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NASA Wants Astronauts on Mars by 2010
FeloniousPunk writes "According to
this article
in the UK Guardian, NASA intends to send a manned mission to Mars by 2010, using nuclear propulsion. President Bush may announce this project, called Project Prometheus, at the State of the Union address." Here's
good background and context;
for technical background, I recommend
Zubrin
or
Stern.
The JPL will be involved in developing the nuclear propulsion tech, intended to cut the interplanetary trip from six months to two. Apparently the theory is that this proposal won't get shot down like the last Mars proposal because the shorter mission will save money. Here's hoping public response has progressed beyond "oh no! did he say nuclear?!"
In related news,
jkcity writes:
"according to this article by the BBC, the Chinese plan to have a man in space by October 2003."
"Right this way, Mr. Hussein, we've changed our attitude toward Iraq and have decided to trade nuclear arms. Yes sir, step on board to see the finest weapons grade plutonium."
"Software is like sex. It's better when it's free." -Linus Torvalds
How the heck did the parent get moded to a 5?
"Two words for those that say I am wrong. "Superconductor Supercollider".
One word from some who says you're wrong...
"Politics"
The real reason that the SCSC did not get funding is that it was going to be built in Texas. There was a MAJOR campaign by several states to get the SCSC. Texas won. The US House delegation from Illinois was VERY torqued off, as they felt the SCSC should have gone to Illinois. Specifically, they believed that Fermilab in Batavia should have been home to the SCSC. Indeed, they felt an entitlement existed for Fermilab to be the home of all major government funded research in high energy physics, and the only reason that Texas got selected as the final choice was "politics." The Illinois delegation were able to buttonhole members of the house with Luddite tendencies, and get their support to kill the SCSC along with other worthy research projects.
I'd point out that during the legislative session in which the SCSC, and other funding for important research was killed the usual partisan voting patterns in the US House were absent. The voting pattern was primarily alone 'pork barrel' lines. If a research project was in a members district, or nearby; the member voted for the project, otherwise the member voted opposition. Most members that voted for one project voted for most, if not all projects. The reason being that they would scratch the backs of other members with research projects in their backyards if they would in turn vote for a research project in your backyard.
It didn't help that the SCSC was going to be named for Ronald Regan, given that the House at that time was controlled by Democrats. The Bush (41st) administration blundered in trying to name it for Regan. If they had been smart they would have named it for some politically neutral individual, say a prominent physicist ala Fermi.
"Oh drat these computers, they're so naughty and so complex, I could pinch them." --Marvin the Martian
Did a quick google on "Project Prometheus" and nasa found the spoof:- 8859-1&q =%22Project+Prometheus%22+nasa&btnI=I%27m+Feeling+ Lucky
http://www.google.com/search?hl=en&ie=ISO
George Bush would not Nuclear. We will instead be riding to Mars on Nu-ku-lar rockets.
In the wild there are no dumb lions tigers or bears. Only humanity subsidizes the continued existence of the stupid.