Time to pick up the pieces...

Benji · Post by **Benji** » Wed Feb 05, 2003 12:36 pm

It's now Wednesday. The flags are back at full staff (except in FL, where the Governor ordered them at half-mast until Friday at sundown), the investigation is in full swing, and while we still mourn the last crew of Columbia, we must continue in their memory, adding them to the ranks of the STS-51L and Apollo 1 crews.

I wanted to bring up a quote that I've been pondering, but that has nothing to do with STS-107:

When men are arrived at the goal, they should not turn back. -Plutarch

In the 1960s, President Kennedy set for us a very ambitous goal of going to the Moon. Somehow, we made it. We started with Ham's suborbital flight. Shepard followed in his footsteps. Glenn orbited Earth. Then was the Gemini program. Apollo 11's Eagle first landed on the lunar surface. Apollo 17 somberly left the Moon.

Since then, we've been orbiting a few hundred miles above Earth. While we're doing important experiments there, we've regressed. We've turned back. We established a long-term outpost in space. That can continue to do these important experiments, but I feel that we aren't doing as much as we should be doing in space. India is preparing a moonshot, and I applaud them. We should be planning to leave orbit again sometime soon.

According to Doctor Von Tiesenhausen, Mars is our planet. If we plan to go there, to permanently claim that piece of real estate, than we should be planning something. Another Moon landing? Perhaps to test equipment designed to go to Mars? We could estabish a Lunar colony.

Whatever we do, I feel we should be doing something more than just going in circles around a celestial marble. Does anyone else agree?

Boomerang · Post by **Boomerang** » Wed Feb 05, 2003 3:34 pm

Well i vote for Going to Mars but then thats been my hope for NASA for many years. I did want to make one correction to your last post though. You listed the challenger accident as STS-51 it was STS-51L doesnt seem like much of a diffrence but there was a STS-51 mission that was a successful flight. If anyone is intrested here is the info on STS-51. http://www-pao.ksc.nasa.gov/kscpao/chron/sts-51.htm

monkeynautt · Post by **monkeynautt** » Wed Feb 05, 2003 4:54 pm

Going to Mars is a big jump. I think we should first build a moon base were we could test the equipment for a Mars mission and develop experiments.
It would take longer to get to Mars but it would be safer.

Boomerang · Post by **Boomerang** » Wed Feb 05, 2003 5:00 pm

Well You have a point but also keep im mind Mars and the Moon are fairly diffrent enviroments mainly because of the fact that Mars has an atmosphere.

monkeynautt · Post by **monkeynautt** » Wed Feb 05, 2003 5:07 pm

You could work out the bugs of the equipment to make sure when you get to Mars it will actually work. It would also help to develop a good Mars base is you build one on the moon first. They may be very different environments but we could learn how to do things in an environment impossible to create on Earth.

Boomerang · Post by **Boomerang** » Wed Feb 05, 2003 5:13 pm

Actually in some ways Earth is closer to mars than the moon is. Alot of the testing is already being done of the technology needed. One of the biggest dangers on mars you couldnt test for on the moon is the dust storms that rage on Mars's surface Actually the moon would most likely present problems youd have to deal with that you wouldnt have to deal with on Mars just because their is no atmosphere on the moon which would give no protection at all from radiation or other dangers where as Mars would atleast give some protection. Even using the Moon to test landing techniques wouldnt really do much good because again you dont have to worry abour the atmosphere and the moon has less gravity. Not trying to argue or anything just pointing out a few things.

monkeynautt · Post by **monkeynautt** » Wed Feb 05, 2003 5:19 pm

I know what you're saying but you don't get my point. Testing stuff on Earth is fine but Training in a different world would help see where problems could arrise. Earth may be similar to Mars but it could help astronauts adjust to different conditions. I know that NASA has sent astronauts up to the Canadian north on numerous occations for training. Also, a moon base could be used as a launching pad to Mars.

Post by **Vincent** » Wed Feb 05, 2003 5:19 pm

Well, while I think in the very near future we will be completely capable of going to Mars safely and quickly if we chose to pursue such a mission, I think the better idea would go back to the Moon first.

Besides all of the really good reason that have been said by people much smarter than I am, I think if we established a Moon base first, it would prevent us from going to Mars and then going virtually nowhere again.

By establishing a lunar base first, we could ensure our long term inhabitation of reasonably deep space.

Boomerang · Post by **Boomerang** » Wed Feb 05, 2003 5:32 pm

Monkeynautt i do get what your saying i just dont personally feel that we could learn alot from a moon base that could actually be transferred over to a mars mission their are just too many diffrences in the two enviroments. Ok your right maybe they could get some experiance working on an alien world but thats it the technology transfer wouldnt be as easy. And Vincent you have a point it would lead to a permanent presence in deep space but like you said we would run the danger of not going any further.

Benji · Post by **Benji** » Wed Feb 05, 2003 9:21 pm

Boomerang · Post by **Boomerang** » Wed Feb 05, 2003 9:23 pm

Thats a nice one.