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I'm abstracting this from a topic posted today on The Space Review. The author, Jeff Foust, states that a NASA/MEPAG, the Mars Exploration Program Analysis Group, has prepared a study to be released sometime next month, according to John Connoly. The discussion ranged from an Apollo-style "Flag and Footprints" through a Science Field Station, to ongoing habitation.
Rather that simply transpose and abstract information, here's the link: http://www.thespacereview.com/article/3471/1
What I took away from reading this is that NASA is indeed, Lost in Space.
Last edited by Oldfart1939 (2018-04-09 15:12:52)
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Indeed. This was a pretty depressing:
“We continue, again, to consider Mars a horizon goal, and we’ll be looking for opportunities to prove technologies to inform this architecture to make Mars missions more affordable and sustainable,” said Nantel Suzuki of NASA Headquarters...
Let's Go to Mars...Google on: Fast Track to Mars blogspot.com
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Moon. Space Policy Directive 1, signed in December, formally instructed NASA to send humans back to the Moon, and the 2019 budget proposal released in February included detailed about an “Exploration Campaign” with several lunar-themed elements, from buying rides on commercially-developed lunar landers to repurposing the Deep Space Gateway as the Lunar Orbital Platform-Gateway.
This shift has been, at the very least, mildly disconcerting for advocates of human Mars exploration. InSight is Mars 2020, the rover mission based on Curiosity that will cache samples for later return to Earth. And after Mars 2020 is… nothing
Glimmer of hope but its ever so dim....
It would seem that Nasa pride has been shackled to the SLS as its a big rocket.
With what we know of commercial market players of Space X, Boeing, Lockheed, ATK orbital and more there is no reason to be in this dimmly lit propect for man going beyond LEO..
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I think a mission to mars that is labeled "Flag & Foot Prints" is a duration of 30 days or only going to the moon of Mars. The duration of a landing past 30 days does in 2 parts initial after base camp setup they are into pure science but after that first year you really are into phase 2 which is to setup camp for a science field station for the next mission. Its that step that says we are here to stay that is needed for man to say we are here to stay for settlement.
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The one issue we have here is staying focussed on a near if you will topic of discusion as we would be able to link all of them into every arguement as to how to go about going to mars. Such topics as Problems For A Realistic First Settlement On Mars and for what type of vehicle we would use as in Light weight rover for Mars and so many more topics that we have here.
That said have we heard any more about "Red Eagle" Mars lander competition for university students to design a lander that can land 10 metric tonnes on Mars.
Mars society has run other contest indirectly as well for paper rocket sample return from mars.
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Some say NASA is lost with Gateway
but Mars colonies
I say 'Direct' but that does not mean avoiding some test runs like using Robots to set up a colony and maybe sending something alive first, maybe not like a Laika space dog or Ham the first space chimpanzee, but there might be a way to test farming before humans arrive, they say France put a a stray Parisian cat in space and a rabbit rode inside the Chinese Shenzhou as a test of the spacecraft's life support systems.
in other relevant news
SpaceX's Starship has 50% chance of success on 1st orbital Elon Musk says
'Elon Musk hints at a crewed mission to Mars in 2029'
https://www.npr.org/2022/03/17/10871678 … -mars-2029
Russia returns to the Moon (maybe)
https://www.thespacereview.com/article/4548/1
Last edited by Mars_B4_Moon (2023-03-17 15:40:11)
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