Should the United States fund spaceflight to Mars? Why? Or Why not?

CPT Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 01 Aug 2016 10:37:07 -0400

https://youtu.be/OL9cpxuN7NY
Scott Kelly is interviewed about the psychological effects of living on the International Space Station for one year (340 days). What are you thoughts on an endeavor of this magnitude?

Astronaut Scott Kelly on the psychological challenges of going to Mars

A mission to Mars will last two to three years. What psychological challenges will astronauts face when spending so long in space? We talked to former NASA a...

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 1 at 2016 10:57 AM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 01 Aug 2016 10:57:06 -0400

Yes.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 1 at 2016 11:20 AM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 01 Aug 2016 11:20:04 -0400

Totally, especially if we get some say on who we send. I can think of two people running for office right now that would make good candidates for a manned mission to Mars.

Response by SGT David T. made Aug 1 at 2016 11:25 AM

SGT David T. — Mon, 01 Aug 2016 11:25:25 -0400

Absolutely, and beyond. At some point we will go extinct, either through our own doing or through a natural disaster (i.e. supernova). If we hope to survive as a species, we have to go to the stars. The astronaut illustrates that there are challenges associated with it and that is true. Space is very dangerous, but without risk there is no gain. I just wish our space program didn't stall after the Apollo missions.

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Aug 1 at 2016 11:33 AM

Capt Daniel Goodman — Mon, 01 Aug 2016 11:33:16 -0400

I understand why such a thing wouid be contemplated. However, I think it wholly absurd regardless of its popularity, as a prospective ambition. First, I'd seen considerable material relating to serious cumulative long term radiation damage to even just the Apollo astronauts. Second, I think lunar colonization very def should go first, and needs to be done, I depth, before even contemplating Mars. Third, the sheer level of software development needed for such a human spaceflight, and the needed craft, is, in my view, wholly beyond reach at present, and, until lunar colonization succeeds, routinely, without any possible major incidents for a fairly protracted period, is, to my way of thinking, merest sci fi fantasy. Ambitious? Certainly. Laudable? Obviously. Realistic? To my mind, regardless of what social good might be achieved, which, I of course, would admit, total nonsense. I wish I could say I thought otherwise, however, I've been reading that whole Gerard K O'Neill thing for decades now, as he planned human colonies, and the human race barely manages to get one extremely limited habitate up, after Skylab. That, and the whole manned orbiting lab or MOL project before that, as some here may have read of, or seen documentaries about. Arthur C Clarke wrote 2001 decades ago, Stanley Kubrick filmed it a few yrs later, and the whole thing is still merest fantasy decades later, with only minimal progress toward anything even vaguely reminiscent of any level of comparable achievement to that which the book and film proposed. Then there was that worried fantasy about Mars with Gary Sinise, and the film about Mars with Val Kilmer, Terrence Stamp, and Tom Sizemore, which, if fantastic, I certainly found at least somewhat slightly more credible, though not by much. The recent Matt Damon film about Mars, I likewise consider comparable fantasy. There won't, I think, be a human Mars flight for at least another century if not longer. The Moon is only 250K miles away, and hasnt been gone back to since Apollo 17; Skylab augured in out of orbit, as I recall yrs ago, the shuttle program is long gone as museum pieces, and the present station, id read, also won't last forever, eventually, it'll augur in also, as it's orbit deteriorates, I think. Sending a robot to dig up some soil while a fantastic achievement, using the balloons for the landing, while brilliant, hardly compares in any remote fashion to a human Mars spaceflight. Before my present unfortunate total perm disability, I'd done considerable research in areas tangential to such topics, have met two Apollo astronauts albeit yrs ago, one while I was at USAF OTS, one yrs later after I'd gotten off active. I've read for yrs on the whole topic, studies much related to it, and was on active when the enterprise shuttle was dropped off the 747. Truly, I wish such an ambition weren't merest fantasy, in my view, however, I honestly think it is, at least for many, many decades yet to come, laudable ambition notwithstanding. I realize I'll be disagreed with, and my thoughts are of course my own, however, that is quite honestly the conclusion I've reached after yrs of trying to seriously study the entire topic, honest, hope this was at least of some interest, I'm not meaning to discourage, however, I do think I have some inkling of what I'm speaking of here, and I'd be remiss, in my view, to not try to inject, however that might deflate ambitions of those here, at least some note of comparative reality into such a topic, if nothing else, many thanks. I'd love it to happen, and for me to be wrong, honest, however I'm abs convinced it won't, and that I'm also, unfortunately, right, many thanks once again.

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Aug 1 at 2016 11:36 AM

Capt Daniel Goodman — Mon, 01 Aug 2016 11:36:00 -0400

Sorry for typos, this tablet is often querulous. I'd meant that horrid sci-fi fantasy film with Gary Sinise about Mars. I found it entertaining fiction, albeit wholly absurd fantasy, I'm afraid.

Response by SCPO Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 1 at 2016 11:49 AM

SCPO Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 01 Aug 2016 11:49:18 -0400

Absolutely. Our nation gained vast amounts of scientific, medical, and technical knowledge from the space programs of the 1960s through the 1980s. Did it become commonplace? Yes. Is it really so 123, ABC as it appears? Light years from it. If I was in my Twenties and single, I would have applied for the Mars missions in a heartbeat. Space and the deep seas are basically all that's left for us to explore. Humans need exploration to both expand our knowledge of who and what were are in relation to where and why we are, but we need it to continue to capture our imagination. When we stop dreaming about what's out there or down there, we stop so much more that really separates us from our animal kin. We must dream. We must explore. Or we become mere passengers, and dull ones at that.

Response by Sgt Private RallyPoint Member made Aug 1 at 2016 12:01 PM

Sgt Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 01 Aug 2016 12:01:32 -0400

CPT Private RallyPoint Member The folks I worked with on the Space Shuttle program were as dedicated to the Space program, as I was. The technologies being developed will help us with problems on our own planet.

https://spinoff.nasa.gov/Spinoff2008/tech_benefits.html

NASA Technologies Benefit Our Lives

Space exploration has created new markets and new technologies that have spurred our economy and changed our lives in many ways. This year, NASA unveiled two new complementary interactive Web features, NASA City and NASA @ Home, available at www.nasa.gov/city. The new features highlight how space pervades our lives, invisible yet critical to so many aspects of our daily activities and well-being.

Response by Capt Brandon Charters made Aug 1 at 2016 12:16 PM

Capt Brandon Charters — Mon, 01 Aug 2016 12:16:44 -0400

100%. The technology we'll uncover through this mission will benifit our nation in ways we could never imagine.

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Aug 1 at 2016 12:20 PM

Capt Daniel Goodman — Mon, 01 Aug 2016 12:20:30 -0400

http://www.omaha.com/living/working-toward-a-warp-drive-in-his-garage-lab-omahan/article_b6489acf-5622-5419-ac18-0c44474da9c9.html

You might find this of serious interest....

Working toward a warp drive: In his garage lab, Omahan aims to bend fabric of space

Some guys spend their spare time restoring automobiles, devoting garage space to motionless Corvettes and Camaros. David Pares is making his own warp drive in his Aksarben-area garage.

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Aug 1 at 2016 12:23 PM

Capt Daniel Goodman — Mon, 01 Aug 2016 12:23:20 -0400

http://www.spacewarpdynamicsllc.com/

This is the related site, I assure you, the science seems quite real, I'll send why in cpl mins....

spacewarp

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Aug 1 at 2016 12:25 PM

Capt Daniel Goodman — Mon, 01 Aug 2016 12:25:07 -0400

http://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/GLAST/news/fermi-thunderstorms.html

I think this is actually fairly compelling sci justification....

Fermi Catches Antimatter-Hurling Storms

Scientists using NASA's Fermi Space Telescope have detected antimatter produced above thunderstorms on Earth, a phenomenon never seen before.

Response by CPT Jack Durish made Aug 1 at 2016 12:25 PM

CPT Jack Durish — Mon, 01 Aug 2016 12:25:59 -0400

No. There were good and valid reasons for establishing dominance in near space. Anyplace from near orbit to the Moon is a platform for offensive and defensive military action. However, beyond the Moon there are economic opportunities. Mining asteroids. Colonization. These are the purview of private industry. If they can figure out how to make a profit from it, let them. But look at NASA's budget today. They cost even more than they did when we went to the Moon. When we had a fleet of shuttles in service. And what are we getting for our money? Nothing even close to providing a return on investment.

Response by Capt Daniel Goodman made Aug 1 at 2016 12:26 PM

Capt Daniel Goodman — Mon, 01 Aug 2016 12:26:07 -0400

Pls understand, I realize that project might not work, I just found it thought provoking, I'd mentioned it on here before....

Response by Capt Tom Brown made Aug 1 at 2016 12:44 PM

Capt Tom Brown — Mon, 01 Aug 2016 12:44:09 -0400

Don't think anyone is gonna be around long enough to enjoy any possible benefits on down the road.

Response by CPT Pedro Meza made Aug 1 at 2016 1:39 PM

CPT Pedro Meza — Mon, 01 Aug 2016 13:39:27 -0400

Why spend money going to Mars, those that want to go should put their money up and not our tax money.

Response by SN Greg Wright made Aug 1 at 2016 2:49 PM

SN Greg Wright — Mon, 01 Aug 2016 14:49:01 -0400

Without doubt. Some of the most basic things we take for granted today came from NASA (Some examples listed below). The technology developed to get people to Mars would be invaluable in future exploitation of the Solar System. Plus, there's a hard, cold reality that people rarely talk about: there are a finite number of resources on this planet, and we're doing little to replace them. They're going to run out eventually -- personally, I give it 500 years or so, but that's just my armchair scientist talking -- and then...we either go somewhere else, or we die off. Never mind catastrophic events that might kill us off anyways.

Artificial limbs
Baby formula
Cell-phone cameras
Computer mouse
Cordless tools
Ear thermometer
Firefighter gear
Freeze-dried food
Golf clubs
Long-distance communication
Invisible braces
MRI and CAT scans
Memory foam
Safer highways
Solar panels
Shoe insoles
Ski boots
Adjustable smoke detector
Water filters
UV-blocking sunglasses

Response by SGT Tony Clifford made Aug 1 at 2016 3:35 PM

SGT Tony Clifford — Mon, 01 Aug 2016 15:35:09 -0400

I'm kind of torn on this. On the one hand NASA does great science and as an aspiring Planetary Geologist I am excited by the prospect of manned exploration of another planet. On the other hand, I know that a private firm would do it more cost effectively. I think that contracting a private company might be an option where we can get legitimate science done at a fraction of the cost.

Response by MSgt James Mullis made Aug 1 at 2016 6:00 PM

MSgt James Mullis — Mon, 01 Aug 2016 18:00:10 -0400

Yes. Stephen Hawking has it right when he says "It will be difficult enough to avoid disaster on planet Earth in the next hundred years, let alone the next thousand, or million. The human race shouldn't have all its eggs in one basket, or on one planet. Let's hope we can avoid dropping the basket until we have spread the load."

http://bigthink.com/dangerous-ideas/5-stephen-hawkings-warning-abandon-earth-or-face-extinction

#5: Stephen Hawking's Warning: Abandon Earth—Or Face Extinction

Let's face it: The planet is heating up, Earth's population is expanding at an exponential rate, and the the natural resources vital to our survival are running out faster than we can replace them with sustainable alternatives. Even if the human race manages not to push itself to the brink of ...

Response by PFC Stephen Eric Serati made Aug 3 at 2016 4:49 PM

PFC Stephen Eric Serati — Wed, 03 Aug 2016 16:49:40 -0400

Yes the US should help fund a mission to Mars.No we shouldn't do it alone.

Response by TSgt Kenneth Ellis made Aug 25 at 2016 9:34 PM

TSgt Kenneth Ellis — Thu, 25 Aug 2016 21:34:17 -0400

Yes. Think of the advancements we would make .