GTP Debate Thread #2 - Space Exploration

[jay wilkie]

danof i didn't think about it pretty hard, i only showed you details with fact because you just not to long ago in this thread said to emad that you wanted fact..not just a plain answer. so it seems that you can't win with you. i give u fact and u still critisize.. ???

 

[Danoff]

...so back to the point. I think a space agency should be funded in spite of poverty and disease and pollution and all that stuff. We're never going to lead a perfect life on this planet so why postpone space science until we achieve the unachievable?

 

[Solid Fro]

I agree, there will always be poverty, disease, etc. The space program should be very high in priority, especially for military applications.

That Ion engine sounds very interesting, danoff. Would this type of engine be feasible for a ship built for a manned Mars mission?

 

[milefile]

I found this website to be very enjoyable and informative about NASA projects, missions, and technology.

 

[Danoff]

That Ion engine sounds very interesting, danoff. Would this type of engine be feasible for a ship built for a manned Mars mission?

Ion propulsion is just about the only way we could do a manned mars mission. It's low thrust, meaning very little force, but you leave the engine on for a very long time and it builds up velocity. Low thrust propulsion represents a huge change in the way we look at interplanetary space flight.

Here's a link to an FAQ on Ion propulsion

http://nmp.jpl.nasa.gov/ds1/tech/ionpropfaq.html

It's part of the deep space 1 homepage at JPL. Deep space 1 is a completed mission that tested out ion propulsion for the first time. The advantage of ion propulsion to a manned mars mission is that it's a faster way to get to mars, it also supplys a small amount of what might be thought of as artificial gravity (because the engine constantly supplying force), and the fuel used for the ion thruster can actually act as a radiation shield for the astronauts.

We would most likely send thier equipment over to mars before they got there. Probably on a larger, chemical rocket propelled spacecraft that took longer to get there.

Of course, I don't work on manned mars mission planning, so I don't know any of that for sure.

 

[Red Eye Racer]

Give MORE money to space exploration.

That's all I got today.