NASA plans manned Mars flyby

[bbjeg]

There is no point in sending men to Mars when we haven't even set up a working moon base yet. There is nothing helpful on Mars that we can't do on the moon, other than finding proof of ancient life or current life. The only way to live permanently on Mars is underground, just like on the moon. And the moon is a heck of a lot closer and cheaper to get to and build on.

I'd prefer they build an above ground base. That way we could see it and marvel at the accomplishment. That'll boost NASA's awareness. Who knows, maybe people would become so astonished by it that Coca-Cola would fund an additional wing and before you know it, you'll have moon city and prime real-estate (take a vacation on the moon).

Plus, wouldn't a telescope built on the moon be more efficient than one on earth? With the atmosphere and all.

 

[sojourner]

The far side of the moon is an astronomer's wet dream as far as telescope placement goes.

 

[Shatnertage]

How big would something built on the moon need to be seen from earth?

 

[sojourner]

With the naked eye? Go out and pickout the smallest detail you can see on the moon. Google the size of that feature.

 

[bbjeg]

I meant view with a telescope btw.

 

[2takesfrakes]

And the microcomputer CPUs (in desktops/laptops/smartphones) that we're using today. That level of computer miniaturization started BECAUSE of the space program.

Right, but we didn't need to KEEP going to the moon for advancements in computers, after that. Technology caught on and started the snowball of coming out with "the next big thing" until now, we're even fabricating trashbags from the atom-up. Even from a technological point of view, they don't have to reinvent the wheel to go to Mars. They just have to modify existing technology. But with going to the moon, what did the actual voyage itself get for the American people, and indeed, the people of all the world? Rocks. Rocks that only improved our theories on the moon's origin. And it's just no great shakes, being out there, outside of the novelty of "well, we got there, we did it, first!".

 

[gturner]

Dawe's limit for optically differentiating between two stars, in arc-seconds, is 4.56/D where D is the telescope diameter in inches. The moon is 1.513e10 inches from Earth, and the linear separation of an arc-second at that distance is 1.513e10*sin(1/3600) or 73,352 inches for an arc-second, or 6,112 feet. A good amateur telescope of perhaps 12 inch diameter should give you a resolution of about 0.4 arc seconds on a good night, so it could just resolve things separated by about 2500 feet. The Hubble could get down to maybe 300 feet.

But if you simply made your structure very bright, it would jump out at people even if it was too small to actually resolve, much the same way that we can't resolve the image of a star (seeing things across its surface), but can sure as heck see the light they emit.

 

[RoJoHen]

I would hate to be the astronauts flying this mission.

The first men to fly by, but not land on Mars. It'd be like the world's longest roadtrip, only you never stop anywhere. You just drive in a huge circle until you eventually make it back home. If I'm going all the way to Mars, I want to step foot on the planet, dammit!

 

[bbjeg]

I would hate to be the astronauts flying this mission.

The first men to fly by, but not land on Mars. It'd be like the world's longest roadtrip, only you never stop anywhere. You just drive in a huge circle until you eventually make it back home. If I'm going all the way to Mars, I want to step foot on the planet, dammit!

Driving in circles for almost three years sounds terrible, essentially when the scenery is the same stars. Plus, that first to flyby title will be instantly dwarfed by the first to land guy.

 

[Yminale]

I would hate to be the astronauts flying this mission.

Are you nuts!! I would volunteer for this mission in a heart beat. You get to see FREAKING MARS with your own eyes. Landing is overrated (go to Death Valley and wear red tinted glasses, Bam your on Mars ) and is better done by automated rovers anyway. As an introvert, as long as I was comfortable, I could stand a 3 year mission. Honestly, you are the same group of people who support space tourism just so people can see Earth from low earth orbit.

 

[Yminale]

And the microcomputer CPUs (in desktops/laptops/smartphones) that we're using today. That level of computer miniaturization started BECAUSE of the space program.

Actually miniaturization was due to research in nuclear weapons. There has been a lot of myths about what the space program contributed. Tang for instance was invented before the Apollo program.

 

[Yminale]

But with going to the moon, what did the actual voyage itself get for the American people,

National pride and a sense of unity. You seem to forget that the 60's was a turbulent period with the Vietnam War and the Civil Rights Movement. Plus the huge investment in scientific research and education.

and indeed, the people of all the world?

1. We proved that democracy and capitalism were superior to communism

2. We proved it without blowing up the planet in a nuclear exchange.

Destroying the illusion of Soviet supremacy was a huge victory in the Cold War. The Soviets never recovered afterwards.

Rocks. Rocks that only improved our theories on the moon's origin.

and will be the foundation of the eventual colonization of the Moon. Those rocks contained silica which we can use to form concrete, water and Helium-3. Sure we could have sent probes but we didn't have reliable enough technology to do an automated recovery mission.

And it's just no great shakes, being out there, outside of the novelty of "well, we got there, we did it, first!".

You forget that what's implicit in "we did it" is that we can do it again.

 

[JarodRussell]

Well, with the ongoing situation in Crimea, NASA and Congress had better put a much higher priority on getting Dragonrider and other nearly-ready US orbital vehicles into operation. Obama is threatening to do economic damage to Russia, while they control all manned access to our $100 billion dollar space station.

Your space station?

It is the tax payer's space station, isn't it? But they'll never get to visit it.

As an introvert, as long as I was comfortable, I could stand a 3 year mission.

Which is I guess why you would be surprised. 3 years in a tin can, surrounded by the same people, no privacy. Everyone aboard knows exactly when you're jerking off. Etc...

 

[RoJoHen]

As an introvert, as long as I was comfortable, I could stand a 3 year mission.

Which is I guess why you would be surprised. 3 years in a tin can, surrounded by the same people, no privacy. Everyone aboard knows exactly when you're jerking off. Etc...

OMG, think of the accidental space pregnancies that could happen in that amount of time!