CycleChat investigates - human missions to Mars.

Who will get humans to Mars first?

  • Space X - Musk is enough of a Buccaneer to pull it off.

    Votes: 4 13.3%
  • Blue Origin - for £5.99 a month Bezos will also deliver your parcels there for free.

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • NASA - the sober, sharp haircutted scientists of American space exploration

    Votes: 1 3.3%
  • Russia - Putin will be the first to brew a nice pot of polonium tea on Mars

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • China - Communism will reign supreme, and Corbyn has been tipped to pilot the first landing.

    Votes: 3 10.0%
  • We went there in the 60's and I recall International Rescue had to save them.

    Votes: 5 16.7%
  • It won't happen in our life time

    Votes: 11 36.7%
  • I've read the Martian Chronicles and it didn't end well

    Votes: 6 20.0%

  • Total voters
    30
  • Poll closed .
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tom73

Guru
Location
Yorkshire
Bet no-one has asked Marvin what he thinks about it
MarvinTheMartian.JPG
 

tyred

Legendary Member
Location
Ireland
I think I might give it a go myself. It would make an interesting project to work on during the lock down.

I'm thinking that I could make a rocket out of an old dustbin and strap it to the roof rack of an old Ford Sierra. If I used the estate version I'd have room for a bigger rocket fuel tank. I could pop rivet some wings on to the back doors and use a system of bungee cords and pulleys linked from the steering rack to control the steering flaps.

I would need to ensure that I adjust the head restraints correctly and remember to put on my seat belt for re-entry into the atmosphere and best pack a fire extinguisher too just in case.

What could possibly go wrong...
 
OP
OP
Drago

Drago

Legendary Member
Well, the commie and we won't do it are neck and neck - its 50/50 that we either won't go, or commie will be first. Neither scenario is good.
 

raleighnut

Legendary Member
Well I dunno if you are planning to live to be a hundred but we certainly don't have anywhere near the technology to get there and back yet, who fancies a 'one way mission'
 

tom73

Guru
Location
Yorkshire
I think I might give it a go myself. It would make an interesting project to work on during the lock down.

I'm thinking that I could make a rocket out of an old dustbin and strap it to the roof rack of an old Ford Sierra. If I used the estate version I'd have room for a bigger rocket fuel tank. I could pop rivet some wings on to the back doors and use a system of bungee cords and pulleys linked from the steering rack to control the steering flaps.

I would need to ensure that I adjust the head restraints correctly and remember to put on my seat belt for re-entry into the atmosphere and best pack a fire extinguisher too just in case.

What could possibly go wrong...

Well the home made route worked for Mr spoon so you never know :laugh:
 
OP
OP
Drago

Drago

Legendary Member
There are plenty of people willing to volunteer for a one way mission. In the early 60s the US government were approached by several military officers volunteering to go to the moon one way with enough supplies to last a few years until the technology had been developed to bring them back. They each accepted that might never happen but the national prestige made it worthwhile.
 
What is it that people can do on Mars so much better than robots that it is worth spending 1000 x the money on putting people on Mars.
People spend most of the time in space trying not to die.
Most of the spaceship resources are devoted to people not dying.
When they are not "not dying" they also need to eat, sleep and poo. Being living organisms (for now), people contaminate the planet with all of their germs and fellow travellers.

You get very little useful activity out of people before they die. Mostly they will be using sensors to analyse Mars.

Advanced robotic missions can do 1000x the science for 1/1000 the cost. If you need people to look at sensor output, put them on planet Earth where oxygen is widely available.

You can create swarms of robots that can scout, direct, maintain, repair and recover each other. They can be active for ling periods without rest. If they need downtime, there is rarely a critical time factor.
What are people for except to be role models.

The only fantasy reason is for some kind of population lifeboat for when Earth gets hit by an asteroid, then Dr Stangemusk and several hundred highly qualified yet striking attractive fertile young women will be on tap to save humanity.
 
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