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Old April 13th 09, 03:48 AM posted to sci.space.policy
Jorge R. Frank
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Default Space Policy: Why Mars should be our top priority.

Marvin the Martian wrote:
On Mon, 13 Apr 2009 01:30:33 +0200, jacob navia wrote:

Marvin the Martian wrote:
Then Get your ass to Mars!

http://OnToMar.org/forum/


(1) Mars is beyond current technology. Only machines can live in there.
Any human expedition to Mars is just science fiction.


Actually, NASA was planning on going to Mars right after Apollo, back in
the early 1970s. This technology is almost 40 years old.


And it's a good thing they didn't; they *thought* they had the
technology but they didn't. There is no ****ing way that Apollo-era life
support systems would have sustained a crew to Mars and back, plus they
grossly underestimated the total radiation dose (Apollo got lucky with
the timing of solar flares, pure and simple.)

(4) The technology for living in an independent vessel for more than
3-4 months is just not there


The Soviets had cosmonauts in LEO for over 6 months. Not to put too fine
a point on it, but you seem to be making stuff up.


The Soviets had Progress spacecraft sending up supplies and replacement
parts every couple of months. Such would not be possible for
transmars/transearth coast. Not to put too fine a point on it, but
you're either ignorant of the true logistics situation or you're lying
your ass off.

(6) The technology for living in Mars is not the
o -50 C in the day, -100 in the night
Heating energy would need a nuclear reactor to keep humans from
freezing
o No oxygen. All oxygen has to be brought from earth. o No food. All
food must be brought from earth. o No air pressure. You must live in
pressure suits all
the time you are outside
o Etc


We have had people on the moon, where the temperature variations are even
greater.


Incorrect. The temperature variations *would* have been greater if we'd
kept the Apollo crews there longer. But as it was, Apollo always landed
within two days of lunar sunrise and never stayed more than three days.
The temperature variations were therefore far more constrained and
predictable. No Apollo equipment was designed for lunar night since it
was never going to experience it.