When are we going to Mars, Shrub?

[KarlMarx]

When are we going to put a human on Mars, anyway, Mr. Bush?

Is this all that's been done so far, a commission has made a report?
http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/mars/

It took us only 8 years to get to the Moon after JFK said to go and do it.

What are you waiting for Bush? Were you just putting us on?

ST.... the other day, you were all upset at how out of control Federal spending was and now you find fault with Bush for not sending a manned mission to Mars?

Consider that the moon is 250,000 miles away and that Mars is 30+ million miles away on its closest approach to the Earth (a factor of 120 times in distance). It took astronauts 3 days to get to the moon, it would take at least a year to get TO Mars and a year to get back. The technical problems would be many times greater. Shielding the astronauts from solar bursts, the amount of fuel needed to get to and from Mars, the effects of extended weightlessness on the human body, what to do if there were a failure as in Apollo 13, the list is very long.

The cost of the moon shots was $135 B in 2005 dollars, what do you suppose a mission to Mars would cost? About $500B to $1 Trillion dollars at the very least.

One of the criticisms of the space program was that the money was better spent on fighting the problems here on Earth (i.e. poverty, hunger etc). I imagine that sending a man to Mars would invite a torrent of criticism and condemnation from Bush's opponents.

 

[KarlMarx]

So because you think he is an ass that gives you the right to blast him? Does that make you any better than him? All I'm saying is take the moral highground and show some respect for your fellow human being. Isn't that part of what conservatism is about?

In all fairness, Mr. C, the person you refer to has flamed a lot of people including moderators. My recollection is that has been grounds for banishment in the past.

Other posters in the past have tried to put up with this person's rants, abuse and so on and have been reached the limits of their patience.

You're seeing the tail end of a few months' worth of conflict. Most of the posters on this board are very pleasant and intelligent people. They are acting the way they do for a good reason.

The treatment this person gets is a reflection of the abuse that he metes out to other posters. This person has started threads that just presses some peoples' buttons. I don't believe this person does so to start discussions, but to start fights.

There are other liberals on this board that post on this board. Some of us may not agree with them yet, they're still here.

So, in my opinion, the one who fails to observe the Golden Rule around here is the person you're referring to, not the others

 

[MissileMan]

I'm not the one who isn't backing my stuff up - I wasn't the one who claimed that illegal Mexican immigrants were actually getting paid $15/hour with no source to back up that rather ludicrous claim.

QUOTE]

http://southnow.org/blog/index.php/archives/2005/10/latino-immigrants-head-for-the-gulf-coast/

The Rev. Jesse Jackson and New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin are up in arms because what has historically been a mostly black city may be on its way to becoming a largely brown city. Latino immigrants are coming to New Orleans from as far away as California to repair homes, clear debris, rebuild roads and do other jobs. According to a story in the Los Angeles Times, they’re making about $15 per hour, and they’ve been so warmly received by contractors that many of them say they plan to stay, save money, buy homes, and put down roots in the Big Easy.

Ludicrous huh?

 

[Mr.Conley]

I can see the guy has some anger, I won't say anything more.

The challenges of sending a man to mars would be numerous and difficult to overcome, not to mention expensive. Here is just a short list.
-Provide food, water, and most importantly fuel to last a multiyear voyage.
- Insure the astronauts are able to maintain bone mass, blood pressure, and muscle strength even after more than a year in a zero-gravity environment.
- Ensure crew moral, prevent boredom, and diffuse tensions among crew members. Being trapped in the same 1000ft area for months at a time with the same people can make you antzy.
-Protect the crew from the harmful effects of solar radiation
- Ensure the interrity of the ship across the vast depths of space. Anything from the solar winds to micrometriorites could incapacitate the ship.

These challenges must eventually be overcome if humans are to fully take advantage of the resources of space. But at a price in the hundred billions and with little economic reward except in the very long term, I feel a trip to Mars, though essential for expanding our knowledge both of Earth and the universe, is not feasable or economicl in the short and medium term. Rather I feel our space efforts could be aimed towards the exploration and eventual colonization of the moon. The moon is significantly closer than Mars, only a three day journey, and would provide significant commercial benefits for those back home, as well as expand or knowledge of science (look up the lunar telescope on this one), all at a much smaller price tag. A moon base would open the path for space colonization and exploration. The moon contains the basic raw materials, such as titanium, water, hydrogen, and other metals to construct both lunar a space colonies. The advantage of performing the contruction on the moon is that, thanks to its significantly smaller gravitational pull, launching objects into orbit is less costly and requires less fuel. The moon could also sever as an ideal spot for new industries, the pressence of a near total vaccum, some techinically and financially difficult to create here on Earth, along with some gravity opens up the possibilites dozens of industries creating new and cheaper products.

In all the moon would serve as an ideal starting point for human efforts in space. It is relatively cheap, offers numerous economic advantages, would expand our knowledge of science, and be an excellent starting point to produce and launch other space ventures.

 

[Avatar4321]

I can see the guy has some anger, I won't say anything more.

The challenges of sending a man to mars would be numerous and difficult to overcome, not to mention expensive. Here is just a short list.
-Provide food, water, and most importantly fuel to last a multiyear voyage.
- Insure the astronauts are able to maintain bone mass, blood pressure, and muscle strength even after more than a year in a zero-gravity environment.
- Ensure crew moral, prevent boredom, and diffuse tensions among crew members. Being trapped in the same 1000ft area for months at a time with the same people can make you antzy.
-Protect the crew from the harmful effects of solar radiation
- Ensure the interrity of the ship across the vast depths of space. Anything from the solar winds to micrometriorites could incapacitate the ship.

These challenges must eventually be overcome if humans are to fully take advantage of the resources of space. But at a price in the hundred billions and with little economic reward except in the very long term, I feel a trip to Mars, though essential for expanding our knowledge both of Earth and the universe, is not feasable or economicl in the short and medium term. Rather I feel our space efforts could be aimed towards the exploration and eventual colonization of the moon. The moon is significantly closer than Mars, only a three day journey, and would provide significant commercial benefits for those back home, as well as expand or knowledge of science (look up the lunar telescope on this one), all at a much smaller price tag. A moon base would open the path for space colonization and exploration. The moon contains the basic raw materials, such as titanium, water, hydrogen, and other metals to construct both lunar a space colonies. The advantage of performing the contruction on the moon is that, thanks to its significantly smaller gravitational pull, launching objects into orbit is less costly and requires less fuel. The moon could also sever as an ideal spot for new industries, the pressence of a near total vaccum, some techinically and financially difficult to create here on Earth, along with some gravity opens up the possibilites dozens of industries creating new and cheaper products.

In all the moon would serve as an ideal starting point for human efforts in space. It is relatively cheap, offers numerous economic advantages, would expand our knowledge of science, and be an excellent starting point to produce and launch other space ventures.

Which is exactly why the President said we need to focus on using the moon as a stepping off point for the trip to Mars.

To expect us to be ready to head to Mars before we have done what we need to do on the Moon is alittle silly.

 

[SpidermanTuba]

When are we going to put a human on Mars, anyway, Mr. Bush?

Is this all that's been done so far, a commission has made a report?
Moon and Mars

It took us only 8 years to get to the Moon after JFK said to go and do it.

What are you waiting for Bush? Were you just putting us on?

Is Bush ever going to take us to Mars?