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TPS: Aim for Mars, Pluto, Cassini



 
 
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  #1  
Old May 24th 04, 10:31 PM
SETI ITALIA Bruno IK2WQA
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default TPS: Aim for Mars, Pluto, Cassini

TPS: Aim for Mars, Pluto, Cassini

THE PLANETARY SOCIETY NEWSLETTER
____________________________________

IN THIS ISSUE:

- Take Action: Aim for Mars!
- Special Member Offer: LEGO Rover Discount
- Secret Martian Code Revealed
- Is Pluto a Planet? Is Sedna? Vote Today!
- Beagle 2: An Interview with Colin Pillinger
- News! Cassini-Huygens, Rovers, Sedna
- You Make it Happen! Tell a Friend
______________________________________

AIM FOR MARS!
Continuing our Campaign for
Human Exploration of the Red Planet

For over 30 years -- since the last Apollo astronaut
left the Moon -- human explorers have been restricted
to circling their home world. The new U.S. space
policy seeks finally to move us beyond Earth orbit with
a focus on exploration and a goal of sending humans
to Mars. Now is the time to direct our vision to
other worlds.

It is time to Aim for Mars!

The Planetary Society is leading an international
drive to redirect human space endeavors through a bold
new vision to the Moon, Mars and Beyond.
You can take action today to ensure that the vision
becomes reality.

Speak Out ... Take Action ... Learn More

You can Aim for Mars at:
http://aimformars.org

______________________________________

SPECIAL LEGO ROVER OFFER FOR U.S. AND
CANADIAN PLANETARY SOCIETY MEMBERS

Join The Planetary Society, and receive a discount of
over 50% when you purchase a LEGO model of the
Mars Exploration Rover.

The regular price of this incredible model is $89.99 but
Planetary Society members can purchase this model for
only $39.99 through June 30, 2004.

This special arrangement is just one of the many benefits
You will receive as a member of The Planetary Society.

To purchase the rover, you will need a special Member
discount code. Once you have joined, simply email your name
and the join date to . We will email
you back with the code plus the instructions on purchasing
the rover.

Remember, this offer is only valid through June 30. Planetary
Society membership is open to all, however Rover
models can only be shipped to U.S. and Canadian addresses.

Don't miss out on this opportunity, join now at:
https://planetary.org/JoinUs.html

______________________________________

SECRET MARTIAN CODE REVEALED

Want to get the answer to the secret coded
message from Mars?
Head straight for our code solutions pages -
Spirit code:
https://planetary.org/redrover-dvd/spirit_solution.html
Opportunity code:
https://planetary.org/redrover-dvd/o..._solution.html

Still want to try to solve the mystery? It's not too
late. Although the prize competition is over, you can
still enter your answer in the forms on the Spirit and
Opportunity code pages. In addition to the satisfaction
of being one of those who solve the code, you will
also be rewarded with a beautiful certificate of
accomplishment.

Test your code breaking skills for Spirit at:
https://planetary.org/redrover-dvd/dvd_spirit.html

For Opportunity at:
https://planetary.org/redrover-dvd/dvd_opportunity.html

Stay tuned, we will soon be announcing all of the winners
for the "Crack the Secret Martian Code" contest.
You could be one of them!
______________________________________

WHAT IS A PLANET? CAST YOUR VOTE!

Astronomers recently announced the discovery of most
distant Sun-orbiting object ever observed from Earth
"Sedna," around three-quarters the size of Pluto,
orbiting the Sun on the far outskirts of the solar system.

These recent discoveries raise serious questions about
the status of the ninth planet. Is Pluto a true planet,
or is it merely one of a myriad space rocks orbiting
beyond Neptune? If it is a planet, should Sedna and
other large Kuiper Belt Objects be considered planets
as well? And if Sedna is not a planet, should Pluto be
retained as one? In other words, what is a planet?

This is your chance to make your voice heard.
Vote today! We will publish the results of the
vote in the coming weeks.

Vote today at:
http://planetary.org/news/2004/planet_vote.html

____________________________________

DIALOGUE COLIN PILLINGER:
On Beagle 2 and the Search for Life on Mars

In a special web feature, Colin Pillinger, head of
Planetary and Space Sciences at the Open University
in the United Kingdom and the principal investigator of
Beagle 2 discusses with The Planetary Society the
risks involved in space missions and moving forward
after a loss.

"You can only learn by taking those opportunities"
says Pillinger. "Staying at home is like saying,
'We're going to lead a party to climb Everest. However
there's a risk.' You have to say to yourself --
'Do I want to go?' You know the risk, but you're not
going to stay home and watch it on the television."

Read the entire interview at:
http://planetary.org/news/2004/dialogue_pillinger.html

______________________________________

THIS MONTH'S PLANETARY HEADLINES:
CASSINI-HUYGENS, MARS EXPLORATION ROVERS, SEDNA

Keep up with Planetary News at
The Planetary Society website.

Cassini-Huygens Approach Saturn and Capture
First Glimpse of Titan's Surface
http://www.planetary.org/news/2004/c..._approach.html

Mars Exploration Rovers Update:
Spirit Makes Tracks to Columbia Hills;
Opportunity Cruises into Extended Mission
http://planetary.org/news/2004/mer-update_04-04-30.html

Sedna: A New Mystery
http://planetary.org/news/2004/sedna_mystery.html

Mars Exploration Rovers Update:
Spirit Gets 'Kicks' on Route 66;
Opportunity Solves Another Martian Mystery
http://planetary.org/news/2004/mer-update_04-04-17.html

____________________________________

YOU MAKE IT HAPPEN!
TELL A FRIEND
Forward this newsletter on to your friends
who share our belief in exploration. Tell them
about The Planetary Society. Tell them we
are aiming for Mars - and beyond. Ask them to
join The Planetary Society and join in our mission
to explore new worlds and seek other life.

Help us continue to build the strongest, most
influential space-advocacy organization on Earth.

Thank you.

Check in regularly at our website,
http://planetary.org

_________________________


If you are interested in the future of planetary
exploration, please contact us at

with your thoughts, questions, and concerns.



forwarded by TPS member

Bruno Moretti IK2WQA
Cicognola Astronomical Observatory & IK2WQA Ham Radio Station
45°43'28"N 8°36'35"E QTH Locator: JN45HR
http://setiboinc.ssl.berkeley.edu/ap...y.php?teamid=8
http://setiathome.ssl.berkeley.edu/s...team_7422.html
http://gwtradate.tread.it/tradate/gat/index.html
  #2  
Old May 24th 04, 11:37 PM
jacob navia
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Aim for Mars: Not a good idea


"SETI ITALIA Bruno IK2WQA" a écrit dans le message de
m...
TPS: Aim for Mars, Pluto, Cassini

THE PLANETARY SOCIETY NEWSLETTER
____________________________________

IN THIS ISSUE:

- Take Action: Aim for Mars!

[snip]
______________________________________

AIM FOR MARS!
Continuing our Campaign for
Human Exploration of the Red Planet

For over 30 years -- since the last Apollo astronaut
left the Moon -- human explorers have been restricted
to circling their home world. The new U.S. space
policy seeks finally to move us beyond Earth orbit with
a focus on exploration and a goal of sending humans
to Mars. Now is the time to direct our vision to
other worlds.

It is time to Aim for Mars!


No.

Humans should not go to Mars since we have discovered
methane in the atmosphere.

This could mean that there is something breathing in there.
Since humans can't go to Mars without irremediably
contaminating everything, (humans can't be sterilized)
we should avoid any direct biological contact
until the origin of the methane is established.

A full two way biological contact is foolish at this stage of
our knowledge of Mars. Humans can't be just left over there
after they have exhausted the supplies. They will have to
be taken back here, carrying any Marsian germs here.

Contamination would be two-way.

This is a stupid behavior. The human way of exploring
means preserving other ecologies and learning about the
diversity of life.

The discovery of an extra-terrestial ecology, be it so primitive
like sulfur loving bacteria adapted to cold temperatures, would
give us an irreplaceable knowledge.

And this is the objective of human exploration: knowledge.

We are homo sapiens. The ones who know.

Let's explore with machines, in a neutral fashion.

We send sterilized machines to avoid rediscovering earth
life, and the machines never come back here.

This is not risky for them (if they exist) and not risky
for us.

Mars exploration means pursuing knowledge, the only
real value of exploration.

Happily for us (and the marsians) it is completely
beyond the current human technology to put a human in
Mars. It is a trip of several years, and there is no
artificial ecology that can survive in outer space for
2.5 years without any earth contact.

The space station (our only testbed so far) needs regular
supplies and cargo ships. Before a module is certified for
2.5 years reliability it should have been tested in the
space station for at least 5 years in full simulation conditions.

To develop the technology necessary to build an artificial
ecology (spaceship) that lasts 2.5 years without
failure, recycling 100% of everything is absolutely
beyond our space technology and this will take at
least 20-30 years.

Automated exploration of the planet is what we can do
NOW and we should pursue THAT avenue with all the
craft we can.

Solar powered robots are demonstrating
NOW that we can explore the planet collectively, with
millions of humans involved. Not a big view for the
astronauts only, but a big view for everyone.

This is scientifcally more rewarding, since we can start
immediately to explore the right questions without
wasting time and energy to ensure the survival of the
humans.

The soil is moist with a 100% solution of water and
sulfuric acid?

Our robots didn't care. They go on marching.

The air is full of deadly quartz powder that will
go into the lungs provoking cancer?

Our robots have no lungs.

The robots do not eat any other thing besides
solar rays. No need for combustible supply
lines, food, waste disposal, etc.

Teperature is a freezing -50 or even -90 C?

Electronics doesn't care.

Looking at the evolution of the american Mars Rover
program, rovers are now able to do more than
100 meters a day. They have very few moving parts
(solar/electrical power is very reliable) and
they will surely evolve in the next trips.

The time lag is a problem, but that can be ovecome
with software. Eventually of course, humans could put
another space station around the planet, to coordinate
the work of the machines below.

But is there any reason to go personally to a cold
and deadly desert full of dangerous dust, carcinogenic
substances in quantities, etc?

We are not going to go to the surface of every planet !
Venus, for instance with its 450 C, is off limits too.

Not for electronics.

The extensions of man.



  #3  
Old May 24th 04, 11:37 PM
jacob navia
external usenet poster
 
Posts: n/a
Default Aim for Mars: Not a good idea


"SETI ITALIA Bruno IK2WQA" a écrit dans le message de
m...
TPS: Aim for Mars, Pluto, Cassini

THE PLANETARY SOCIETY NEWSLETTER
____________________________________

IN THIS ISSUE:

- Take Action: Aim for Mars!

[snip]
______________________________________

AIM FOR MARS!
Continuing our Campaign for
Human Exploration of the Red Planet

For over 30 years -- since the last Apollo astronaut
left the Moon -- human explorers have been restricted
to circling their home world. The new U.S. space
policy seeks finally to move us beyond Earth orbit with
a focus on exploration and a goal of sending humans
to Mars. Now is the time to direct our vision to
other worlds.

It is time to Aim for Mars!


No.

Humans should not go to Mars since we have discovered
methane in the atmosphere.

This could mean that there is something breathing in there.
Since humans can't go to Mars without irremediably
contaminating everything, (humans can't be sterilized)
we should avoid any direct biological contact
until the origin of the methane is established.

A full two way biological contact is foolish at this stage of
our knowledge of Mars. Humans can't be just left over there
after they have exhausted the supplies. They will have to
be taken back here, carrying any Marsian germs here.

Contamination would be two-way.

This is a stupid behavior. The human way of exploring
means preserving other ecologies and learning about the
diversity of life.

The discovery of an extra-terrestial ecology, be it so primitive
like sulfur loving bacteria adapted to cold temperatures, would
give us an irreplaceable knowledge.

And this is the objective of human exploration: knowledge.

We are homo sapiens. The ones who know.

Let's explore with machines, in a neutral fashion.

We send sterilized machines to avoid rediscovering earth
life, and the machines never come back here.

This is not risky for them (if they exist) and not risky
for us.

Mars exploration means pursuing knowledge, the only
real value of exploration.

Happily for us (and the marsians) it is completely
beyond the current human technology to put a human in
Mars. It is a trip of several years, and there is no
artificial ecology that can survive in outer space for
2.5 years without any earth contact.

The space station (our only testbed so far) needs regular
supplies and cargo ships. Before a module is certified for
2.5 years reliability it should have been tested in the
space station for at least 5 years in full simulation conditions.

To develop the technology necessary to build an artificial
ecology (spaceship) that lasts 2.5 years without
failure, recycling 100% of everything is absolutely
beyond our space technology and this will take at
least 20-30 years.

Automated exploration of the planet is what we can do
NOW and we should pursue THAT avenue with all the
craft we can.

Solar powered robots are demonstrating
NOW that we can explore the planet collectively, with
millions of humans involved. Not a big view for the
astronauts only, but a big view for everyone.

This is scientifcally more rewarding, since we can start
immediately to explore the right questions without
wasting time and energy to ensure the survival of the
humans.

The soil is moist with a 100% solution of water and
sulfuric acid?

Our robots didn't care. They go on marching.

The air is full of deadly quartz powder that will
go into the lungs provoking cancer?

Our robots have no lungs.

The robots do not eat any other thing besides
solar rays. No need for combustible supply
lines, food, waste disposal, etc.

Teperature is a freezing -50 or even -90 C?

Electronics doesn't care.

Looking at the evolution of the american Mars Rover
program, rovers are now able to do more than
100 meters a day. They have very few moving parts
(solar/electrical power is very reliable) and
they will surely evolve in the next trips.

The time lag is a problem, but that can be ovecome
with software. Eventually of course, humans could put
another space station around the planet, to coordinate
the work of the machines below.

But is there any reason to go personally to a cold
and deadly desert full of dangerous dust, carcinogenic
substances in quantities, etc?

We are not going to go to the surface of every planet !
Venus, for instance with its 450 C, is off limits too.

Not for electronics.

The extensions of man.



 




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