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Buzz Aldrin's Roadmap to Mars

Posted by ScuttleMonkey on from the anything-to-get-me-outta-here dept.

FleaPlus writes "Former astronaut (and MIT astronautics grad) Buzz Aldrin has an article in last months Popular Mechanics in which he describes a plan for manned Mars missions. Aldrin's plan proposes using a Cycler spacecraft permanently orbiting between Earth and Mars. This would have a shielded habitat and rotation-induced gravity, and would take just 5 months to reach Mars. Smaller vehicles would take astronauts to and from the Cycler. Aldrin claims the plan is less costly and more sustainable than NASA's current plans."

7 of 59 comments (clear)

  1. Cheaper? The space industry begs to differ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    Buzz's plan may be cheaper than the NASA's current plan, but pass on his plan to NASA and the space industry and they'll inflate the price tag like he cannot believe.

    Still, the Congress might buy it.

    (sorry for a troll...)

  2. Re:One hell of a guy. by Big+Nothing · · Score: 3, Insightful

    "Has this guy lived or what?"

    WARNING: Clicking on the link in parent post is bound to result in severe depression and feelings of inadequacy!

    --
    SIG: TAKE OFF EVERY 'CAPTAIN'!!
  3. Yes but ... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

    It only works if we find water on the moon and water on mars. Doesn't that mean this plan is science fiction? Or should billions be invested on a maybe?

    1. Re:Yes but ... by Mr.+Slippery · · Score: 2, Insightful
      Did the Columbus set out on a 'maybe' we'll find a shorter path to India by going around the other way?

      Columbus is quite possibly the luckiest fsck-up in history. He completely miscalculated the size of the Earth (never mind that the ancient Greeks had managed to get it right) and would have starved if he hadn't blundered into the Americas. And yet, despite this, and despite not being the first person to "find" this land mass (the American "Indians", the Vikings, and the Chinese all having been there first), despite kidnapping and enslaving natives, he gets remembered as some kind of a hero of exploration.

      We ought to use more genuine heroes for comparison when advocating space exploration.

      --
      Tom Swiss | the infamous tms | my blog
      You cannot wash away blood with blood
  4. Mars belongs to China? by Dr.+Eggman · · Score: 2, Insightful

    This is a dangerous time for NASA. People are getting older there (as if they weren't before) But is the US education system producing enough people to fill the void and meet tomorrow's challenges? Will we make it to mars in less than 18 yrs as many are predicting or will the red planet be claimed by a rising red star?

    --
    Demented But Determined.
    1. Re:Mars belongs to China? by ArsonSmith · · Score: 2, Insightful

      Education is not given it is taken. If someone is smart and able to be the chronic over achiever that is typically hired by the NASA space program you'll be able to get all that is needed out of even the worst education system. Sure an education system may if it's good make a mediocre person better but it wont make a retard smart or if it's bad, a genius dumb. Of course 97% of the people in the US are mediocre and that is why a good school system and education is important.

      --
      Paying taxes to buy civilization is like paying a hooker to buy love.
  5. Re:What's with the parenthetical? by FleaPlus · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Who cares what school he's gone to?

    I think it's rather relevant that he has an astronautics doctorate from MIT when the submission is about a plan for spacecraft which exploit interplanetary transport orbits.