Where does nasa go from here

[The Mark]

The bottom line to all this is a simple question.

Does mankind have the capability to build a spacecraft, provide enough energy/fuel to send a manned space flight to Mars and back?

Answer NO.

Is mankind so arrogant that they keep looking only at what they already know to answer a question that cannot be answered based only on what mankind knows?

I cannot say the answer is not there but to look for the answer in other areas would not harm the advancement nor the progress of scientific progress.

Society halfway accepts that only oil can be used as energy for transportation.

However some non conformist or renegades if you will say NO there is other energy that can be used..
Also society forgets one detail oil is a fossil fuel we cannot replace the oil we use in time to catch up.
In short this planet will run out of oil maybe not this decade maybe not the next but this planet will run out of oil.

We cannot cling to oil as the only energy for transportation we must look elsewhere or eventually we will be back to using horses.

We cannot cling to the same energy used by the space shuttle or we will be earthbound to only go to the moon and back with a whole universe just waiting. eace.

Actually, I would say that we DO have the ability to send a manned craft to mars and back - but we're not willing to spend the money required to do so at this time

I'm personally wondering about plasma drives for spacecraft.

I vaguely recall hearing something about such at one point.

Hmmmmm… NASA aims for space tests of Mars-in-a-month plasma drive ? The Register

 

[presluc]

I guess they'll have to figure that out. They'll probably import immigrants, to work for pennies on the dollar until they too are shipped to outer space.

I think it was in the movie Armagedon staring Bruce Willis.

One of the lines went something like this.

"U.S comonents, Russian components all made in Tai Wan" LOLeace

 

[Jerry]

Space Shuttle Atlantis lands at the Kennedy Space Center at Cape Canaveral, Fla. Thursday, July 21, 2011. The landing of Atlantis marks the end of NASA's 30 year space shuttle program. (AP Photo/Pierre Du Charme, Pool)

Granted this is the end of the space shuttle program.
As far as I'm concerned that could be cosidered good, cause you can only go to the moon and back so many times.

My question is where do we go from here?

Of course I understand national security secrets and all that but if there is any plans of going out there among the stars when lift off happens somebody somewhere will notice.

Then there's compition to cosider, but maybe a race for space might help the global network get back on track.

Ladies and Gentlemen I await your views and comments on this subject.eace

Obama needs to un-freeze/re-fund the next generation shuttle program, and we're off.

 

[presluc]

I was more making fun of your usage of the term "ion particles", since such does not exist to my knowledge.

Rather, an Ion drive strips ions off atoms (since an ion only makes up part of an atom, this was why I found your usage amusing) and uses them to propel the craft – if I understand the description correctly in the Wikipedia link I posted.

I wasn’t responding to the other aspects of your post.

And, it’s “The Mark”. :mrgreen:

My opoligies The Mark I knew Ions had something to do with it.

And it's presluc NOT A SCIENTIST. LOLeace

 

[Jerry]

Hmm... granted. Okay then presluc, what's magnetic pulse power then?

Electro Magnetic Drive

 

[teamosil]

I see two big watersheds in manned space exploration- colonizing Mars and creating a very inexpensive way to get things from the surface to space. Colonizing Mars is importantly mostly just for the raw accomplishment of it. It's one of those things you do because it is there. Like the first time our ancestors climbed out of the valley they lived in or the first time they crossed the Bering Straight to settle two new continents. It's what we do as a species and Mars is next.

More pragmatically, coming up with a really cheap way to get stuff into orbit will trigger a huge explosion in the commercial development of space. There are tons of things we can do in Earth orbit or at the moon that would be profitable, but only if we can come up with a cheap way to lift stuff into orbit. Maybe the space elevator is the way to go. We seem to be getting close to having materials we could use to make the cable.

Both of these things could potentially be accomplished in our lifetime if we put our minds to it, but they're ambitious goals.

 

[presluc]

Actually, I would say that we DO have the ability to send a manned craft to mars and back - but we're not willing to spend the money required to do so at this time

I'm personally wondering about plasma drives for spacecraft.

I vaguely recall hearing something about such at one point.

Hmmmmm… NASA aims for space tests of Mars-in-a-month plasma drive ? The Register

Now that's what I'm talking about, you rarely hear plasma drive mentioned in space travel.

I'm not saying my ideas are right maybe they are a little crazy but to look into differant areas like plasma drive.
Instead of the same old nuclear, hydrogen, liquid oxygen and same stuff mankind has been reserching since the space race of the 60's.

Mankind in my opinion has forgotten the early days of reaching for space like sputnik, the Russian dog that was sent into orbit John Glenn.
The early days were far from perfect it was trial and error not every space ship built worked.

The reach for space is a risky business at best, not only the humans that could be lost as in Voyager, but the millions of dollars in planing , building and calculations and preparations

Those that are faint of heart should keep their distance go into another business; space exploration wether money, calculations,preparations, design, or the people that attempt to fly to another planet, all of these are not for the weak at heart.

Only risktakers need apply. lol

Oh and in my opinion we currently DO NOT have the abilty to sens a manned craft to Mars and back..

 

[presluc]

Obama needs to un-freeze/re-fund the next generation shuttle program, and we're off.

Obama has been sitting on the fence too long he ain't gonna do nothing to help.eace

 

[presluc]

I think the human race should try to redirect their research into space flight and exploration instead of new ways to destroy each other in more and more efficient ways. Just think if we could combined our resources in such a endeavor how far we would get, hell if we did this 100 years ago just think how much more advanced we would be.

I hear that, an excellant post.eace

 

[MKULTRABOY]

No single country has the capability to get to mars. The task makes getting to the moon seem like jumping off the swings in the schoolyard. Space exploration will likely decentralize with different agencies playing different roles and scattering across the globe. Different countries have platforms all over the planet. Nuclear rockets may start to come in handy. All in all getting to mars or establishing cheaper spaceflight will be an international effort... or phenomenon.

 

[presluc]

No single country has the capability to get to mars. The task makes getting to the moon seem like jumping off the swings in the schoolyard. Space exploration will likely decentralize with different agencies playing different roles and scattering across the globe. Different countries have platforms all over the planet. Nuclear rockets may start to come in handy. All in all getting to mars or establishing cheaper spaceflight will be an international effort... or phenomenon.

A most impressive concept sir.
For the more countries best intellectuals working on this problem the sooner it can be solved.

What I don't understand , and I'm guessing here but America has allies just as England, Japan and even China {they did loan us money} to name a few so why not set up an international project from differant countries to be worked on at a nurtural teritory?eace

 

[MKULTRABOY]

A most impressive concept sir.
For the more countries best intellectuals working on this problem the sooner it can be solved.

What I don't understand , and I'm guessing here but America has allies just as England, Japan and even China {they did loan us money} to name a few so why not set up an international project from differant countries to be worked on at a nurtural teritory?eace

It will likely just develop where the winds take it and how individual nations can contribute... some with their geography, others with rocket technology, or finance, etc. Considering youd probably have to coordinate an entire superpowers economy to establish a permanent base on mars.

 

[MKULTRABOY]

Im also watching Carl Sagan's 'Cosmos' right now.

 

[presluc]

I see two big watersheds in manned space exploration- colonizing Mars and creating a very inexpensive way to get things from the surface to space. Colonizing Mars is importantly mostly just for the raw accomplishment of it. It's one of those things you do because it is there. Like the first time our ancestors climbed out of the valley they lived in or the first time they crossed the Bering Straight to settle two new continents. It's what we do as a species and Mars is next.

More pragmatically, coming up with a really cheap way to get stuff into orbit will trigger a huge explosion in the commercial development of space. There are tons of things we can do in Earth orbit or at the moon that would be profitable, but only if we can come up with a cheap way to lift stuff into orbit. Maybe the space elevator is the way to go. We seem to be getting close to having materials we could use to make the cable.

Both of these things could potentially be accomplished in our lifetime if we put our minds to it, but they're ambitious goals.

Although I consider myself an optomistic person I doubt this will happen in my lifetime.

I have dreamed of seeing this since that fateful night in the 50's while watching T.V late one night a news broadcast come over the air and said that Russia had launched a satellite called sputnik.
I was but a lad then but next time I went to science class I had questions an old teacher explained in his own way how much force is needed just to break though the atmosphere of earth and then to obtain an orbit around earth .
Today this is old stuff , but in 1959 it was facinating to young lad in the eastern Kentucky mountains

Just as I'm sure that first manned space flight to Mars will be to the future generations.eace

 

[Deuce]

As I have said I am not a scientist, so my ideas maybe a bit far fetched.

If my science is correct a magnetic pulse shuts down every thing electronic.
Suppose a scientist could reverse that and make everything faster like attached to a rocket?

You can't "reverse" an electromagnetic pulse because, well, electromagnetism doesn't work that way. It wouldn't make a worthwhile propulsion method.

Nowhere did I suggest that I have some magic method of predicting future scientific breakthroughs, but what you are writing doesn't make any sense. You're splicing together physics concepts in a way that is just... well, wrong.

 

[presluc]

It will likely just develop where the winds take it and how individual nations can contribute... some with their geography, others with rocket technology, or finance, etc. Considering youd probably have to coordinate an entire superpowers economy to establish a permanent base on mars.

Yeah you're right of course; my wishful thinking gotthe best of me there.lol

How could I overlook the superpowers, money and greed everybody would want to be in charge, we can't even do that on earth withthe United Nations.eace

 

[The Mark]

Yeah you're right of course; my wishful thinking gotthe best of me there.lol

How could I overlook the superpowers, money and greed everybody would want to be in charge, we can't even do that on earth withthe United Nations.eace

The United Nations is a corrupt failure that needs replaced with something more streamlined and smaller (in bureaucratic size, at least).

The same statement can be applied to each and every government body in the world, to a greater or lesser extent.

 

[presluc]

The United Nations is a corrupt failure that needs replaced with something more streamlined and smaller (in bureaucratic size, at least).

The same statement can be applied to each and every government body in the world, to a greater or lesser extent.

That was kinda my point we can not have a United grasp for space without at least some united countries.

However as you say each and every government can be considered a corupt failure.

Perhaps we could go back to the old days and the race for space.

See what I mean in my thread called "Space travel has come a long way sence it's early beginings"eace

 

[LaughAtTheWorld]

Probably it will be as a training ground for future (private) astronauts. After all, they have the most experience. If the space industry is now going to be dominated by private corporations, then the governent might as well as provide experience to them

 

[MKULTRABOY]

I don't see what profit there is in space besides once in a lifetime flights for millionaires. Space mining and all that fun stuff is centuries away.

 

[presluc]

I don't see what profit there is in space besides once in a lifetime flights for millionaires. Space mining and all that fun stuff is centuries away.

Not to be rude but in 1950 trips to the moon and even satelittes were considered centuries away.

However perhaps you are right , but perhaps not?

 

[UtahBill]

Long distance probes, lots of them, sent to the most likely areas for intelligent life.
That would exclude Washington, D.C.

 

[UtahBill]

Not to be rude but in 1950 trips to the moon and even satelittes were considered centuries away.

However perhaps you are right , but perhaps not?

Even at the speed of light, travel to a viable planet in another solar system is not gonna happen for several centuries away. The technology is not the problem as much as the human body. It can't survive in space that long. The radiation alone would kill them long before reaching the desired destination.

 

[Kal'Stang]

I don't see what profit there is in space besides once in a lifetime flights for millionaires. Space mining and all that fun stuff is centuries away.

Even if that stuff is centuries away...we'll never get there if all we do is sit on our collective butts sucking out thumbs.

 

[LaughAtTheWorld]

Even if that stuff is centuries away...we'll never get there if all we do is sit on our collective butts sucking out thumbs.

Agreed. If we don't develop space technology even right now, that centuries will turn into millenniums