Urban75 Home About Offline BrixtonBuzz Contact

NASA to Announce Mars Mystery Solved

editor said:
So what could be a smarter idea than learning as much as we can about Mars' history in case the same changes starts happening to us? And if it turns out that we could in for the same fate, learning how to live on other planets should be at the top of our survival list. For survival is the most basic of all human instincts.
Click to expand...

Absolutely this. ^^
I do agree with you on the possibilities.
I just don't think humans have to be in such an inhospitable environment for that to happen
Robots can do most of the research and will survive better than a human. They will last longer too

If they ever do manage terraforming on Mars, and manage to build a ship that can carry a few dozen humans to a habitable Mars then the sky is the limit. I think that it is a definite possibility...not in my lifetime though.
 
PippinTook said:
Absolutely this. ^^
I do agree with you on the possibilities.
I just don't think humans have to be in such an inhospitable environment for that to happen
Robots can do most of the research and will survive better than a human. They will last longer too

If they ever do manage terraforming on Mars, and manage to build a ship that can carry a few dozen humans to a habitable Mars then the sky is the limit. I think that it is a definite possibility...not in my lifetime though.
Click to expand...
But what if some humans WANT to go and are prepared to take on the risks, like so many great explorers before them?
 
editor said:
But what if some humans WANT to go and are prepared to take on the risks, like so many great explorers before them?
Click to expand...

Yeah. I know there are some who want to go.
It's not like finding America. They will suffer in every possible way. And I just do not believe that they will last long. No return journey. It is essentially a drawn out suicide.
The place is uninhabitable. One fraction of a second outdoors with a hole in your gear and you're dead. I may be a glass half empty on this...but I don't see any human mentally geared for that sort of hell. Unless they're pumped full of some drugs that make them happy yet fully functioning.

The glory may well be huge for them. They'll go down in history no doubt.
But...I'll be honest with you...I'd be thinking of them in terms of a Darwin Award.
 
PippinTook said:
It is essentially a drawn out suicide.
Click to expand...

Well, that would be life, then.

PippinTook said:
One fraction of a second outdoors with a hole in your gear and you're dead..
Click to expand...

Not sure it's that hostile. In spring and summer the temperatures are ok, and with a mask for breathing a breach in the suit wouldn't be so instantly terrible as far as I know.

Just remember your puncture repair kit and take a buddy with you.
 
Last edited:
8ball said:
Well, that would be life, then.
Click to expand...
Yeah but at least on earth you have the chance to enjoy nature and breathe fresh air.
Barren landscape...no air...no water...trying to set up some system when you get there so that you can possibly have plant based food at some stage
Living on space food.
There are easier ways to live and die.

I do think the people who want to go are brave. I think that theu will go expecting it all to work. And hopefully it will. But I couldn't get my head around never coming back. That's some bravery
 
PippinTook said:
Yeah but at least on earth you have the chance to enjoy nature and breathe fresh air.
Barren landscape...no air...no water...trying to set up some system when you get there so that you can possibly have plant based food at some stage
Living on space food.
There are easier ways to live and die.

I do think the people who want to go are brave. I think that theu will go expecting it all to work. And hopefully it will. But I couldn't get my head around never coming back. That's some bravery
Click to expand...

Agree with all that. But a sizeable portion of people have always shunned an 'easy' life for something a little more interesting. And there aren't any current credible plans for a 'one way' mission* as far as I know. NASA certainly weren't countenancing the idea last time I checked.

* - at least not a deliberate one
 
PippinTook said:
The glory may well be huge for them. They'll go down in history no doubt.
But...I'll be honest with you...I'd be thinking of them in terms of a Darwin Award.
Click to expand...
You're doing many explorers a monstrous disservice by saying that they're doing it for 'the glory.'
 
8ball said:
Tbf, when I was in school 'glory' was a word often used with reference to explorers.
As opposed to, say, 'curiosity'.
Click to expand...
I can't account for what they said at your school, but many exploration trips have little 'glory' attached to them and I doubt if that was the prime motivation for the people taking such hazardous trips.
 
editor said:
I can't account for what they said at your school, but many exploration trips have little 'glory' attached to them and I doubt if that was the prime motivation for the people taking such hazardous trips.
Click to expand...

It was kind of implied it was back then. Especially in those times where groups from different countries were vying to get to a particular place first. I don't know which was actually the case, and back when I was in school there was a definite imperialist slant to the teaching of history.

I'd guess there was probably a bit of that, but I'm no historian.
 
8ball said:
It was kind of implied it was back then. Especially in those times where groups from different countries were vying to get to a particular place first. I don't know which was actually the case, and back when I was in school there was a definite imperialist slant to the teaching of history.

I'd guess there was probably a bit of that, but I'm no historian.
Click to expand...
Give the amount of international cooperation that now exists for many space missions, I'd suggest that the imperialist angle is no longer at the forefront for most launches.
 
editor said:
I can't account for what they said at your school, but many exploration trips have little 'glory' attached to them and I doubt if that was the prime motivation for the people taking such hazardous trips.
Click to expand...

Exploration is a challenge. And as long as challenges exist and there is a "first" then that will push people on.
I'd say something if Mars was already habitable. I'd be absolutely jumping up and down saying go for it.!!!
But Mars is a dead planet.

This is an interesting read ...fro. 2009.
"Manned mission to Mars in 2019"

Manned mission to Mars in 2019 - ...
PDFhttps://www.nasa.gov › pdf › 382362mai...
 
editor said:
Give the amount of international cooperation that now exists for many space missions, I'd suggest that the imperialist angle is no longer at the forefront for most launches.
Click to expand...

The UAE are definitely interested.
It's not a case of imperial racing. But there's no doubt that different groups have expressed interest all over the globe. They range from filthy rich Arabs to filthy rich entrepreneurs.
 
editor said:
Er, no one actually knows that for sure. Which is why it needs to be explored.
Click to expand...

There is nothing to sustain human life on Mars.
And putting people up there until there is something that can sustain human life is reckless.
Most scientists are in agreement that humans will live for a maximum of 68 days
..that's including recycling their piss and trying to manage oxygen levels. Oxygen and CO2 can't just be extracted into the Martian atmosphere...so that needs to be managed. And high levels of o2 could lead to explosions.

I'd much rather see robots continue to work there and do what needs to be done..research and find whatever microbial life might exist.

I think a manned flight to Mars that lands and explores and returns would be a better option until such time as the planet is ready for humans long term.
 
Humans haven't moved an inch further into space in the 46 years since the last moon mission and there don't seem to be many good reasons to start now - with advances in robots, remote-controlled vehicles, etc., why go the effort of sending a hungry, thirsty, oxygen-dependent creature to go and shed microbes all over the surface of Mars?

If they do send a team of humans up there and they end up dying, it's likely to be a massive setback for funding for space exploration in general, including the sensible kind with probes etc.
 
Yossarian said:
Humans haven't moved an inch further into space in the 46 years since the last moon mission and there don't seem to be many good reasons to start now - with advances in robots, remote-controlled vehicles, etc., why go the effort of sending a hungry, thirsty, oxygen-dependent creature to go and shed microbes all over the surface of Mars?

If they do send a team of humans up there and they end up dying, it's likely to be a massive setback for funding for space exploration in general, including the sensible kind with probes etc.
Click to expand...

Worse...it will undoubtedly be televised. :(
 
I think the time when they could have pulled off something like a Mars mission without a massive public outcry after any deaths is probably gone.

If they were crazy enough to send people up there now and something went wrong, the media attention would be about 10 times that given to the Thai boys trapped in a cave - and probably without the happy ending, though Elon Musk would likely play a similar role.
 
editor said:
That article refers to the one hastily planned mission.

There is absolutely no consensus from "most scientists" that "humans will live for a maximum of 68 days" on Mars for a properly planned mission. None at all.
Click to expand...

Any mission putting humans there in the expectation that they will live off only what they bring and can cultivate within a few weeks is not properly planned..

Do you think that it would be a good idea to send robots that don't need food or air to function, to do the groundwork and set up systems ...food and air systems..that will be fully operational and ready for humans when they arrive?
 
PippinTook said:
Any mission putting humans there in the expectation that they will live off only what they bring and can cultivate within a few weeks is not properly planned..

Do you think that it would be a good idea to send robots that don't need food or air to function, to do the groundwork and set up systems ...food and air systems..that will be fully operational and ready for humans when they arrive?
Click to expand...
Most missions I've seen have already said that they intend to send robot missions out first to sort out the infrastructure rather than the astronauts bringing it all in one go.
 
editor said:
Most missions I've seen have already said that they intend to send robot missions out first to sort out the infrastructure rather than the astronauts bringing it all in one go.
Click to expand...

Well then that's what the focus should be on for a long time

...not this push to have a human up there struggling to survive.
And they should have developed some systems of return before they contemplate sending a human up there
 
PippinTook said:
Well then that's what the focus should be on for a long time

...not this push to have a human up there struggling to survive.
And they should have developed some systems of return before they contemplate sending a human up there
Click to expand...
You're making all sorts of strange claims here. First there was the random 68 days figure and now you're assuming there's some sort of rush to shove a human there who won't survive. There's many agencies looking at sending humans and most of the ones I've seen are looking for a sensible way to reach that goal.

That said, I dare say there are some astronauts who would happily accept having to die on the planet as the price that has to be paid to get there.
 
editor said:
You're making all sorts of strange claims here. First there was the random 68 days figure and now you're assuming there's some sort of rush to shove a human there who won't survive. There's many agencies looking at sending humans and most of the ones I've seen are looking for a sensible way to reach that goal.

That said, I dare say there are some astronauts who would happily accept having to die on the planet as the price that has to be paid to get there.
Click to expand...

Mars One is pushing it. But they're looking increasingly like fraudsters.
UAE are pushing for it.
Elon Musk says he will do it.
Even Branson thinks he can do it.
There is a push.
NASA is much more sensible about it but there are others who, like you say, are willing to put some humans on Mars to be first.

68 days ... If they survive that long, it is the stage where systems start to fail...plants etc end up creating too much o2. ...thats if they are growing plants.


This is about the best option for providing oxygen.....(NASA)

How we could make oxygen on Mars, plus fuel to get home
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Yossarian
First liquid water found on Mars
Replies
1
Views
150
ATOMIC SUPLEX
ATOMIC SUPLEX
Crispy
Mars Sample Return
2
Replies
59
Views
2K
urbanspaceman
urbanspaceman
magneze
NASA Artemis mission
2 3 4
Replies
108
Views
4K
Nylock
Nylock
gosub
NASA helical engine5
Replies
6
Views
377
NoXion
NoXion
editor
China's Tianwen-1 mission to Mars, 2021
Replies
25
Views
1K
gosub
gosub
Back
Top Bottom