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Elon Musk’s Mission to Mars

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Re: Elon Musk’s Mission to Mars

#61

Post by jpxxx »

eru wrote: post #54
jpxxx wrote: post #52

The complexity of getting to Mars is nothing compared to the complexity of creating a social unit that can survive and thrive on another planet. Specifically, an Antarctic planet covered in chlorinated brominated rusty dust with essentially no air pressure or atmospheric water, a dim sun, rotten weather, two ugly little moons, and 57,600,000 millisecond ping times. No chance to ever feel fresh air on your face, no ch…

Exciting, isn't it?

Honestly, yes. :3 I remember drawing habitations as a kid. But morally I feel this would have to be a two-way street: Mars cannot be a prison for either the first settlers or the native generations.

Re: Elon Musk’s Mission to Mars

#62

Post by shiftpgdn »

danielweber wrote: post #51
netcan wrote: post #41

Earlier quoted context omitted.

What are the main differences between martian & earthling patent laws?

You joke, but the largest export of Martian colonies will probably be patents. Frontier living tends to push envelopes a lot.

Shouldn't your phrase it as invention instead of patents?

Re: Elon Musk’s Mission to Mars

#63

Post by forgottenpaswrd »

jpxxx wrote: post #52

The complexity of getting to Mars is nothing compared to the complexity of creating a social unit that can survive and thrive on another planet. Specifically, an Antarctic planet covered in chlorinated brominated rusty dust with essentially no air pressure or atmospheric water, a dim sun, rotten weather, two ugly little moons, and 57,600,000 millisecond ping times. No chance to ever feel fresh air on your face, no ch…

"Men wanted for a hazardous journey. Small wages, bitter cold. Long months of complete darkness. Constant danger, safe return doubtful. Honour and recognition in case of success."

More than 5000 applications followed. Not everybody is made for adventure though.

Re: Elon Musk’s Mission to Mars

#64

Post by danielweber »

hi wrote: post #5

If you have't already seen it, Kevin Rose interviews Elon Musk: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-s_3b5fRd8 Also, Neil deGrasse Tyson talks about if there was a space race with China the US would be on Mars in 18 months: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=c... It would be truly amazing if a private company was the first to set foot on another planet.

Mars in 18 months

Well, we'd have to wait 2 years for a launch window, but I agree that the US will stop dicking around with zero-g studies when we get scared that China might beat us there.

NASA is probably too risk-averse with human life, and China is too risk-accepting. They once wiped out an entire peasant village in a rocket failure (and tried to cover it up).

EDIT: I had to watch that video to the very end to get to the 18 month mark. Geeze.

Re: Elon Musk’s Mission to Mars

#65

Post by anonymouz »

ricardobeat wrote: post #56
jpxxx wrote: post #52

The complexity of getting to Mars is nothing compared to the complexity of creating a social unit that can survive and thrive on another planet. Specifically, an Antarctic planet covered in chlorinated brominated rusty dust with essentially no air pressure or atmospheric water, a dim sun, rotten weather, two ugly little moons, and 57,600,000 millisecond ping times. No chance to ever feel fresh air on your face, no ch…

Or you're a space explorer, at the very edge of civilization and technology, pushing the human race forward and signing your name in history for the next thousand years.

I am all for people being motivated by a higher calling and trying to be explorers, but you'd better forget about the "signing your name into history" bit. Unless you're one of the very first or do something very special, very few people will remember you. Could you, off the top of your head, recount the names of all the Apollo astronauts? Could you list, even with some research, say, the first 100 people from Europe that settled in North America?

People should do that stuff because they love to do it, not out of a misguided hope of becoming famous for future generations.

Re: Elon Musk’s Mission to Mars

#66

Post by neurotech1 »

jedc wrote: post #13
catch23 wrote: post #3

There's one interesting quote in the article: Musk: I can’t tell you much. We have essentially no patents in SpaceX. Our primary long-term competition is in China—if we published patents, it would be farcical, because the Chinese would just use them as a recipe book. If your process/ideas are sufficiently complex, it reduces competition if you don't file a patent.

A lot of companies choose to keep their intellectual property as "trade secrets" instead. (Like the Coke recipe, etc.) Just like SpaceX, it can often be better for the company than a patent. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Trade_secret

Remember that "Theft of trade secrets" is a federal crime, and use of "stolen" information is subject to a major civil liability.

This is why Boeing and Lockheed had to play nice and form United Launch Alliance for the EELV & Space Shuttle Support Contract.

http://www.globalsecurity.org/space/systems/eelv-program.htm

Re: Elon Musk’s Mission to Mars

#67

Post by neurotech1 »

Osmium wrote: post #24
catch23 wrote: post #3

There's one interesting quote in the article: Musk: I can’t tell you much. We have essentially no patents in SpaceX. Our primary long-term competition is in China—if we published patents, it would be farcical, because the Chinese would just use them as a recipe book. If your process/ideas are sufficiently complex, it reduces competition if you don't file a patent.

Patents aren't my area of expertise. That said absurdity in the patent system isn't limited to the software world. This is second-hand info from someone who's had to file these patents, but I've heard you can get patents on metal alloys providing that you can state the exact reason why that specific alloy composition gives the property you desire. If a competitor then proves that the property is a consequence of some…

The question being if they "efficiently" solved the problem already. They may have found a solution, although significant room for improvement exists.

Re: Elon Musk’s Mission to Mars

#68

Post by marvin »

jpxxx wrote: post #52

The complexity of getting to Mars is nothing compared to the complexity of creating a social unit that can survive and thrive on another planet. Specifically, an Antarctic planet covered in chlorinated brominated rusty dust with essentially no air pressure or atmospheric water, a dim sun, rotten weather, two ugly little moons, and 57,600,000 millisecond ping times. No chance to ever feel fresh air on your face, no ch…

Seriously, are dismissive and pessimistic remarks like this the top-voted comment on _every single_ Hacker News post these days?

Elon Musk has built a fucking space rocket company and is defeating Boeing, Lockheed Martin and MDD in a business they've dominated for the last 40 years. I think this is an incredibly impressive accomplishment, and SpaceX's ambitions to make it possible to do manned missions to Mars is exactly what we need to bring humanity forward. Just from the science side alone, having actual people on Mars would be of tremendous value. If you think of what we know about Mars, think about how much more we would know if we were able to do more complex experiments there. Whether you personally think it's a good idea to settle down on Mars or not isn't very relevant.

You're pointing at some very relevant issues, but why not phrase it in a more constructive tone? I'm sorry for the negativity, but it pisses me off when grand ideas and accomplishments are dismissed so offhandedly. Getting to Mars is not nearly "nothing", even compared to _anything_ that humans have ever done.

Re: Elon Musk’s Mission to Mars

#69

Post by jpxxx »

mbrubeck wrote: post #55
jpxxx wrote: post #52

The complexity of getting to Mars is nothing compared to the complexity of creating a social unit that can survive and thrive on another planet. Specifically, an Antarctic planet covered in chlorinated brominated rusty dust with essentially no air pressure or atmospheric water, a dim sun, rotten weather, two ugly little moons, and 57,600,000 millisecond ping times. No chance to ever feel fresh air on your face, no ch…

Why "for life"? Even if a permanent base is established, what would stop people from traveling there to work for a year or so and then returning home? I know health concerns related to radiation and gravity may impose some constraints, but would a round-trip journey be out of the question? Musk's explicit goal is to make and use fully-reusable rockets, so obviously he intends them to travel both directions. If you're…

Yes! The idea of 0.38G water is fascinating. It must look "wrong" when it ripples or pours.

Re: Elon Musk’s Mission to Mars

#70

Post by TeMPOraL »

jpxxx wrote: post #61
eru wrote: post #54

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Exciting, isn't it?

Honestly, yes. :3 I remember drawing habitations as a kid. But morally I feel this would have to be a two-way street: Mars cannot be a prison for either the first settlers or the native generations.

Or, as Lawrence Krauss suggested[0], just send older astronauts first, who can then live the rest of their lives on Mars, building the first habitat and thus paving the way for further generations to - maybe - travel both ways.

[0] - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_to_Stay#cite_ref-krauss_25...

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