Worried! Bush's Mars Plan Announcement - Is Bush going to blow Mars for us?

stevejhacker · 2004-01-09 09:35:51

Hey folks...I'm new here. I'm a Mars/Space enthusiast, and I've just started reading Zubrin's book, "The Case For Mars", and I must say that I'm GLUED to it. Interestingly, I've started reading it at right about the time that Bush is supposed to make an announcement about future Mars/Moon missions. According to CNN's headlines today(1/7/04), it looks like we may be headed for another "Battlestar Galactica" type plan resembling the disaster-creating 90-Day report of half a trillion dollars. And now, according to CNN, it looks like that number may we closer to a TRILLION this go-round if something resembling "Mars Direct" doesn't get used. This has me VERY worried about the potential for getting costed right OUT of the Mars arena alltogether.
Please discuss this with me and share your thoughts!
Thanks!
Steve

Byron · 2004-01-09 10:09:27

Welcome aboard, stevejhacker

If you're looking for supporters for Zubrin's Mars Direct, then you've come to the right place. Check out the "How to kill Mars Direct" in "Human Missions" for an ongoing thread about Bush's space announcement.

This plan has me worried as well...not just the cost, but the amount of time we'll be spending just getting back to the Moon, let alone develop the infrastructure to get people on Mars. To tell you the truth, I think this whole thing is a poltical gambit to steal attention away from Bush's potential opponents. And then when Congress ditches the whole thing due to financial difficulties, Bush can just throw up his hands and say, "Don't blame me."

But the one good thing about the new initiative is retiring the Space Shuttle and developing a new space vehicle (hopefully reducing launch costs), which is something that we should have done a long time ago. Personally, I think this country should go the "X-prize" route, and let private concerns work on getting people to Mars. You could probably get a Mars manned mission(s) for $50-$100 billion using this method, which could be funded out of NASA's existing budget structure.

If only the pols would start exercising a bit of common sense instead of *always* thinking about the next election....<sighs>

B

Bill White · 2004-01-09 10:11:34

Warm greetings!

I suggest you browse the Human Missions sections. There is much discussion about MarsDirect in at least three recent threads.

Welcome again to one of the best web forums on teh whole itarweb (sic) where only a few minor trolls reside and those are largely caged in Free Chat.

Adrian · 2004-01-09 11:59:17

Moved from Meta New Mars to Human Missions.

trentsta · 2004-01-10 20:27:50

Hello all,
New to this but have been interested in the subject matter for a long time....

Any thoughts to the possibility of shunting? the ISS into a useable Mars orbit?..surely this would be a great benefit to all as i cant seem to find what will happen to it if there is a moon/L1 base proposed ...shame to see another skylab....

Euler · 2004-01-10 21:03:30

I dont see how they could possibly spend $1,000,000,000,000 on the new mars mission. A Red Mars style colony ship could probably be sent for less than that.

Hello all,
New to this but have been interested in the subject matter for a long time....
Any thoughts to the possibility of shunting? the ISS into a useable Mars orbit?..surely this would be a great benefit to all as i cant seem to find what will happen to it if there is a moon/L1 base proposed ...shame to see another skylab....

This has been proposed on this forum before. However, it would be very expensive and the ISS would probably be even more useless in Mars orbit than it is in Earth orbit.

Shaun Barrett · 2004-01-10 22:49:17

Welcome Steve and Trent!

So many new contributors here these days ... it's getting hard to keep up.

stevejhacker · 2004-01-13 16:32:05

I have to agree with Byron. It looks to me like it's just a way to politically kill any hope of manned missions. Jack up the price and just forget about it, or as Byron put it, through up their hands. Yes, of course, I agree that we need to "sweep our own back porch"...yes, we have domestic mouths to feed. Yes, we have other programs right here at home to look after. But is everybody who's flapping their jaws about how irresponsible manned Mars missions (NOW) would be because we're not spending enough on domestic issue completely BLIND? It is so PAINFULLY OBVIOUS to me that we are not just talking about the "spirit of human exploration" here (isn't that cute)...we VERY WELL MAY BE TALKING ABOUT THE EVENTUAL SURVIVAL OR EXTINCTION OF THE HUMAN RACE!!! INDEED ALL LIFE ON EARTH. Are we Manned-Mars-Proponents (NOW) the only people who believe that an asteroid really COULD wipe us all out some day...that eventually the Sun will expand and engulf the inner planets killing all life as we know it? Are we proponents the only ones who realize that if we don't become a space-faring race now we will not have sufficient time to develop the technology to escape and thus outlive such a catastropy?
Obviously, regardless of the price tag, getting humans on Mars is going to STIMULATE economies, education, science, technology, medical breakthroughs, etc.
How can we get this point across in mass? Oh well, maybe we should just keep putting all our money into local mis-spendings and duck our heads between our legs when the big fireball from space comes our way.
Sorry to sound so ticked off, but...well, I guess I am. I know you like-minded folks probably are thinking the same way.
I also agree with the comment that I saw that maybe privates could take a Mars Direct approach on. Maybe Bill Gates could stop crashing our computers and donate some of his personal wealth (he certainly has enough) to Mars Direct.
Steve Hacker

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#1 2004-01-09 09:35:51

Re: Worried! Bush's Mars Plan Announcement - Is Bush going to blow Mars for us?

#2 2004-01-09 10:09:27

Re: Worried! Bush's Mars Plan Announcement - Is Bush going to blow Mars for us?

#3 2004-01-09 10:11:34

Re: Worried! Bush's Mars Plan Announcement - Is Bush going to blow Mars for us?

#4 2004-01-09 11:59:17

Re: Worried! Bush's Mars Plan Announcement - Is Bush going to blow Mars for us?

#5 2004-01-10 20:27:50

Re: Worried! Bush's Mars Plan Announcement - Is Bush going to blow Mars for us?

#6 2004-01-10 21:03:30

Re: Worried! Bush's Mars Plan Announcement - Is Bush going to blow Mars for us?

#7 2004-01-10 22:49:17

Re: Worried! Bush's Mars Plan Announcement - Is Bush going to blow Mars for us?

#8 2004-01-13 16:32:05

Re: Worried! Bush's Mars Plan Announcement - Is Bush going to blow Mars for us?

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