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.

JimO wrote:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion...14-oberg_x.htm

By James Oberg

I want USA Today to publish this on their front page.

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

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.

"Hop David" wrote

JimO wrote:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion...14-oberg_x.htm

By James Oberg

I want USA Today to publish this on their front page.

Hear, hear. What I'm about to say is heresy in much of the space advocacy
community, but I think asteroids have more to do with our future in space
than does Mars.

--


Regards,
Mike Combs
----------------------------------------------------------------------
We should ask, critically and with appeal to the numbers, whether the
best site for a growing advancing industrial society is Earth, the
Moon, Mars, some other planet, or somewhere else entirely.
Surprisingly, the answer will be inescapable - the best site is
"somewhere else entirely."

Gerard O'Neill - "The High Frontier"

In article ,
(Explorer8939) wrote:

The best asteroids for such missions are called Phobos and Deimos.

Not at all; the delta-V to those is huge compared to any number of NEAs.

Cheers,
- Joe

,------------------------------------------------------------------.
| Joseph J. Strout Check out the Mac Web Directory: |
| http://www.macwebdir.com |
`------------------------------------------------------------------'

Joe Strout wrote:
In article ,
(Explorer8939) wrote:


The best asteroids for such missions are called Phobos and Deimos.


Not at all; the delta-V to those is huge compared to any number of NEAs.

Cheers,
- Joe

,------------------------------------------------------------------.
| Joseph J. Strout Check out the Mac Web Directory: |
| http://www.macwebdir.com |
`------------------------------------------------------------------'

Much of the velocity matching can be achieved via Martian aerobraking.
So delta V wise they're near the top of the list.

There have been some hints suggesting water within the Martian moons.
But we don't really know.

That's why I advocate a fleet of prospector probes to determine what
resources are within easy reach. Phobos and Deimos should be checked out
as well as Nereus, 1979 VA.

These are my favorite asteroids:
http://clowder.net/hop/railroad/1_5/1_5.html
(these asteroids have a 1.5 year period. There are also 1_33 and 1_25
pages. some of the 1.25 year asteroids have a very low delta v.)

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

"Mike Combs" wrote in message ...
"Hop David" wrote

JimO wrote:

http://www.usatoday.com/news/opinion...14-oberg_x.htm

By James Oberg

I want USA Today to publish this on their front page.

Hear, hear. What I'm about to say is heresy in much of the space advocacy
community, but I think asteroids have more to do with our future in space
than does Mars.

My choice of destinations would be:

1. NEOs
2. Moon
a distant
3. Mars

1. or 2. should give us space access and the capability to manage
Asteroid threats - and to go to Mars with real purpose.
3. Will give us uninterrupted live coverage of a couple of guys on a
strange landscape.


--


Regards,
Mike Combs
----------------------------------------------------------------------
We should ask, critically and with appeal to the numbers, whether the
best site for a growing advancing industrial society is Earth, the
Moon, Mars, some other planet, or somewhere else entirely.
Surprisingly, the answer will be inescapable - the best site is
"somewhere else entirely."

Gerard O'Neill - "The High Frontier"

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

How about "Think outside NASA-BoeMart box" ?

-kert