Zaknafein Posted July 28, 2002 Posted July 28, 2002 http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/2009318.stm This BBC article is about the discovery of water on Mars. Because of this discovery, NASA might commit to a manned mission to Mars in the next 20 years!!! I was just wondering what you guys think about this. Is it just a waste of time and resources, or is there really something practical to gain from this? I will post my own veiws later . Feel the 'Putt Jattan De' power!!*Truth is highest, but Truthful living is higher still*
ckdstudent Posted July 28, 2002 Posted July 28, 2002 Wow. They might commit to a mission in the next twenty years. Personally my opinion is that we should have gone as soon as we had the technology. We can do these amazing things, like putting people on the moon, or hoisting them up into space, and we don't because its too expensive. ---------Pil SungJimmy B
ZeRo Posted July 28, 2002 Posted July 28, 2002 talking about space theres a comet heading for earth. its gonna hit in 17 years. and yeh its pretty cool that we could go to mars and stuff.
ckdstudent Posted July 28, 2002 Posted July 28, 2002 What a suprise, another comet heading for Earth. Seeing as one recently passed inside the orbit of the moon and they didn't notice it until two weeks after it passed by I can't help but feel slightly sceptical. ---------Pil SungJimmy B
Bon Posted July 28, 2002 Posted July 28, 2002 ckdstudent, yeah, it's expensive, dude.. For longer flight periods, we require more fuel, which requires more fuel for the added mass, etc! When we fly to the moon, the engines are turned off, they use a gravity-assisted trajectory, the engines are only used to reach the escape velocity and land the craft.. A successful launch window to Mars occurs roughly once every 3 years. I ask you, would you leave your family for 3 years ? 20 years is a very small time actually, you know ? Presently, we communicate to spaceships at the speed of light, but the distance it has to travel is still significant.. It obeys an inverse square law. Also, there are other problems, due to sunspot activity which affects the Van Allen radiation belts which are 2 energetically doughnut shaped regions around the Earth. Sunspots are cool magnetic areas on the sun which are up to 400 times as strong as the Earth's magnetic field. This affects the Van Allen radiation belts, 'causing a corresponding ring of current to flow around the Earth which can **** up communication. They can go from a maxiumum to a minimum to a maximum in 11 years. XpOiSoN FrEeX, I think that's more the way the media portrayed it... If it's following a certain course, it'll hit the Earth and even if it does, it's more likely to land in water, since 75% of out Earth is made up of water. I dare say a gravitational attraction between other comets and what not will put it off course if it is on course. All objects are attracted : F=Gm1m2/r² F = Gm1m1/r² F is the force G is the Universal gravitational constant m1, m2 are the masses of the objects r is the distance between their centres Very unlikely it'll hit the Earth! _________________ It takes sacrifice to be the best. There are always two choices, two paths to take. One is easy. And its only reward is that it's easy. [ This Message was edited by: Bon on 2002-07-28 19:43 ] [ This Message was edited by: Bon on 2002-07-28 19:44 ] It takes sacrifice to be the best.There are always two choices, two paths to take. One is easy. And its only reward is that it's easy.
ckdstudent Posted July 28, 2002 Posted July 28, 2002 Yes, I know the physics of it. I'm studying physics as a degree course with plans to go on to a doctorate. There are other options. Why does everyone assume the mission has to return? I assure you that you'd find plenty of volunteers willing to leave Earth and become the first permanent human inhabitants of another planet, and they could pave the way for more. But of course, this is all science fiction, just like those small hand held phones that let you talk across long distances without wires, and those special gun-like things that give you injections without needles, and being able to see inside people without cutting them open, and being able to go to the moon, and lasers capable of knocking out ballistic missiles from space. You never know what's possible 'til you try. ---------Pil SungJimmy B
Bon Posted July 28, 2002 Posted July 28, 2002 Why were you so sarcastic about launching within the next 20 years ? You should know 20 years is not a long time when you consider everything. I highly doubt there will be many volunteers who'd like to live on Mars. Oxygen ? We're going to have to walk around with masks ? I don't think many people will like that. At least 3 years to return if they don't like there ? In that time I'll have been to Uni and completed my degree. We can't just come back to Earth at any time we want, we may have to wait up to 20 years before we can return if we want to. When you do get there, what is there going to be for you ? Not much.. Life on another planet is possible if you ask me, the standard of living just won't be near as good as what we have here at the moment. It takes sacrifice to be the best.There are always two choices, two paths to take. One is easy. And its only reward is that it's easy.
ckdstudent Posted July 29, 2002 Posted July 29, 2002 No, twenty years itself isn't a long time. But saying that they *might* commit to a mission in twenty years? Why wait, why not go now?Life on another planet is possible if you ask me, the standard of living just won't be near as good as what we have here at the moment. Depends where you take your volunteers from. There are plenty of people who'd find their lives much improved. ---------Pil SungJimmy B
Bon Posted July 29, 2002 Posted July 29, 2002 On 2002-07-29 03:17, ckdstudent wrote: No, twenty years itself isn't a long time. But saying that they *might* commit to a mission in twenty years? Why wait, why not go now? A thing called planning perhaps ? Can't just pull a team of people together and send them off to Mars tommorrow. They'll have to undergo training to increase fitness levels. They'll probably want to discuss this with their family before they hop in a space craft. Then there are things called Van Allen radiation belts which effect communication. They'll have to design and assemble a space craft suitable for the mission. The people onboard will need to eat, sleep & ****! I thought you knew the physics! _________________ It takes sacrifice to be the best. There are always two choices, two paths to take. One is easy. And its only reward is that it's easy. [ This Message was edited by: Bon on 2002-07-29 04:54 ] It takes sacrifice to be the best.There are always two choices, two paths to take. One is easy. And its only reward is that it's easy.
ckdstudent Posted July 29, 2002 Posted July 29, 2002 Its the might that bothers me, not so much the twenty years. I believe there are currently several dozen viable designs for a manned mars mission. ---------Pil SungJimmy B
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