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NASA Asks the Public For Advice On Goals
JeremyYoung writes: "The National Academy of Science's National Research Council is conducting what is being called the Solar System Exploration Survey at NASA's request. In it they are including public opinion from a web-based survey on the direction of NASA through 2013. The survey itself can be found at this page on the Planetary Society website. The article with more detail in explaining this is here. The survey closes on January 31, so don't miss this chance to tell NASA what you think it should be doing. pssst ... Mars can be done cheaply."
Funny retrograde orbit, dodgy orientation, nitrogen geysers, evidence that it was formed outside the solar system, but they include "Phobos Missions" but not Triton Missions?
Why go to yet another piece of inert rock when there are places like this? (ignoring for a second the small matter of cost, obviously).
I both agree and disagree with the author of said referenced comment. Indeed, I do believe that we should be concerned with getting to Mars (or Venus, or back to the moon, etc.) AND we should be developing not just new drives, but new ways of getting payloads off of the planet's surface. The amount of mass and energy wasted in launching craft/cargos into space is ridiculous right now. So how about some magnetic accellerator action at least for the non perishables (I understand it can generate quite alot of G's in acceleration. Maybe this can be modded) and maybe some slower but less wasteful manner for getting live loads at least into orbit.
These questions weren't even asked on the survey though maybe NASA considers them as part and parcel of all the other options offered. Whatever the case, I do believe that it would be a great achievement for the human race and the planet, for us to venture out into wide and vasty space that is the rest of the universe. Who knows what mind blowing, cool stuff is out there for us to find.
:::Horrendous Experiences Make Amusing Anecdotes:::
Enough with the shuttle and space station already, unless it's used as a stepping stone to space missions. The shuttle, which was supposed to be a space truck but turns out to be a space ferrari (in terms of cost, not performance) goes up a couple hundred km and then comes back. At least it has somewhere to go now, instead of just floating around, but still. It's boring.
Robots to everywhere.
Mine the asteroids.
Move industry into outer space where possible.
Men to Mars.