The Drive to Discover

[BikerBabe 0]

http://www.wired.com/wired/archive/12.12/cameron.html?pg=1&topic=cameron&topic_set=

I posted this here because it will inevitably become a political debate.

Just read the article. Before you judge based on the author, know that he is currently serving on NASA's advisory committee for this issue. So he probably has some insight...

I think he's right.

Never meddle in the affairs of dragons, for you are crunchy and taste good with ketchup!

[Tink1717 2]

Here, here.

Skydivers don't knock on Death's door. They ring the bell and runaway... It really pisses him off.
-The World Famous Tink. (I never heard of you either!!)
AA #2069 ASA#33 POPS#8808 Swooo 1717

[peregrinerose 0]

That was really well written and interesting text. And I do agree completely. To 'boldly go' is important. It gives rise to imagination as well as information.

Do or do not, there is no try -Yoda

[billvon 3,120]

Not so much a political issue, really. We've had the technology to explore the planets for 20 years now. My proposal to pull it off is similar to Zubrin's - just offer a 20 billion prize for the first company to send a mission to mars and fulfill X science objectives (return of samples, geography, biochemistry etc) Let private industry figure out how to do it.

[jakee 1,596]

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We've had the technology to explore the planets for 20 years now.

Manned missions? I thought there were still all kinds of medical issues concerning prolonged zero g and exposure to radiation that hadn't been solved yet.

Do you want to have an ideagasm?

[billvon 3,120]

> I thought there were still all kinds of medical issues concerning
>prolonged zero g and exposure to radiation that hadn't been solved yet.

Not really. Zero-G - spin the lander at the end of a cable, using the final stage as a counterweight, to produce Mars gravity. On the return trip, don't worry about it, and implement only the normal precautions, of the sort they are currently using on the space station. Those are pretty well proven for durations longer than the return flight. And if there are problems - they're coming home via an automated vehicle to good medical care.

Radiation - not much of a problem unless there's a solar storm. To deal with that, provide a place in the lander shielded by the vehicle's water tanks (you need water anyway) that you can cram the crew in until the storm passes.

In both cases, there are certainly risks, but they're not huge.

[jakee 1,596]

cool

Do you want to have an ideagasm?

[nanook 1]

I think it's a good idea. I'd have to talk with an old guy, but was the whole concept of having a manned flight and the expense of it brought up as a selling point to the public for an exceptionally expensive race to the moon? (I couldn't imagine any congressional approval without there being people in those capsules) I know going to the moon and beyond was around for eons but the biggest explosion seemed to have hapened after sputnik. after kennedy's speech, knowledge of space exploded to the general public and a lot of romantic thoughts popped up in the form of science fiction and tv shows(star trek). It took a lot of power just to get 3 people and their Lunar Excursion Modules out of the atmosphere(A saturn 5 booster just to get it moving for a few minutes). My opinion of this is: why waste so much money on something that doesn't really require a human to be a part of in the first place? Especially if all this romanticism(if my theory is true) stemmed from a marketing project to get congress to bite? Is the romance really worth the money? Should the thought be obsolete? Do we have to go into space because Star Trek and Star wars say it's cool?

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"The trouble with quotes on the internet is that you can never know if they are genuine" - Abraham Lincoln

[billvon 3,120]

>why waste so much money on something that doesn't really require
>a human to be a part of in the first place?

You could say the same about air travel, but that's turned out to be pretty useful.

>Do we have to go into space because Star Trek and Star wars say it's cool?

I think it's more that:

1. There is a decent chance that we're eventually going to destroy the earth - and if we want mankind to survive, there has to be some of us somewhere else.

2. We will learn things we can't even imagine right now.

[nanook 1]

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I think it's more that:

1. There is a decent chance that we're eventually going to destroy the earth - and if we want mankind to survive, there has to be some of us somewhere else.

Fair enough. I definely agree to that reason. I just wonder how much of the author's desire comes from the romanticism of travel. He discounts the shuttle-orbiting expeirments for favor of going to other planets. I think there's a lot to learn from the shuttle flights that may actually be bedrock for future travel and long term visits.

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"The trouble with quotes on the internet is that you can never know if they are genuine" - Abraham Lincoln

[Zenister 0]

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Do we have to go into space because Star Trek and Star wars say it's cool?

actually i've been told that the ST/SW has done a lot to dampen the public enthusiasm for manned space exploration.. its hard to get kids (and the public in general) excited about going to the moon when Kirk has already been to Klingon.. the fantasy makes the reality 'boring'....

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Those who fail to learn from the past are simply Doomed.

[billvon 3,120]

>He discounts the shuttle-orbiting expeirments for favor of going to other planets.

I think both have their place, and I think we will learn a lot from both - but one should not supplant, delay or replace the other. In Zubrin's words "if you want to go to LEO, go to LEO. If you want to go to Mars, go to Mars."

[ltdiver 3]

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"The reality is that we have become risk averse, willing to coast on the momentum of past accomplishments." ...

..."What is lacking is the will, the mandate, and the sense of purpose."

How often do we fall into this go-nowhere ditch. And how often do we wake up and realize what is lacking and take action.

Take risks. Live! Come sliding into the end of your life yelling...YAHOOOOO!!!!!

ltdiver

Don't tell me the sky's the limit when there are footprints on the moon