USA Today (Oberg): “Think outside moon-Mars box: Maybe visit asteroid”

USA Today (Oberg): “Think outside moon-Mars box: Maybe visit asteroid”
USA Today, Jan 14, 2004
http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion...14-oberg_x.htm

By James Oberg

The moon race of the 1960s was fueled by national anxiety about what the
world would become if the Soviet Union grabbed a permanent lead in space
exploration. So President Kennedy set a vision for the USA to reach the moon
first.

etc

"JimO" wrote in message
...
USA Today (Oberg): "Think outside moon-Mars box: Maybe visit asteroid"

Asteroid? That'll never happen. A moon has much more clout than some rock
flying through space, even if it's more challenging. It's a psychological
kind of thing.

Dr. O wrote:
"JimO" wrote in message
...

USA Today (Oberg): "Think outside moon-Mars box: Maybe visit asteroid"


Asteroid? That'll never happen. A moon has much more clout than some rock
flying through space, even if it's more challenging. It's a psychological
kind of thing.



Asteroid impact is a threat. This has some psychological leverage.

The asteroids also have better mineral resources. The ones I find most
interesting are possible volatiles: water, ammonia, & hydrocarbons.

The man on the street may be impressed that there are metallic
asteroids with high grade iron, nickel, copper, silver, gold and
platinum ore.

An effective asteroid sales pitch could be made to the public.

--
Hop David
http://clowder.net/hop/index.html

"Dr. O" dr.o@xxxxx writes:

"JimO" wrote in message
...
USA Today (Oberg): "Think outside moon-Mars box: Maybe visit asteroid"

Asteroid? That'll never happen. A moon has much more clout than some rock
flying through space, even if it's more challenging. It's a psychological
kind of thing.

Actually, an asteroid mission would fit well in the Moon/Mars plan.
After doing lunar missions and before a Mars mission, an asteroid
mission would give you the chance to test many of the systems needed
for Mars, but without the huge Mars gravity well.

Visiting Martian moons is a possibility too, since they look to be
captured asteroids. You have to deal with the gravity well of Mars,
in that you have to enter and leave Mars orbit, but the lander itself
doesn't have to directly deal with the gravity well.

For either of the above missions, you'd use your Mars transport, but
could use your proven Moon lander for the asteroid or Martian moon
landing.

Jeff
--
Remove "no" and "spam" from email address to reply.
If it says "This is not spam!", it's surely a lie.

In article ,
"Dr. O" dr.o@xxxxx wrote:

"JimO" wrote in message
...
USA Today (Oberg): "Think outside moon-Mars box: Maybe visit asteroid"

Asteroid? That'll never happen. A moon has much more clout than some rock
flying through space, even if it's more challenging. It's a psychological
kind of thing.

"The White House plan, detailed in internal documents, also
mentions the possibility of sending humans to asteroids or
moons of Jupiter."
--http://www.space.com/news/bush_science_040114.html

--
Stephen Souter

http://www.edfac.usyd.edu.au/staff/souters/

Stephen Souter wrote:
"The White House plan, detailed in internal documents, also
mentions the possibility of sending humans to asteroids or moons of
Jupiter."
--http://www.space.com/news/bush_science_040114.html

Europa! By robot or by manned mission, we really need to find out if
anything lives in that sea.

--
Tony Sivori

In article ,
Tony Sivori wrote:

Stephen Souter wrote:
"The White House plan, detailed in internal documents, also
mentions the possibility of sending humans to asteroids or moons of
Jupiter."
--http://www.space.com/news/bush_science_040114.html

Europa! By robot or by manned mission, we really need to find out if
anything lives in that sea.

Probably not Europa (unless they could burrow in under the ice). At
least at first. Or Io or Ganymede. But Callisto, as I understand it, is
far enough outside the Jovian radiation belts for humans to survive; and
it could be used as a forward base.

--
Stephen Souter

http://www.edfac.usyd.edu.au/staff/souters/

On Thu, 15 Jan 2004, Stephen Souter wrote:

In article ,
Tony Sivori wrote:

Stephen Souter wrote:
"The White House plan, detailed in internal documents, also
mentions the possibility of sending humans to asteroids or moons of
Jupiter."
--http://www.space.com/news/bush_science_040114.html

Europa! By robot or by manned mission, we really need to find out if
anything lives in that sea.

Probably not Europa (unless they could burrow in under the ice). At
least at first. Or Io or Ganymede. But Callisto, as I understand it, is
far enough outside the Jovian radiation belts for humans to survive; and
it could be used as a forward base.

It's got its own gravity well. Find a little prograde satellite near the
equatorial plane, and burrow into that.

--
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/ / - ~ -~~~~~~~~/_) / / / / / / (_) (_) / / / _\~~~~~~~~~~~zap!
/__// \ (_) (_) / | \
| | Bill Higgins Fermi National Accelerator Laboratory
\ /
- - Internet:
~ New! Improved! Now with THREE great neutrino flavors!

Stephen Souter wrote:

In article ,
Tony Sivori wrote:


Stephen Souter wrote:

"The White House plan, detailed in internal documents, also
mentions the possibility of sending humans to asteroids or moons of
Jupiter."
--http://www.space.com/news/bush_science_040114.html

Europa! By robot or by manned mission, we really need to find out if
anything lives in that sea.


Probably not Europa (unless they could burrow in under the ice). At
least at first. Or Io or Ganymede. But Callisto, as I understand it, is
far enough outside the Jovian radiation belts for humans to survive; and
it could be used as a forward base.


IF you can get an unmanned probe to Europa...and find even primitive
life...it justifies NASA's mission. If you find weird cool multicellular
lifeforms not existant on earth(Europan jellyfish style animals,etc)
....you can write your own check.

In sci.space.policy Stephen Souter wrote:
In article ,
"Dr. O" dr.o@xxxxx wrote:

"JimO" wrote in message
...
USA Today (Oberg): "Think outside moon-Mars box: Maybe visit asteroid"

Asteroid? That'll never happen. A moon has much more clout than some rock
flying through space, even if it's more challenging. It's a psychological
kind of thing.

"The White House plan, detailed in internal documents, also
mentions the possibility of sending humans to asteroids or
moons of Jupiter."
--http://www.space.com/news/bush_science_040114.html


That proves they are not taking this at all seriously. An interstellar
probe to Alpha Centauri is right now way more feasible than sending men
to moons of Jupiter. Not that comparing impossibles is all that useful.

--
Sander

+++ Out of cheese error +++