dont know how merciful destiny and the universe will be. But if you watched Independance Day, you'll know that the universe is always on the side of the humans. Just like God is always on the side of Americans in war movies

[danzig]

Gimme a break dude...to me this sounds like alarmist doomsaying...are you by any chance a republican? Cuz they specialize in this field. I'm of the opinion that not much can actually cause catastrophic reprecussions for humanity

Pfft wth you gotta go get political, who is crying global warming, ice age coming, we are all gonna die cause lady down street uses her SUV etc etc. Everyone does it for their 'cause' so dont make dumb generlizations k?

[Last Roman]

I believe in the far far future, we will be able to create a ozone layer, increase gravity and put water on the planet and start colonization.

and yes, im being serious

[danzig]

Do you think that humans will get to Mars? For what purpose will they go there? And will we end up colonizing it?


i am thinking eventually the US and Russa try and get there. fail miserably and screw space

Because we can thats why and I mean mankind not just the US. Space is this age's Atlantic Ocean...its there we gotta cross it, who knows what is out there. Only down side is Ill probably be dead and buried before we ever even come close.

[Kanaric]

I believe in the far far future, we will be able to create a ozone layer, increase gravity and put water on the planet and start colonization.

and yes, im being serious

I agree with you, technology has infiniate possibilities.

Also their IS SOME water on the planet in form of ice. If you see images of mars during some times of year their is ice caps on it so it has to come from somewhere.

Also we can create Ozone now, their are some machines that are banned or have warnings on them that they create Ozone. On ground level its considered a pollutant. If you can figure out how to put it in the Ozone layer were all set.

[Last Roman]

I agree with you, technology has infiniate possibilities.

Also their IS SOME water on the planet in form of ice. If you see images of mars during some times of year their is ice caps on it so it has to come from somewhere.

Also we can create Ozone now, their are some machines that are banned or have warnings on them that they create Ozone. On ground level its considered a pollutant. If you can figure out how to put it in the Ozone layer were all set.

you're right, there is some water in ice formation. But I meant enough water to sustain a very large amount of people (im talking millions) and I did mean create an ozone layer, not a pollutant

[Templedog]

Need to defend the world of asteroids first. One big ass one is coming. Need to increase NASA funding. Which is why Japans space program will dominate the US. We spend too much on defense. Free market? Need more economical reasons to go to space.

Mars was like earth at one point. It was the same distance from the sun. Every day the earth is moving away from the sun by about 1 cm. At the core of mars might be alot of oil, when life was robust. With Mars being smaller than the earth, with less gravity, evolution and time, the animals might of been alot smaller. There are tons of reasons to discover Mars. Try telling that to religious freaks though.

[Kanaric]

Access to new planet-wide quantities of gold would be economically catastrophic. We at present depend upon artificial use of gold

Was just a quick example, i'm sure other resources exist. Also gold based currency doesn't exist anymore.

Who knows, their are some scientists that think their may of been life their in the distant past. Can you imagine if they find fossil fuels their?

Plants? There is no sustainable plant-life on Mars. The planet's soil is barren.

You obviously aren't that knowlegeable about space exploration. Scientists would bring plants with them using hydroponics, they clean the water, process new oxygen, and generate food. Its allready been tested and its proven to work.

[Denny Crane!]

Futurism is a hobby of mine.

Since the 1980's technology has been progressing exponentially, in fact progress has increased so fast the exponential growth has become exponential. The trend has surpassed all expectations of stumbling blocks and even the predicted slowdown in processors is now unlikely. Anyone older than 13-14 has seen the immense changes, people my age and above have seen the progression from the BBC->Spectrum->amstrad (5.5" Disks )->Master system->PC's->Playstation and so on it is unbelievable and if you hadn't lived it you wouldn't believe it.

Therefore it is unconceivable to me that we wouldn't have the technology A. For clean transport and B. fast enough transport to get to Mars in a workable time. Terraforming technology is 50 years ago IMO, colonies seventy years ago. Once space travel is easy resources become limitless, there is an asteroid the size of the moon in the outer belt astronomers have thoerised is made almost entirely of metal.

I don't know if anyone can cast any light on this but I read an article six months ago saying that they believe helium3 exists on the moon which could make nuclear fission possible.

Peter

[Marshal Qin]

Why go to Mars? Why not? How many things have been done in the past for no apparent reason or with the only reason being 'hope'? IMO there does not need to be a reason to go, we are human so we must. Its in our nature, just like our fondness for conflict.

[PacSubCom]

They go to Mars for the resources of the asteroid belt. It is a stepping stone. Its own recources are not desirable since they lie inside a gravity well. The asteroids may be further away, but they float in space, and therefore they or the material can be accelerated to earth without much energy expenditure. On Mars you have water, and that means oxygen, water and fuel for the prospectors. Without Mars, you would have to find it in the Asteroid belt.

[Erik]

A manned mission to Mars would be pointless at this time.
But they should continue sending robots and maybe one day if the far future there wil be a good reason for a manned mission.

[Marshal Qin]

no need for a reason other than the fact that its there and its hard to get to.

[danzig]

Dunno why so many people dont like the idea of manned missions to mars, yeah it might not have no obvious practical purpose other then for the saking of doing it but how many brilliant creations by man have been provoked by someone doing something simply to prove they could achieve something? Yeah the robotic missions from NASA and the satellite mapping from ESA and NASA and even the old Russian missions have given us a wealth of information but there is just something about human achievement to actually have a person step foot on another planet. Dunno maybe Im overromanticizing it but just seems the desire to do something just because we can and lack of thinking big is settling in too heavy on mankind. Why go to Mars? Well why the hell not.

[Erik]

but how many brilliant creations by man have been provoked by someone doing something simply to prove they could achieve something?

Yes.
How many brilliant creation have been provoked by climbing Mount Everest?
Or how many trough missions to the North and South poles?
I'll tell you: none.

[danzig]

Yes.
How many brilliant creation have been provoked by climbing Mount Everest?
Or how many trough missions to the North and South poles?
I'll tell you: none.

How many achievements came thru going the moon, a move that was pretty much unncessary and as Qin pointed out knowledge as far as enviroment etc all came from your examples. Case in point the 'study' saying co2 levels are highest since prehistoric times based on what? Ice drilling in the poles now if no one bothered to venture in the first place.

I still enjoy my life. I take risks. I take myself out of my comfort zone and have done things that many people only dream about. How many people can honestly say that if they died tomorrow, they would be satisfied with their life? Humans are at the top of the food chain because we are curious and violent. If we weren't curious we would be no more than just another predator (a weak one at that) on some plain in Africa squabbing over the corpse of a dead herbivor.

Oh most definately and not like Im saying lets take 3 people strap them to a rocket and fire them off to mars tomorrow but our general nature that got us to this point of civilization just seems to be flattening out a bit. We like safe but to be completely safe you give up so much, whether its civil liberties in a 'war on terrori' or risk of life on a risky venture such as mars. Safe and comfort is fine but I just think we are getting too comfortable...too safe that no one wants to rock the boat for fear of upsetting their little lives. That brings a risk of stagnation common thru out periods of history where human civilization just seemed to get stuck for awhile (ie dark ages though obviously not for same reasons). Dunno maybe the age of man stepping bolding into something is dead and Im sure the violent results of failed 'bold' moves makes some people content with letting it die and we'll prefer to inch our way forward rather then leap its certainly alot more safe I suppose.