New Mars Forums

Interesting news about new way to store hydrogen:

http://newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=102776#102776

Check the posted link there.

Interesting news about new way to store hydrogen:

http://newmars.com/forums/viewtopic.php?p=102776#102776

Check the posted link there.

Of the two scramjets are the most likely to be developed first.  However a space elevator would really, really open things up to the public since it would bypass the limiting fuel demands needed to reach orbit.

For timelines I'd give scramjets perhaps 20 years to be fully useable, and for space elevators...maybe 50 years earliest 100 years more likely.

Now that's captivating imagery.  8)   Kudos to Japan!

This might actually be a good point in light of the infamous dual-crap-up of the Mars '98 probes.

Trick was it was Lockheed and the aerospace industry at fault, not NASA or the designers.  Likely the past embarrassment has NASA being more strict on them.

Oh great, more anti-Constellation raving.

Although I'm sure you crunch numbers well gaetanomarano and can draw/tweak a few jpeg images it sounds more like a publicity stunt for your site.

I think I'll trust Cyclops' comments as well as actual press releases.

Sorry to attack but I just get annoyed hearing space enthusiasts talk like they are in charge of NASA; unless you have an engineering degree and a job within the space industries all most enthusiasts can do is rant on the sides, or more productively write a few letters to congressmen or organizations like the Planetary Society.

Continue posting your ideas and opinions gaetanomarano, but for the love of Pete do it with a grain of salt - I consider Constellation as a blessing NASA's been overdue for.  Was it better back in the lull of the STS aka Challenger days?

That and post your Ares stuff in the actual Ares I (or V) threads.

Sounds like a mixed choice of possibilities complicated by the rover's budget troubles  :?

The craters sound like they have good possibilities, especially the one with the multiple channels.  After that I'd consider Nili Fossae and Meridiani, the later since it's been proven to be reasonably safe, interesting, and the same region might have more variety than expected.

I'm not sure about this.  Won't launching this station require plenty of launches to sustain, and until propellant production is established on the Moon everything still comes from Earth.  All that'd be done is add an unessicary hitch in the plan.

Personally following the Mars Direct example is a better idea; i.e. send an unmanned lander that days there.

The limits are, in short:

A) Power Source - likely to be solar, which means the poles would be a no-no initially and don't hold your breath for nuclear reactors; lord knows dragging that much plutonium or uranium will raise a ruccus both nationally and internationally.

B) Safety - this'll depend on the capability of the manned lander.  I imagine like unmanned landers we may have to avoid rough terrain like what's bound to exist on any of the volcanoes, canyons, and polar caps.  As appealing Mariner Valley is...you typically don't wanna risk crashing into sheer cliffs.

However for suggestions I'd off-the-bat suggest any of the channels, namely Ares Vallis or Kasei Vallis.  Possibly more appealing might be visiting Gusev Crater - Spirit has both scouted it and reveals it has chapters in Martian history to keep a base well-occupied.

LOI should be happening soon - I hope well for this mission.  Japan has had some rotten luck as far as probe missions have gone but I think they have great potential all the same.

Now that this baby's in orbit we ought to keep a close eye on it.  :shock:

The delayed launch actually improves some things for Dawn:

1) Mars fly-by happens a month earlier.  I don't suppose anyone knows yet if Dawn has a science campaign for Mars?

2) Vesta arrival happens a little sooner, which allows for more science that'd otherwise be limited at this major asteroid. 

I'm sure JSC's full of nastalsia to add to that. 

Hopefully the testing on the 5-segment SRBs will proceed smoothly - they're obviously going to be the first step toward the Ares V we'll see in the next few years.