11–20 of 71 posts
That MAV experience does not sound appealing at all. 43 hours, standing up, no food, no toilet, no sitting down, no stretching your limbs. Riding on top of a metal rocket. Surrounded by millions of miles of lethal void.
Earlier quoted context omitted.
Is muscle wasting a significant issue? Mars does have gravity, the people will no doubt be doing some physical work, so it won't be as bad as in orbit. On top of that, if they have no plans for ever coming back to Earth, then is there a significant downside to at least some atrophy?
It's true that exercise does limit the loss and I guess you are right that it won't matter if you stay there. I suppose we just don't have enough data to say one way or the other. Edit: an old Nasa article on the topic... http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2001/as...
It's only when you realise that getting off Mars is far more like getting off Earth than getting off the Moon, that the full rationale behind SpaceX's obsession with a re-usable launch vehicle rocket that can land itself, becomes apparent.
So much Earth infrastructure we depend on for this stuff.
It's only when you realise that getting off Mars is far more like getting off Earth than getting off the Moon, that the full rationale behind SpaceX's obsession with a re-usable launch vehicle rocket that can land itself, becomes apparent.
It's only when you realise that getting off Mars is far more like getting off Earth than getting off the Moon, that the full rationale behind SpaceX's obsession with a re-usable launch vehicle rocket that can land itself, becomes apparent.
Is the assumption there that a Falcon 9 lands vertically and a Dragon (or equivalent) is the ascent vehicle? Still doesn't really address the business of manufacturing the fuel or getting it into the rocket. Nor, indeed, the matter of lifting a Dragon 60m into the air to integrate it back onto its launcher. So much Earth infrastructure we depend on for this stuff.
Why would you need to do that? Why not land the Falcon (Edit: Actually, it might be a Raptor) with the Dragon already on top of it?
I always thought that the Lunar Module† was the single coolest piece of technology of the Apollo program. (Sorry Saturn V, raw power doesn’t really do it for me and beyond that you are mostly … boring.) It’s such an astonishing accomplishment to build something so lightweight, so complex, so versatile in such a short amount of time. It’s astonishing that it came together at all. And worked! Every single time, even be…
The MAV will have to do all that and a lot more besides, and in a much bigger gravity well, and with an atmosphere, and for a multi-year period in an incredibly hostile, dusty environment.
EDIT: Actually, I had a favorite - the F1 engine. I find the idea of needing an auxiliary gas generator rocket engine inside just to turn a fuel pump pretty amazing. Likely I'm a bit more impressed by raw power than you :)
It's only when you realise that getting off Mars is far more like getting off Earth than getting off the Moon, that the full rationale behind SpaceX's obsession with a re-usable launch vehicle rocket that can land itself, becomes apparent.
It's only when you realise that getting off Mars is far more like getting off Earth than getting off the Moon, that the full rationale behind SpaceX's obsession with a re-usable launch vehicle rocket that can land itself, becomes apparent.
I've always wondered why don't they allow the testing of those rockets in stable ground? We've done crazier tests, like nuclear testing: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LLCF7vPanrY
I think the first humans on mars will go with the understanding that it's a one-way trip. And there will no doubt be people willing to sign on for that.
I think the first humans to go to the red planet will actually orbit and not touch down. They will stay in orbit and either pilot robots on the ground or study what happens to the body during long space flight. This will help future space faring people that visit Mars and beyond.
I'm also fairly certain they're already quite knowledgeable regarding the effects of weak gravity on the human body.