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Jim Oberg wrote:
The reason why I think this concept is so odd, is that the crew will be in 'quarantine' for the entire trip home. Anything harmful is bound to manifest itself during that period. Maybe the facility is to protect the crew from infection from EARTH, with their weakened immune systems. First of all, considering that NASA doesn't have sufficient funds to build something to get us to LEO, considering the USA is bankrupted with its currency devaluating on a daily basis, it is therefore highly unlikely that the US government will be able to justify giving NASA lots of money in the medium term. Shuttle will fly beyond 2010. Secondly, at a time when they haven't decided how people will get to mars and back, it is absolutely ludicrous to start building a quarantine facility for inbound astronauts, and if that is truly the case, then NASA should be shot for total incompetence in assigning priorities. Thirdly, there is already a good quarantine facility: it is called the ISS. Fourth, it isn't just organisms that affect humans that are important. Lets say that they brought back some organism which would be very harmful to cows. This would jeoperdize the whole cow industry in the world by introducing an organism for which no cow has any immmunity. And even if there is no life on Mars, the crew will bring life to it, and such life may mutate and some of it brought back. |
#12
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John Doe wrote in :
Is this a pre-flight facility to ensure astronauts don't catch a cold before launch ? Yes, both at JSC and KSC. |
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John Doe wrote in :
Thirdly, there is already a good quarantine facility: it is called the ISS. It is a lot harder for a returning Mars spaceship to get to ISS than the Earth's surface. |
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Bill the Cat wrote:
It is a lot harder for a returning Mars spaceship to get to ISS than the Earth's surface. Yes. But consider the size of a mars ship capable of keeping a crew sane and in good health for 2 stretches of 6 month trips. If you do not re-insert the big ship in earth orbit upon arrival, then you lose it all is big fireworks over the pacific (can they plan such a long trip for exact splash down into the pacific ? Thing is that any ship coming back from outer space and entering earth atmosphere risks contaminating earth as soon as they open the hatch. And I'd say that a spasldown in an ocean would be far mre dangerous of contaminating earth than a landing in Kasakstan. If they are serious about quarantine, the quarantine will be done in orbit with proper equipment. So either you have the equipment on the mars ship, or the occupants transfer to such a facility in orbit prior to coming back. |
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Johh Doe wrote in :
Bill the Cat wrote: It is a lot harder for a returning Mars spaceship to get to ISS than the Earth's surface. Yes. But consider the size of a mars ship capable of keeping a crew sane and in good health for 2 stretches of 6 month trips. If you do not re-insert the big ship in earth orbit upon arrival, then you lose it all is big fireworks over the pacific (can they plan such a long trip for exact splash down into the pacific ? Are you really so unimaginative as to believe that the only two choices for the Mars ship are "brake into LEO" or "fireworks over the Pacific"? Has the possibility not occurred to you to leave the main Mars ship in an Earth-Mars cycling orbit while a small capsule returns the crew to Earth? If they are serious about quarantine, the quarantine will be done in orbit with proper equipment. So either you have the equipment on the mars ship, or the occupants transfer to such a facility in orbit prior to coming back. If an off-Earth quarantine is deemed mandatory (and I'm far from convinced it is), the moon would be far easier to reach from Mars-Earth transfer orbit than anything in LEO. |
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