Manned Mars Mission: Budget?

Regarding a manned Mars mission: What size of order has a qualified
guess on the costs?

(I am aware that it can be calculated in many ways)

Best regards,

Niels Foldager

On 2005-03-20, N. Foldager wrote:

Regarding a manned Mars mission: What size of order has a qualified
guess on the costs?

(I am aware that it can be calculated in many ways)

Zubrin (I know, I know) estimated it at $10bn over ten years setup and
then $1bn/year if done "properly"; $20bn was what he expected; he
suggested the NASA version might run to $30bn and maybe $1.5-2bn a year.

The NASA Mars Reference Mission (SP-6107, it's on NTRS somewhere) has a
chapter on costs, but doesn't cite a dollar value. Zubrin's estimate of
$30bn over ten years is possibly slightly low, but sounds like the right
ballpark.

"Tens of billions" is a good order of magnitude guess.

--
-Andrew Gray

$500US billion, give or taken a couple of billion, if you believe NASA.

$50US billion, give or take, if you believe Zubrin.

NASA can't balance a checkbook. Zubrin is an optimist. I'd guess $100
billion could get the job done.

EPB



"N. Foldager" wrote in message
...

Regarding a manned Mars mission: What size of order has a qualified
guess on the costs?

(I am aware that it can be calculated in many ways)

Best regards,

Niels Foldager

"N. Foldager" wrote in
:

Regarding a manned Mars mission: What size of order has a qualified
guess on the costs?

(I am aware that it can be calculated in many ways)

Dwayne Day did a good series of articles for Space Review on this subject.
In particular, he dispels some long-held myths like the "$500 billion NASA
Mars mission" that some continue to cling to.

http://www.thespacereview.com/article/119/1
http://www.thespacereview.com/article/288/1


--
JRF

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check "Organization" (I am not assimilated) and
think one step ahead of IBM.

Thank you to you all. Exactly what I was looking for.

Best regards,
Niels

On Sun, 20 Mar 2005 12:06:02 +0100, "N. Foldager"
wrote:


Regarding a manned Mars mission: What size of order has a qualified
guess on the costs?

(I am aware that it can be calculated in many ways)

Best regards,

Niels Foldager