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We were able to put men on the moon back in 1969. It's now some 45 years later. If we had had the ambition to push ahead with the same intensity of effort that we put into getting a man on the moon, could we have had a man, or even a sustainable colony on Mars by now? Could we have sent a man to one of the moons of Jupiter?
If we had had the ambition [and budget] to push ahead with the same intensity of effort that we put into getting a man on the moon, could we have had a man, or even a sustainable colony on Mars by now?
The US threw a lot of money at the Apollo program and it paid off.
My gut feeling is, if the US dedicated the financial resources to Mars as described above, it is very likely there would be a man on Mars by now. I think it could be done now, and most likely it could have been done ten years ago.
On the other hand, look at the International Space Station.
The US threw a lot of money at the Apollo program and it paid off.
My gut feeling is, if the US dedicated the financial resources to Mars as described above, it is very likely there would be a man on Mars by now. I think it could be done now, and most likely it could have been done ten years ago.
On the other hand, look at the International Space Station.
Yes, there is that pesky matter of money. Is it possible that if we did go to Mars that mining its mineral resources would make it profitable and worth while going there?
Yes, there is that pesky matter of money. Is it possible that if we did go to Mars that mining its mineral resources would make it profitable and worth while going there?
Right now with current technology, due to the distance it would take to ship said minerals from Mars to Earth, it would have to be a HIGHLY sought after and
profitable mineral that would be either extremely rare or non-existent here on Earth. It would likely be cost prohibitive until propulsion tech advances enough to the point where we're off of chemical rockets altogether (especially when hauling tons of rocks). Transportation of the shipments would most likely have to be automated with robots.
I have no idea if it even does. I was just trying to think of some possible or potential reason for pursuing manned travel to and exploration of Mars and eventually other planets in the solar system. I doubt that the acquisition of scientific knowledge by itself though is sufficient reason to motivate rushing to get a man on Mars since apparently unmanned probes can do a better job of gaining such knowledge. Maybe I'm wrong about that however. Anyway, I do wish that progress was faster.
It would likely be cost prohibitive until propulsion tech advances enough to the point where we're off of chemical rockets altogether (especially when hauling tons of rocks). Transportation of the shipments would most likely have to be automated with robots.
I agree. Chemical rockets simply aren't cost effective nor fast enough for inter-planetary travel. We probably could put a man on Mars now, but it would be a one-way trip and it would require a lot of planning. Then, you have to find out how to live on a foreign planet or moon which is in itself a project.
The idea of taking an RV into a complete vacuum, parking it there and then paying for supplies to be brought to it because there is literally NOTHING around to use as construction material is bound to be expensive.
In contrast, although the energy debt is higher initially, a moon base could likely supply much of the material for its own continued expansion. Lessons and technologies learned there would be valuable to further exploration.
Real space travel is a long way off,its too expensive, destinations too far away and our propulsion systems for the foreseeable future are woefully too slow , ultimately we've been blessed with a dynamic solar system that will satiate our need to explore and colonize for the next thousand years,
Perhaps build some orbiting cities in space for research/development and tourism
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