Which more feasible: Manned flight to Mars or Raising The Titanic?

[Mutara Nebula 1967]

These are two tecnological acheivements I would love to see in my life time. Being only three in 1969 I have no memory of the moon landing though I do remember one of the later missions.

To see a man land on Mars would be amazing.

Putting aside all the legal/ethical issues I would also love to see the Titanic bow section raised and preserved as a museaum. Can you imagine what it would be like to actually set foot on the Titanic.

Technologically though I wonder which one could be realistically accomplished say in the next 30 years.

 

[SG-17]

The Titanic would probably crumble if it were attempted to be moved, which I don't think should be done anyway. It is a mass grave after all (I was very surprised that Superman raised it and was restoring it in his Fortress, seems blatantly disrespectful).

 

[Holdfast]

This thread inspires the mental image of the Titanic being raised, retrofitted with giant booster rockets, and used to fly to Mars.

Now that, my friends, would be real human ingenuity.

 

[Nowhere Man]

Mars mission

 

[6079SmithW]

This thread inspires the mental image of the Titanic being raised, retrofitted with giant booster rockets, and used to fly to Mars.

Now that, my friends, would be real human ingenuity.

On the way there it hits an asteroid and crashes on the surface.

Yeah, Titanic would crumble if moved. The release of pressure as it rose would do it in. So, Mars.

 

[scotpens]

The Titanic would probably crumble if it were attempted to be moved, which I don't think should be done anyway. It is a mass grave after all (I was very surprised that Superman raised it and was restoring it in his Fortress, seems blatantly disrespectful).

Whatever human remains the wreck of the Titanic may have contained have long since disintegrated, so it’s a mass grave only in the spiritual sense. Still, the century-old hulk, slowly rusting away and under attack by iron-eating bacteria, is so fragile that any attempt to move it would probably destroy it. It’s best to leave it where it is.

When I was a teenager, there were two things I was certain I’d see in my lifetime: a manned mission to Mars and the complete legalization of marijuana. Now I doubt I’ll ever see either happen.

Although with some good dope, you might think you’re on Mars.

 

[Sector 7]

For reasons stated above, raising the Titanic is not an option. Regardless of whether the physical bodies have disappeared, Titanic is still a mass grave and should be respected as such.

I was nine years old when I watched the moon landing while sitting on my uncle's lap. We were the only two in my family who were interested. A manned mission to Mars is still a dream of mine. I was also disappointed that Space: 1999 never became a reality. It would be cool to have a moon base.

 

[John O.]

Right this minute? Probably raising the Titanic.

PS: legalization of pot will probably happen before Mars. Even at the pace we're at, Mars is 30-40 years away. If things slow down it'll only get worse, if they change direction again, it'll get worse, if even 1 out of the next 10 presidents decides it's not a priority, it'll get worse.

The privatization of spaceflight is great but it's not going to catapult us to Mars, it'll just start making people want to go into orbit (and by start I mean in 7-10 years it will start, in 12-15 it'll get going, in 15-20 it could be booming and in 20 it'll be 100% safe). But going to orbit and going to Mars are very different, with their own different challenges, and sending people to orbit won't make it easier to send people to Mars, because frankly we're already pretty damn good at sending people to orbit as long as they know what they're doing (unlike tourists) and there are still lots of challenges to going to Mars. They're not insurmountable, but they're not free. You gotta pay someone like me to figure out how to avoid needing to lift 50,000 tons of hydrogen through the atmosphere.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

It's depressing to me that I will most likely be dead by the time we get to Mars.

 

[auntiehill]

^I know what you mean. Hubby and I had a similar discussion just a few days ago. We realized that we would most likely not be alive to see a manned mission to Mars, let alone exploration outside our galaxy. Depressing, indeed.

 

[TEACAKE'S PLEATHER DOME]

What I often think will REALLY piss me off is if we make first contact with actual aliens after I'm dead. And I will have missed it.

 

[Gryffindorian]

As much as I like the idea of space travel, a Mars mission is overrated. It's just too "been there, done that" to me. Besides, it will be hundreds, if not thousands of years, before Homo sapiens develop the technology to do faster-than-light travel, let alone colonize the moon or other planets.

And why would anyone want to raise the Titanic? I can understand the historic value of the possibility of its being displayed in a museum, but what more do people need to know besides what James Cameron already showed the world? EDIT: It would be like to digging up George Washington's grave, exhuming his body, and putting his skeleton for everyone to see. "Hey, look. It's George Washington's skeleton. He was an important man." Yeah, a real Family Guy moment.

 

[auntiehill]

What I often think will REALLY piss me off is if we make first contact with actual aliens after I'm dead. And I will have missed it.

Well, luckily, you'll be dead and not aware of it, then.

But, yes, with my luck, as I'm lying on my death bed, I can just imagine I'll hear "Aliens have made contact!," and my last thoughts will be "Oh, damn! I wanted to see that."

 

[captcalhoun]

exploration outside our galaxy

you mean star system, surely? don't go all Hollywood on this board and mix your terms, people won't accept that shite. not with all these nerds around!

 

[Myasishchev]

It's depressing to me that I will most likely be dead by the time we get to Mars.

Well, we'll probably have radical life extension technologies before we get to Mars.

Which is well, because there's a market for immortality, whereas Mars sucks.

Re: legalization of marijuana, I reckon that's probably going to happen at some point in the next twenty years. Its prohibition is just too damaging, for me to imagine it continuing indefinitely.

 

[iguana_tonante]

This thread inspires the mental image of the Titanic being raised, retrofitted with giant booster rockets, and used to fly to Mars.

Now that, my friends, would be real human ingenuity.

Meh. They will probably change its name to Argo or some shit.

For the OP, I don't really get the fascination for the Titanic. A big ship sunk, lots of people died. Sad, but nothing really extraordinary. So, for me it's Mars. The technology is more or less here, what is missing is the economical and political will to do so.

 

[Myasishchev]

For the OP, I don't really get the fascination for the Titanic. A big ship sunk, lots of people died. Sad, but nothing really extraordinary

Yo tambien. There are lots of ships cooler than the Titanic, too.

 

[ShamelessMcBundy]

The Titanic would probably crumble if it were attempted to be moved, which I don't think should be done anyway. It is a mass grave after all (I was very surprised that Superman raised it and was restoring it in his Fortress, seems blatantly disrespectful).

Superman's a dick though.

With that being said, Mars is easier.

 

[Yeoman Randi]

What I often think will REALLY piss me off is if we make first contact with actual aliens after I'm dead. And I will have missed it.

Same here.

 

[John O.]

As much as I like the idea of space travel, a Mars mission is overrated. It's just too "been there, done that" to me. Besides, it will be hundreds, if not thousands of years, before Homo sapiens develop the technology to do faster-than-light travel, let alone colonize the moon or other planets.

What do you mean it'll be hundreds if not thousands of years to develop FTL, "let alone colonize the moon or other planets". You make it sound like FTL is going to happen before lunar or planetary colonization of a place like Mars. That's backwards.