National Geographic to Mars

Andrew Gray :

I think the idea is for the NGS - who aren't badly off, admittedly - to
be able to go on your subscription money.

In other words: the goal of the government should be to support the
research, support the infrastructure, the odd targeted tax-break, &c
&c... so that a situation arises where the NGS can drop a couple of
hundred million on the table at LockMartBoeingEADS-Energia Bespoke
Orbital Logistics Solutions and go to Mars on the strength of that.

As it stands, the NGS - or any similar organisation with the same amount
of cash - can commercially organise an expedition to pretty much
anywhere on Earth, with some possible political exceptions. It's an
interesting way to define a goal, and it's one I rather like.

If the NGS want to send an research group to Mars they would have no problem
finding people to go, the costs of food/air for the needed number of years is
also in thier reach even a Mars shelter could be budgetted. However the cost
of transporting all this is way to high. How low would the cost of
transportation have to fall before organizations like the NGS could send
thier own people. In other words how much money do you think someone like
the NGS can raise? 100 million? 500 million? A billion? More?

Earl Colby Pottinger


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