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Mice Headed for Mars?
MarsOrBust writes: "The Mars Society today announced their next project, called TransLife, will be to send an Apollo size spacecraft manned by mice into earth orbit rotating at Mars gravity. This will be the first time anyone has done research at Martian gravity. The purpose of the experiments is to prove that the transit to Mars, which would take about six months, should be done at Martian gravity. The project would cost about $10 million. In a related article SpaceRef talks about how millionaires are now starting to fund these type of private missions and speculates whether billionaires might fund further space projects." MSNBC has a story.
That would be like Planet of the Apes ;-)
The mices will land on the Planet, and will populate mars.
An then they will start to invade to Planet Earth!!
Yeah, right, we're running an experiment on these mice. Sounds like they're taking a progress report back to somewhere beyond the tenth dimension.
nal 11
Yes, I can see it now:
"What are we going to do tonight, Brain?"
"The same thing we do every night, Pinky. Try to take over Mars!"
Or maybe I just need more sleep...
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When the pin is pulled, Mr. Grenade is no longer our friend.
Hmm, so does that mean that NASA would get an icon on the Windows desktop?
Never hit your grandmother with a shovel, for it leaves a bad impression on her mind...
Are these the superintelligent ones from last year? I hope so, because it seems like regular mice wouldn't be smart enough to perform experiments in microgravity.
Animals of a porcine persuasion, though, are much more intelligent. Plus, we'd get to say piiiiigssssss iiiiinnnnnn spaaaaaaaacccccce
324006
I'm sure the mice are going to feel insulted by that comment.
It will be truly interesting to observe the effects of mars gravity on mice.
A while back I remember reading about the changes that would happen to man were we to habitate Mars. Such changes would include, but were not limited to:
1) Growth. People nowadays are tall, but it's not inconceivable that we would grow more than ten feet tall. This is due to the lack of gravity, thus our bodies having much less force against them growing skywards.
2) Chest size. Some people like bigs tits / pecs. Well, were we to live on mars, another size effect of the lack of gravity would be a massive swelling of the chest area to immense proportions. This would accomodate a much greater lung capacity as well.
I for one can't wait to see qute what happens to the mice.
..someone's realized who's the most intelligent species on the planet.
(Please don't tell me you didn't get *that* cultural reference...)
-- If no truths are spoken then no lies can hide --
manned by mice
Shouldn't that be miced?
I wonder if the mice had to pay $20 million like that Tito guy...
This is plain idiocy. The supposed point of the "mission" is to test the feasibility of mammals inhabiting Mars. So, the results will show how well mice might fare.
Mind you, If I were a mouse, I wouldn't want to share a planet with an arrogant species that thinks I exist for the purpose of it's experiments, so I'd probably view this as a very handy escape option for my species.
"We kill to cure, with cures that kill" - Skinny Puppy
Microsoft (R) Mouse Driver Version 8.20a
Copyright (C) Microsoft Corp. 1983-1992. All rights reserved.
Does this mean the mice are moving away to build a new Earth?
I do hope they make more countries with those lovely frilly edges.
What's this space ship doing hovering over my house?
C'mon, everyone post their fun links in honor of Friday afternoon. I want to make this a habit.
--
I like to watch.
The mice just want to get the answer off the planet before the Vogons destroy it.
Napster-to-go says "Fill and refill your compatible MP3 player", which is a lie. It's not MP3. It's WMA with DRM.
Wouldn't all the mice starve to death when their teeth fall out?
:(
(I would link to previous article but the search engine doesn't work and couldn't find it on Google
Why don't we try this with cockroaches first? We have lots of em, they're hardy and resilient and everyone always says they will be the one species that survives a nuclear holocaust. I'll betcha they'd even have the no air/atmosphere thing figured out by the time they got there.
--trb
They going to to put into an mars LIKE gravity they will be orbiting EARTH they are not sending mice to mars. they are just putting them in in martian like gravity.
A diet of heated Velveeta will do the trick.
Zubrin: Why is there blood running out of their ears?
Scientist: Because you're an idiot!
The 2nd generation of mice will never get to experience 1g until they land. I'm sure that'll make for a great mortality rate.
And not ONE mention of "Biker Mice from Mars". For shame!
I think a mouse on mars is a great idea!
"Tension is the great integrity" -- R. Buckminster Fuller
PETA will object. Send Lawyers instead: same characteristics, not as loveable, and nobody will complain. . .
spacecraft manned by mice
How is the ship being "manned" by mice? To me manned means operated, not just inhabited. Gotta love the English language! I am not sure what they hope to prove, how is a single generation going to prove that mammals can adapt to gravitational changes? I'm all for science, but shouldn't they reign in their expectations?
...the ones responsible for creating earth to begin with? Maybe the Vogon fleet is on the way, and they're being safe.
Hey wait a minute here. Everyone knows that the standard mouse is only really practical in gravity. If you use a mouse in zero G, you have to hold it down against a table, and obviously holding it down would almost certainly make you bounce off into the depths of space (think Darth Vader). For every action there is an equal and opposite reaction...
Now, what they *should* be using for a pointing device is a trackball. That way they don't have to hold it down and therefore will remain safe. Man these space guys sure are dumb. First it's the whole feet and meters thing, now this.
"He's more machine now than man, twisted and evil."
For humans at least, it's generally accepted that you don't want to spin faster than 1 RPM for artificial gravity. I know they're only aiming for 1/3 G, but that's a linear term in the equation, and an Apollo-sized capsule would still need to spin pretty fast. Or does the smaller size of mice translate to a more robust inner ear, at least for rotation?
Someone else was concerned about the second generation mice coming back to Earth. Maybe the first generation will be too dizzy and nauseous to make a second generation.
The living have better things to do than to continue hating the dead.
In Adobe eBook format, no less...
"I will take the Ring," he said, "though I do not know the way."
To see how Martian soil works as a mousepad.
Read Heinlein. Those Martian flat-cats are getting very hungry!
I'm mad as all get-out since I found out that mice had chewed up the box of Commodore Ahoy! magazines I had not looked at for 16 years.
After we send a spaceship "manned by mice", we can send one "moused by men".
It would be a practical use for that miniature Russian space shuttle someone was selling on eBay.
They can set up Velveeta factories in preparation for human missions.
Why not? After films like "Red Planet" and "Mission to Mars", the place can't get any more cheesy.
Because Mars blocks my view of Jupiter
Don't blame Durga. I voted for Centauri.
They should send all those millionairies up there instead. If they want to see what the effects of Mars are on humans, they should try it out using humans. Animal testing is (IMHO in any imaginable case, even in drug research, but YMMV) unethical, and even more so in cases like this where it really won't be able to provide any new information that couldn't be simulated using our current knowledge on astrophysics, biology and mathematics.
Anyway, we have more than enough of our own species down here already, so if the bourgeoises want to save themselves, they could just send all the petty crack dealers to interplanetary round-trips and free some space in your prison camps.
______________
OTTERS RULE.
Or just containing mice?
All Troll + "offtopic" mods are meta moderated as "Unfair", because you abused the system.
No matter what altitude it is at, this is _always_ true. Thats how orbits work.
Malike Bamiyi wanted my assistance.
Isn't this an oxymoron, or something.
(or am I just a moron?)
Seriously, what do you call something like this when it is obviously unmanned (no human pilot) but there is an animal occupant on board?
There is much cruelty in the universe, John.
Yeah, we seem to have the tour map.
Maybe I'm missing something, but if you're in orbit, your gravity is offset exactly by your centrifugal force of your orbit. You are weightless.
I am for the complete Trantorization of Earth.
In a related article SpaceRef talks about how millionaires are now starting to fund these type of private missions and speculates whether billionaires might fund further space projects
The way I see it, this is definitely a Good Thing. The days of unlimited space program budgets ended with the Cold War, and there aren't enough commercial reasons yet for companies to do space exploration. This has caused lots of space programs to basically grind to a halt
I always thought that if I was mega rich that this would be one of the more interesting ways to spend those millions.
siener's youtube channel
it sounds like they want to use the mice like they did pigeons in the mines back in the day. If the carbon-monoxide levels got to high the birds would be the first to die, telling the miners its time to leave. sounds like its same concept with the mice, if they start dying off or growing abnormaly, then they will know that maybe mars aint the place to colonize...
I hit the lameness filter. So now I'll write some more text.
How many $millions$ will have to be spent to get the mice back so that the animal rights people don't try to shut down NASA?
Outdoor digital photography, mostly in New Engl
... millionaires are now starting to fund these type of private missions ...
And after the dot.flop, where we made your money disappear in a big world wide web,... we will now make money disappear into thin air. Yeah sure space travel's cool, but I'm not putting my money[*] on the table this time! Oh no, sir.
* - not that I'm a millionaire, but that's besides my point
Following along with the great explorers of the past, we will be taking our disease infested rodents along for the ride to the "new lands".
heh, he said "sexist", heh heh.
Yeah... that guy SUCKS! heh heh.
There is much cruelty in the universe, John.
Yeah, we seem to have the tour map.
Rats have always travelled with Man on ships in the past, we should send rats to colonize Mars. That way it'll be the first time that rats get there before we do.
"In a related article SpaceRef talks about how millionaires are now starting to fund these type of private missions and speculates whether billionaires might fund further space projects."
Depends on your political preference really. Lots of stuff seems to have been done by government funded projects up to now. Suppose it's an option in a free market economy though. Shame these kind of guys don't decide to spend their billions on hospitals or schools or finding a cure for cancer though.
I reckon philanthropy aimed at funding the education system would probably be a more surefire, longer term, likely way of gettting successful space missions happening. I mean if tobacco companies can sponsor universities on the proviso that their beneficeries say nice things about cigarrettes (or at least not bad things) then surely it wouldn't be too hard to persuade a university to accept a few billion provided it made sure a number of students study space sciences.
Any of you billionairs out there listening?
Friends don't help friends install M$ junk.
From the Model Rocketry Safety Code:
"6. Payloads -- Except for insects, my model rocket will never carry live animals or a payload that is intended to be flamable, explosive, or harmful."
Write your own punchline...
I'm opposed to fur, not because of animal rights or anything like that, but because I think it looks ugly.
My only political goal is to see to it that no political party achieves its goals.
Why do I suddenly have visions of the destruction of Earth to make way for a hyperspace bypass? 42!
So long, and thanks for all the Phish
Could you imagine those mice up there on the moon with all that cheese around? That would mean the end of it!
While I'm dismayed that the government sees virtually no value in funding any space missions beyond the slow-moving International Space Station [http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/], I'm even more frightened when I consider that future space exploration may be limited to Individuals and Private Corporations, whose main concern is their own pocketbooks, and not the benefit of humanity. I would gladly welcome a global space organization that could put aside the petty world of greed & politics.
However,
I'm assuming this would be a one-way trip for the tiny Mars invaders...
10 million dollars? That's it? You'd think sending mice to mars would cost more.
Mod point free since 2001
It only tells of the trip their, their was nothing mentioned about how the mice will get back to earth???
Enjoy your job, make lots of money, work within the law. Choose any two.
NASA always gave astronauts those "black pills" that could quickly and painlessly let them commit suicide in the event of disaster... I guess the mouse equivelant is a biggg, nice piece of cheese... and a mouse trap.
The next comment I write will be ready soon, but subscribers can beat the rush and see it early!
While I am sure that this discussion could indefinitely continue to both humorously and with sincerity extol the virtue of rodents circling the planet at a high altitude while simultaneously rotating around their ship's axis. I think that the possibility exists that there is more to the article.
For instance, and perhaps old news, but the private funding and research of interplanetary travel; the Mars Society a notable example. To my understanding, the Society is not NASA run at all (?)
These people are seriously involved in creating a humanned trip to Mars, and not unlike open source, seek participation from skilled people to run a variety of research and experiments.
---ah, what the hell . . .
"PPPPPPIIIIIIIIIIIGGGGGGGGGGGSSSSSSSSSS
IIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
SSSSSSSSPPPPPPPPAAAAAAAAACCCCCCCCCEEEEEEE !!!!!!!"
What will they eat when their teeth fall out in the low gravity?
Kind thoughts do not change the world
Just wondering how food and water will be distributed among the mice...
I'm no PETA freak, but tell me these little guys aren't going to be strapped in and hooked up to IVs for 6 months, or a year if they're lucky enough to get a return mission. We've got plenty of useless people on Earth, wouldn't they make better test subjects?
I'm all for a mouse mutiny, turn that sucker around and head for the ISS at 30,000 mph - ramming speed.
I gave myself to Jesus, but now he never calls
Most humans get nauseous under one RPM; what about mice?
Power to the Peaceful
Finally Martian Armies took the last Mankind's strongold. And finally the Solar System will be get rid of this miserable, cowardous and treacherous race of primates...
All started in some rainy day in the beginning of the XXI century. Back then, among some monkeys an idea came to use some of our ancesters to explore Mars. Under the name of what they called Science, thousands of our brothers were sent to Mars. They suffered from lower gravity, high doses of radiation, hunger and lack of oxygen. They died by the thousands. And the monkeys, not satisfied with this suffering tried to genetically modify and clone our borthers so that they could serve as miserable intruments of their ambitious "conque of Mars".
However we, Rats, have had a long tradition of freedom and self-conscience. Truly the monkeys have had overcome us by size and strength. With the exception of a few minor rebelions made by some of the most corageous rats in the Middle Ages, we had to hide under earth, in small caves and holes till we could wait our hour.
That hour came when the hideous "scientific" experiments gave birth to the Martian "stainless steel rats II" as the monkey monsters named them. Higher and stronger than monkeys they manage to stage the first rebellion that successfully freed Mars from the claws of the human race. For hundreds of years we fought a path back home to free our more little brothers. Many millions died on this march...
But today we finally took the last strongold. After long hours of fight, the monkeys agreed on a unconditional surrendering. We could destroy all of them but our higher rathan principles should prevail over our longstanding will of revenge. Humbly we will close all of them into zoos and genetic labs.
I agree totally, let the *people* go to space. My main point though, was that everyone should benefit from whatever we learn from space exploration. Say some entrepreneur-type finds something particularly ground breaking. Hell, let's say this person makes first contact with an alien organism. Say this organism isn't intelligent whatsoever, be it a plant, bacteria... something. What does Mr. LetsGetRich do? He lays claim to it. Patents it. Hides the discovery, and reaps whatever benefit it brings. Whatever.
Point is, we are so focussed on Individual Advancement that most of us don't give a second thought to what harms or helps our fellow man.
Or i could be talking out of my ass again. Who knows.
However,
I think the first think we send to mars sould be robots with limited programming. The design should be cheap so we could send more than 1, and we should get the stupid project right. Somebody should insure those people at nasa have a good calculator.
Once we get the robots there, we start to terra-form the planet. First we start drilling down into the ground till we hit magma. If we don't find magma, but instead find that Mars is solid, then terra-forming Mars will be a lot harder because there would be no heat to drive currents of water and air. (About water currents and especially the deep water currents). Plus, volcanic action is needed to replace the CO2 through the CO2 cycle. Basically, CO2 disolves in the oceans, volcanic action replaces that CO2 that was disolved.
Anyways, my point is I don't want to thik about send people, or animals, to Mars till we know more about the planet. We also need to find methods to solve the various problems such as (but not limited to) the loss of bone mass that would happen eventually causing the teeth to fall out. We still need a lot more information before we start test animals in "Mars Gravity"
At the next eco-hypocrisy-meeting, count the private jets used to get to the meeting. Should be interesting to see that
Everyone knows its "Meeced..." as in Meeces to Pieces
Winton
Gahhhh!!!!!!!!
The Mars XPerience I brought to you by Microsoft. The MS floppy windows flag flutters in the breeze...
The party's over
Hang on, isn't this how Planet of the Mice starts?
When all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a skull.
for their own good. Either that or they're just looking for 10 mill to play with neat toys. Can't say as I blame them for that, being one of them and all.
Look, no one needs to "prove" that traveling to Mars at 1MG would be a good idea. Anyone halfway attuned to the issues could rattle off 20 good reasons for doing this in no more than 60 seconds.
What's more, this won't "prove" anything. It will offer *support* for the above mentioned good reasons, none of which anybody questions in the first place.
What reasons would there be for NOT making the trip at 1MG?
There's only one really, and it's one of pure practicallity. To travel to Mars at 1MG you must, by *definition*, accelerate at 1MG for the entire duration of the trip!
As opposed to boosting out of Earth orbit, coasting most of the way at no fuel cost and braking when you get there.
The fact of the matter is that this so called "proof" is moot. If we can figure out a way to go at 1MG we will, If we can't, we won't.
I thinks these guys just like to play with rockets and dick around with mice.
KFG
There's a phrase that comes to mind here.
:)
"Like rats leaving a sinking ship."
Are we sure that Earth is a good place to stay?
The clearance system sounds logical. It is not. It is completely arbitrary. -- John Bolton
Damnit. Mars, Mars, Mars. All I hear is Mars. Mars is a sensationalized fantasy at the moment, people. Sure, we'd be doing our part as players in the grand play of History and help future generations get to Mars. But Mars shouldn't be the goal. Not just yet, anyway...
I want everyone to look out their windows tonight and tell me what they see in the sky. Gee, isn't that our Moon? Now, I remember in Star Trek: First Contact, Commander Riker talking about there being 50 million people living on the Moon. Now, doesn't that sound like a more realistic goal?
10 years, folks. In 10 years we can have a permanent base on the Moon. If technology in 1969 put us there, technology today can keep us there. Forget that red ball of nothingness for right now and focus on that little grey rock we have right in our own celestial backyard...
Blog Prophyts - Right On, Man
Would they mouseOver?
Close...by everybody knows the universe will be taken over by Giant Space Hamsters, Giant Fire-Breathing Phase Hamsters, and other such variants.
Vintage computer games and RPG books available. Email me if you're interested.
Pinky, do you know what I'm thinking...
According to Robert Zubrin you can set up a permanent base on Mars for $12 billion. That's what, only about 20% of Bill Gates' wealth? He could do this singlehandedly, and still have plenty of bucks left over for philanthropy.
(Although the act of giving our species a foothold on another planet would probably in itself be judged by future historians as the greatest act of philanthropy of all time.)
The only thing stopping him is a lack of vision. I'd be willing to forgive the lame software he foists upon me, if he turned us into a spacefaring species!
(Before people tell me his wealth is all on paper, and he wouldn't be worth nearly that much if he tried to sell his stock all at once, I know that. To build a Mars colony, he woulnd't have to sell his stock all at once. He would sell it a little bit at a time, over a 10 - 15 year period.)
That that is is that that that that is not is not.
Well...this could solve one perticular problem. Couldn't we send Bill Gates to Mars, in a spacecraft runned pa Windows? If, the spacecraft would leave the Earth Atmosphere...there's no way he'll ever manage to get back...
Did you guys hear, NASA is sending a bunch of cows into space? They're calling it the herd shot around the world.
(where's that "Post Anonymously" box)
"But why, some say, Mars? Why choose this as our goal? We choose to send our mice to Mars. We choose to send them to Mars in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are really easy, because that goal will serve to organize and measure the best of our energies and skills, because that challenge is the biggest one that we are willing to accept, one we are unwilling to postpone, and one which we intend to win, and the others, too."
-- President G.W. Bush, Jan 23, 2002
Not only that, but they disguised the mice as human astronauts.
I see even classic Slashdot is now pretty much unusable on dial up anymore.