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[Gord Green]

http://www.foxnews.com/opinion/2017/01/17/six-essential-reasons-why-need-to-send-humans-to-mars.html

Six essential reasons why we need to send humans to Mars

By Chris Carberry, Joe Webster
Published January 17, 2017
FoxNews.com

Today, as America plans to lead efforts to send humans to Mars in the early 2030s, it is important to clearly articulate the rationale for undertaking such ambitious missions.

This often has been a challenge, as there are dozens of compelling reasons to pursue such a goal. However, those reasons can be succinctly organized into the six categories set forth below. In addition, unlike the Cold War motivation of the 1960s that led us to the moon, the reasons for going to Mars are likely to result in a program that is far more sustainable than the Apollo lunar program, which ended in 1972 after only a handful of missions.

The reasons for sending humans to Mars fall within the following categories:

1. Discovery and Scientific Knowledge: Mars is the most scientifically interesting location in our solar system that humans can reach in the foreseeable future. Although robotic exploration of Mars over the past 50 plus years has provided us with a wealth of information and incredible discoveries, most experts agree that it will probably take human explorers to determine whether there ever was or even still is life on Mars and to conduct many other scientific investigations that are not possible with robots alone.

2. Inspiration and Innovation: Space exploration is widely recognized to be one of the most effective ways to inspire students to become interested in STEM education and it is a well-known driver of technology and innovation. Returning to the Moon after 50 years is unlikely to require major advancements in technology. In contrast, an ambitious mission to the next frontier of Mars will inspire new generations of engineers, scientists, physicians, innovators, educators, and industrialists to reach for the stars.

3. Prosperity and National Morale: Apart from national prestige, morale is essential for a nation's growth and prosperity. U.S. led missions to Mars would not only make a bold and unequivocal statement that we are still capable of great things — perhaps the greatest achievement in human history — but it would also dramatically improve our national outlook and economy. Building on lessons learned from the International Space Station (ISS), commercial partners are anticipated to have a major and innovative role in the exploration of Mars. This involvement will be the underpinning of new and incredibly promising industries for the next century.

4. Security and Diplomacy: While Mars missions will not be run by the military, many of the capabilities required to achieve these missions have potential security applications. In addition, an ambitious and strong space program can be one of our most effective diplomatic tools, as people around the world look at our space program with awe and appreciation.

5. Advancement and Expansion of Humanity: Can humans establish a permanent presence on another planet? Mars offers the potential for self-sufficiency that simply is not possible anywhere else in the solar system with our current levels of technology. Mars has water, an atmosphere, and other resources that should allow us to live off the land. But, we won't know if a permanent presence is possible until we try.

6. To Understand Earth: Mars is the planet in our solar system that is most similar to Earth. Mars used to be a warm and wet planet like Earth, when Mars had a much thicker atmosphere than it does today. What happened — and could the same thing happen on Earth? Our analysis of what could happen to the Earth cannot be based on just one data point — that of the Earth. It is imperative to understand the evolutions of other planets, particularly planets like Earth so that we can wisely take care of our home.

In addition to these overarching societal reasons, there are some immediate political and commercial reasons to keep Mars as the focus of our human spaceflight program.

1. Congressional Support: Mars has stronger support than any other destination for human space flight, and this support has been consistently bi-partisan in nature. This has been made clear by numerous NASA Authorization bills, as well as in a NASA Transition Bill that was passed by the Senate in late 2016.

2. Industry Support: Numerous American corporations have invested time and resources in designing mission architectures to send humans to Mars. Companies like Boeing, SpaceX, Lockheed, and Aerojet Rocketdyne have released plans and other companies have provided valuable concepts on how we can conduct these missions in an affordable manner.

3. Public Support and Enthusiasm: Unlike the Moon, Mars continues to generate significant public interest and support, especially with young people. Hollywood has recognized this interest and responded with successful movie and television projects. Recent polls have confirmed that support for Mars exploration remains high.

4. Humans to Mars is Affordable and Achievable: Recent workshops and studies have also shown that missions to Mars are both achievable and affordable. NASA will not require a large increase in its budget to achieve this goal of landing humans on Mars by 2033.

There is no doubt that Mars will be challenging. But after 55 years of human space flight, 50 years of studying Mars, 16 years of permanent presence onboard the ISS, a massive expansion of international and commercial space capabilities, and years of Mars forward technology development, we are far more ready to send humans to Mars than the nation was when President John F. Kennedy committed the U.S. to landing humans on the Moon.

Mars is our challenge, and our opportunity.

Chris Carberry is CEO and Co-founder of Explore Mars, Inc

[Pow]

I hope to see this happen but as a multi-national effort.

For any one nation to undertake such an expensive effort will be detrimental to that nation in other areas.

[Gord Green]

I certainly think the development of Mars will be a multinational effort even more than the ISS is.

Teaming with the ESA and even (If we can recover civil relations) with Roscosmos, the Russian agency.

We haven't been able to work with the Chineese Space Agency, but who knows what the future could yield.

I really like the method proposed in the movie THE MARTIAN. That is a resupliable large spacecraft powered by ion (or possibly the EM drive!) propulsion capable of carrying a handful of people on a recyclable mission.

[Custer]

I don't think there is a huge reason for sending a small craft so that a couple of people can plant a flag, play a few shots of golf, and then head back to us, after which nothing happens until the astronauts involved have died of old age. A bigger craft setting up a permanent base is more sensible, even if there is no return scheduled for the first group of pioneers.

Of course you'd need a charismatic leader for the group. Someone who was fairly old, perhaps, and known to the public for appearances on TV shows, and various business operations, who was always optimistic, saying that things would always be "great," and who could keep in touch with Earth by copious use of a Twitter account. I just can't think of anyone like that. Has anyone got a suggestion...?

[Bud Brewster]

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Good old Alec Baldwin has done a masterful job of making President Trump look pretty silly, but you gotta admit that a space suit makes ANYBODY look good!



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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Brent Gair]

I don't want a multinational effort. The USA should go it alone.

The Europeans have demonstrated no compelling competence in getting something to land on another planet. The US will end up holding their hands and the French will want the credit. It would be a logistical and politcal nightmare.

No Russians. Every joint venture with the Russians is the same. It started with Apollo/Soyuz. The US taxpayer footed the bill and built most of the equipment. The Russians took a share a glory and stolen technology.

As for the Chinese...I wouldn't trust them as far as I could throw them. I'd sooner deal with the North Koreans than I'd deal with Red China. Yeah, I said Red China.

If any of the above nations that I have insulted want to start their own Mars program: go for it. But Americans should not get suckered into paying for an endeavour which will ultimately result in a technology transfer to foreign nations with no real return.

You can trust Canada, Australia, the UK and maybe Japan. Anyone else is a crapshoot.

[Bud Brewster]

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Not to worry, Bent! Our bold new president won't bother with all them durn feranurs! Just tell him this is what the rocket will look like and he'll not only authorize the mission, he'll get Mexico to pay for it!


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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[Custer]

He'll make a great team leader for the (one-way) trip - I'm glad you suggested him, Bud. After all, why should he settle for being US President, when he could be in charge of an entire planet...?

Hmm, maybe we should clue him in on the kind of clothes Dejah Thoris usually wears!



Enjoy the Dejah view! There are lots of covers of the recent Dynamite comics online, but they either had pesky black bars across them or were a bit too naughty for an all-ages forum...so this art is from an old US paperback.

[Bud Brewster]

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Melania, Maid of Mars!

And the valiant defender of the people, battling the monstrous threat of the Washington bureaucracy . . .

Don Carter of Barsoom!





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Just for fun, this is what I started with!










And yes, I made poor Melania's skinny legs a bit fuller!


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Is there no man on Earth who has the wisdom and innocence of a child?
~ The Space Children (1958)

[MetroPolly]

You guys read my mind! As the old joke goes: "If we can send a man to the Moon, why can't we send all of them there?"

[Custer]

That was a great bit of photoshopping by Bud... That Trump face fits right in with the Frazetta artwork.

I'm afraid we rather hijacked a serious thread... but how was I to know that Bud would suggest President Trump as someone who met the criteria I suggested...?

[Gord Green]

To get back on track;

Why Mars?

Why not the Moon?

Simply put, Mars is the best place to develop a "local" infrastructure enabling us to live on another planet, albeit one millions of miles away. In a very real sense Mars is at the far end of the infrastructure we are preparing to revitalize in this country. NASA's approach to Mars initially moves human beings out into the region of space between the Earth and Moon, establishing the first deep space living quarters there. Nations or companies wishing to visit the lunar surface may do so supported by the infrastructure NASA is building now.

The Moon may turn out to be an important stepping stone with geopolitical, scientific and commercial benefits, but it is not the end goal. In addition to the fact that it is more accessible to human life than the Moon, Mars is much more interesting in both scientific terms and in public engagement. It is a dynamic planet, with seasonally changing icecaps, the possibility of past or present life, and signs of past climate change that we should understand. Mars once had running water, broad lakes and warmer temperatures but is now locked in an eternal deep freeze. What might this teach us about the changing face of our own planet? If we don't go, we won't find out. We must not hesitate to act boldly in our own interest and in the interest of our species.

"The development of human communities on Mars will be a powerful symbol of what we can achieve together."

Perhaps most importantly, our nation needs the next generation of eager, bright young scientists and engineers to advance our quality of life and remain globally competitive. In this rapidly changing world the citizens of the United States also need a far better understanding of science and technology in order to exercise fully the rights and responsibilities of citizenship. The very future of our democracy depends on it. Nothing stimulates interest like truly great goals that require us to develop ourselves and advance the human condition as well as our technology in order to achieve them. Mars is such a goal.

In a world too often fraught with tensions and violence, the arrival of human beings and the eventual development of human communities on Mars will be an important and powerful symbol of what we can achieve together. When nations cooperate peacefully toward a common goal, when entrepreneurs and citizen scientists and great institutions come together to address tough problems, it sends a powerful message to those who would seek to undermine free and open societies and return us to the dark ages. That said, human footsteps on Mars are not a panacea. They will not cure the world of its ills nor address the deficit of spirit that leads to madness in some of its more unfortunate denizens. And it will be a challenge to maintain long-term political interest in and commitment to this long journey.

But our nation has done such a thing many times before. The vision of humans on Mars, imagined for centuries, is now within our grasp. We owe it to ourselves, our country and our posterity to press forward toward this great vision of an optimistic future for humankind ― one that, once realized, will forever change our world for the better.

Mary Lynne Dittmar
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/why-mars-because-it-will-change-our-world-for-the-better_us_58875e23e4b070d8cad54088

[Brent Gair]

I have a few random but on-topic thoughts.

I can't imagine that I would agree with anything on the huffingtonpost since I generally use it for wrapping my virtual fish or lining my internet birdcage. But, OK, I'll partially agree with them this time . My disagreement, again, is that this shouldn't be an international venture. Good hearted, trusting, optimistic Americans are continually scammed by foreign powers and invariably end up paying for everything.

I'm a huge fan of NASA. They've taken way too much flack despite having accomplished stunnningly amazing things. Private industry STILL hasn't orbited a man...55 years after NASA did it. That being said, this may be a job for the private sector because NASA has become painfully cautious. Maybe they were spooked by the shuttle accidents but the manned "programs" they are administering have a pathetic timeline. You can't spend 15 years working on a 3 year project.

The best example of man's ability to do anything he set's his mind to is....the Concorde SST! What!! Are you freakin' nuts. What about the Apollo moon landings? Well, yes, the Apollo program was a beautiful example of the single-minded pursuit and achievment of a goal and the value of political and public support.

So why do I use the Concorde as an example of what man can do? Unlike Apollo, the Concorde program lacked consistent political will and public support. The British and the French agreed to joint development of the Concorde and the agreement provided for substantial penalties if one side decided to pull out. And, at various times, BOTH sides wanted to pull out...but never at the same time. The French put up a stink when the Brits wanted out and the Brits put up a fight when the French wanted out. And, of course, the market for the plane dried up. But despite lack of will, the consortium delivered a functioning SST. They did the job because they showed up for work everyday and kept at it because nobody had the authority to stop them .

Mars is absolutely doable.

[Gord Green]

Agreed Brent.

I think the fact that the private sector is putting pressure on NASA in the area of Mars exploration is going to prove helpful in the long run.

However, it is going to take a real commitment by governmental officials to set the bar to get it done. Why is the Launch System program and Orion so far behind schedule?

Why the delay after delay with the Boeing and Space X spacecrafts? We designed, built and flew the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo in less time than these programs have existed! Why is it taking so long to get the certification? It really is going to take a real bi-partisen, long endurance commitment and it has to start with the PEOPLE being behind it.

[Custer]

It is rather shameful that we don't, as we had long expected, have permanent Lunar facilities operational by now, and Martian terraforming under way, with asteroid mining becoming viable. Perhaps the "health and safety" angle is indeed what caused NASA and its Russian counterpart to wimp out. Just as well that culture hadn't taken hold earlier... I mean, send our sailing ships out to the west to try and find a trade route to China - are you crazy, man? People could get killed!