New Mars Forums

Tolley Astronautics is bringing to the Martian market a meat product to get around the newly signed rabbit protection act. Our new Pigabbits are a pig/rabit hybrid that are perfect for grilling. They lake fur so the skinning process is more efficent and the pork genes increse the ammount of meat and it's tenderness in each and ever delectable critters!

I think we may well cease to exist as one species in as little as 100 or 200 years. by the end of the 2000s things like symbiotic nano-repair systems could be as common as flu shots and end disease and aging as we know it in the western world, but at the same time I'm guessing that huge swaths of the population of Africa, the middle Eaast and Asia will be ravaged by AIDs and other diseases preventable treatable diseases.

My biggest question is wether the technical challenges for developing a SSTO are any less then a space elevator. As far as the space elevator the only thing we need to develop is longer CNTs and matrix compound, both of which are progressing at a rapid pace for non-space applications.

SSTOs using chemical propulstion need to get a mass fraction of 90%. That means the development of ultra high strength composites. Plus you have to worry about developing a robust thermal protection system, and the entire propulsion problem. Personally I think that the space elevator is the best near(er) term solution to acess to space.

Don't get me wrong, I think the next 10-15 years will be dominated by heavy lift expendable/semi expendable boosters that will be used to implitment the first mission to Mars and a return to the moon (hopfully in that order).

Speaking off does anyone know what the constelation commision is finding on wether using and EELV or Shuttle derived launch vehicle? I think 100 tonnes to LEO needs to be the minimum baseline either way to keep on orbit assembly to a minimum. Does anyone have an estimate on what it would cost to revive the Energia?

I think the best thing that could happen for humans to mars, be it NASA, ESA, or Whereveristan, is for someone to put up the money for RCS Energya to revive the Energia.

Hi, Does anyone think that the reorganization at NASA that is being implemented 1 August of this year will have the desired effect of streamlining the agency? Aside from the saftey officers reporting directly to the top brass to avoid middle managment distortion I don't see alot except alot of buzz words.

It's not the structure of NASA that has to change, it's the underlying culture that's risk adverse and tradition laden. I know I'm just offering critisism, but I can't really think of any solutions baring just completely doing away with NASA and adopting a incentive based award system ala X prize.

I was just wondering who here is going to the convention in Chicago?

You know Clark, I think we are going to have to agree to disagree, lol. I'm not swaying you, and your not swaying me but I think we can both agree is that we live in a country, one of the only examples in the world, where we can have such debates in a civilized and rational fashion. Such disaprate positions in other parts of the world result in civil war.

LOL, also, I have to throw in as an Air Force officer, I don't agree with much of what you say but I'll fight to the death to protect your right to say it.

The rich are rich because of the government? Exuse me? Wealth is not created, ordained and distributed from DC. Wealth is created by the blood sweat and tears of entrapenours who create new products, services, and companies.

As for your assumption that no one could survive in a civil society without federal medical aid, you have very little faith in the capitalist system. Today in this country the vast majority of the people receive the greatest health care the world can offer thanks to the companies they work for. If granny is selling her heirlooms to pay for her insulin shot it's because the trial lawyers with frivialous mal practice suits have driven up the cost of health care. The biggest problem with this countries health care system is the abuse of the mal practice system, and the influence medicare and medicad exert over the medical establishment.

Also, I would advise you to read John Stossels book, 'Give me a Break' it gives a good examples on why regulation isn't always a good thing. I think that the medical establishment throught the scientific process would do a much beter job weeding out bad drugs the the FDA that delays for years why people die because they can't get their hands on a expiramental drug.

According to this years G8 summit the US GDP was 10.78 trillion. For the sake of argument let's say 10. 10% of 10 trillion is one trillion dollars, a little less then half the current federal budget. More then enough to maintain our military at a level even larger then it currently is (currently the budget is in the ballpark of $500billion, I would like to see $600billion, plus stream lining it by doing away with cost plus and the utilization of space systems get more bang for the buck.) That gives 300 billion for the national labs and space program. 20 billion for education. 80 billion for roadway and airport infrastructure. That's it. Hardly Africa. Plus the government has very little to do with the greatness of a given country. It would be a brave new world, one with much more freedom and oppertunity.

As far as the corprate scandals you mention, okay, there was a problem....small in the scheme of things, you may be able to find a dozen or so cases of wide spread finacial inpropriate in companies, out of the thousands in this country. The vast majority of people on the boards of US companies want the best for their employess and stock holders.

In high shools I would start a program that administers an IQ test sophmore year. Those with an IQ bellow 115-120ish I would have taken to a 'feild trip' to a medical center where their valuable organs could be harvested and sold for billions on the international market. This would make our little country a hot spot for westerners to come and have procedures not avalible in their countries. With the huge influx of cash I would establish research centers for stem cell and gene thearapy research that could be done free of the restriction of in the united states. I would also declare my country a data haven, a place that doesn't recognize international copyright laws so it could be a server free for all.

Once we had a healthy flow of cash into my bank accounts (I am the dictator after all) I would start a crash prorgram to develop a cheap earth to orbit system.

Oh and my personal aircraft would be a Bombardier Challenger and I would have a garage complete with a Saleen S7, Ford GT, Lamborghini Gallardo and Murcielago, Ferrari Enzo, Porchse Carrera GT, and M-1a4 Abrams. 

Now that I have defended myself I might as well jump into the fray.

If I were POTUS and had an agreeable congress these are the changes I would make.

A.) Set a national initive to be completely engery independent in 10 years, this would be accomplished by making nuclear power, hydrogen refineries, bio-deisel, and fusion power, and shale and tar sands oil extraction completely tax free. I would also mandate a national fuel formulation, and open oil exploration and extraction in the entire country, the California Coast, and Gulf of Mexico

B.) Abolish the tax system. The only tax is a 10% flat tax. It's simple, it's fair. Everyone is giving and equal share, there is no punishing the sucessfull. This is the only way that is equitable. Also without capital gains or bussiness taxes there will be even more motivation for investment.

C.) Balance the budget by disbanding the horribly inefficent and overly socialist social programs that overstep the bounds of the mandate of our government. With no more social security, medicare, medicad adnaseum there will be more then enough room in the coughers to balance the budget.

D.) Double the budgets of the national labs and NASA giving NASA the mandate to establish a permanent human presence on Mars and in the asteroid belt with an expanding presence.

E.) Make the individuals who work for companies who are working on in space or near space comerical ventures tax exempt. This will help promote investment in space and hopfully speed the industrialization of near space.

F.) I would mandate the Air Force to have the capabilites to acheive space control and launch on demand. Also I would start a crash program to develop a space based strike system based on either large rail guns or directed energy  that would be deployed in orbit to allow zero lag time strikes against targets anywhere on the globe. Unit commanders in theater would only have to upload a set of GPS cordinates to the national strike system and they would receive instant support. This would also make the bomber obsolete and further widern the American technical and military supremacy. Also it would allow a definitve first strike option against our enemies nuclear assets without having to worry about retaliation.

G.) I would announce that the US was leaving the United Nations, that their globalist socialist agenda was countrary to the national identity of our country and a threat to our soveigntry. The UN building would then be converted to the new Museum of Arms and Armaments for the sake of irony.

F.) Remove the restrictions on civillian ownership of weapons so long as they pass a thorough backround check. I would also make basic military and weapons training a required part of the curiculum of the all public high schools.

Banning firearms is a good way to start a civil war in the US.
If you campaigned on that
A.) you would never win
B.) Someone would cast their 'ballot' from a rooftop and you would have .50 caliber hole in you

Lets not forget that if price are at the near two dollar level for much longer it will become economical to start tar sand extraction, I remember that during the 70s Shell was in the process of building a massive tar sand extraction plant in Colorado but when the crisis ended the scraped the program and the town infrasturcture was turned into a retirement community. I am told my my fellow geeks in the ce and geo departments here that there is roughly 35-50 years worth of petrolium in shales and tar sands in North American alone.

I maintain that the thing we really need is a national gas standard, an massive tax breaks for nuclear, fusion, and hydrogen power.