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Russian Group Plans Manned Mars Mission By 2011

Posted by timothy on from the rusty-dusty dept.

weekendwarrior1980 writes "A group of Russian space experts on Friday announced an ambitious plan to send a six-man crew to Mars within a decade, a project it said would cost only $3.5 billion. Russian space officials dismissed the project as nonsense. They plan to have 6 people explore Mars for months before returning to Earth. The Mission would take 3 years, and would depend on fully equipped spacecraft containing its own garden, medical facilities etc."

8 of 376 comments (clear)

  1. in russia... by josh3736 · · Score: -1, Redundant


    In Soviet Russia, Mars...


    ah, fuck it

    1. Re:in russia... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Redundant

      torrent? cluster? Portman? anything?

  2. In Soviet by peeledback · · Score: -1, Redundant

    in soviet russia, mars comes to you.. err..

    1. Re:In Soviet by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Redundant

      In Soviet Russia, played-out, redundant, only-funny-the-first-time joke tells YOU!

  3. In Soviet Russia by TheKidWho · · Score: -1, Redundant

    In Soviet Russia the Moon comes to you!
    Along with the money, rockets, and food!
    Just in Soviet Russia, you better watch out for those damned American SAMS

  4. In Soviet Union... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Redundant

    ...Mars mans YOU!

  5. Re:Funded by Reality TV? by dj245 · · Score: 0, Redundant

    crap a misplaced (p) tag. should have previewed.

    --
    Even those who arrange and design shrubberies are under considerable economic stress at this period in history.
  6. Isn't this like the tail wagging the dog? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: -1, Redundant

    Really, I'm not a physicist of any kind, so feel free to refute my ideas with logical "Here's why this can't happen" (but try to be intelligent about it)..... ...BUT....

    Isn't it really like this:

    The reason why it's so impossible, or so DIFFICULT, to plan a mission to mars is that you have to bring enough food/fuel to get there and back? And that the cost of bringing the equipment AND the materials there is just crazy?

    Well obviously a MOON base/space station a la StarFleet would help this as the craft would not need to break orbit and THEN get to mars.

    What about....if the craft created some kindof nuclear reaction that gave it enough propulsion to get to Mars on a little payload of material?

    In space there is no inertia, right? So they could potentially create a large reaction (split an atom maybe?) and vent it to get the momentum necessary to get to mars. Save enough material to create another reaction to get back, and that should cover the getting there/getting back. All you have to do now is plot a course that doesn't take you into the gravity of any other object that would slow you down/alter your course.

    Am I just thinking too simple here?

    How about some discussion about this, rather than bashing government/funding/corruption?