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How about launching a craft towards the nearest asteroid, inbedding into it and using it for radiation protection on the way to mars?
Use what is abundant and build to last
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Assuming there's an asteroid in the right orbit (highly unlikely) and the technology for embedding a spacecraft inside can be developed (enormously expensive) what would be the advantage compared with using inexpensive water or plastic shielding that's already available today?
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Weight? You wouldn't be launching a massively heavy craft.
Use what is abundant and build to last
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A long trip to Mars and back will need a lot of water and food anyway, that's all good shielding. Parts of the spacecraft can be made of composites that's also good at shielding. The weight of the equipment to embed into the asteroid and the fuel needed to match its orbit and then to correct to Mars would be far more. And what chance is there to find another such asteroid on the way back?
[color=darkred]Let's go to Mars and far beyond - triple NASA's budget ![/color] [url=irc://freenode#space] #space channel !! [/url] [url=http://www.youtube.com/user/c1cl0ps] - videos !!![/url]
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You'd still have the asteroid parked in orbit.
You need I think 5 metres depth of water for enough radiation shielding.
Use what is abundant and build to last
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And how much fuel would it need to "park" a megaton asteroid in Mars orbit?
[color=darkred]Let's go to Mars and far beyond - triple NASA's budget ![/color] [url=irc://freenode#space] #space channel !! [/url] [url=http://www.youtube.com/user/c1cl0ps] - videos !!![/url]
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And how much fuel would it need to "park" a megaton asteroid in Mars orbit?
yea, i wouldn't trust putting a large or even smaller asteroid that near the orbit of mars...
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