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NASA's Deep Space Habitat Could Support the Journey To Mars and a Lunar Return (spaceflightinsider.com)
MarkWhittington writes: Back in 2012, when NASA first proposed building a deep space habitat (DSH) beyond the moon, the Obama administration took a dim view of the idea. However, fast forward over three years, and the idea has become part of the Journey to Mars program. According to a story in Spaceflight Insider, the deep space habitat will be deployed in cis-lunar space in the 2020s to test various technologies related to sending humans to Mars. The DSH could also be part of an infrastructure that would support a return to the moon should the next administration decide to go that route.
Let's see how many Congressional Districts this one can pork up!
No bets lower than 120.
As long as we can reserve place for all of them on the 'B' ark ...
"Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
I'd rather that they spend tax money on US Congressional Districts than hand it to a corporation that passes it to the Chinese.
At least government pork is local, benefits Americans and keeps American jobs alive.
It was reported that the ISS was looking to switch over their life support and other service management over to systemd in an effort to modernize. Thus I'd like to know if this implies a greatly forever growing roadmap for systemd, spreading its reaches out as our explorations stretch further into the cosmos.
Yep, paying some americans to dig holes and other americans to fill those holes in is better, because at least it's americans being stupid.
I strongly believe that from the POV of this simple earthling outer space belongs to us all and it would at this point be foolish to leave exploration to individual states or even corporations (persons right?)
So my dream is to start building an ISS2 in a cislunar orbit, also orbiting the earth and moon.
As a side exercise, how much energy would be needed to propel the present ISS (+400 tons) to such an orbit, would it be feasible over say a 5 year period?
"The likes of Facebook and WhatsApp are free to those whose privacy is of zero value."
Years ago I read an article somewhere about protection from Cosmic Rays. It made an impression, and what's also made an impression is that I don't think I've ever come across anything else about it in the discussions about plans to send people to Mars. I gather though, that cumulative damage from Cosmic Rays are a serious enough issue that it would be criminally negligent of the powers to be if they didn't offer protection. So, what to do about Cosmic Rays? This is from memory about what the article said and may not be quite right but:
1. 3 feet of water offers as much protection from Cosmic Rays as the earth's atmosphere (maybe it was the atmosphere as it is in Denver, Colo.) So a ship going to Mars could be sheathed in a water jacket. That's a lot of mass, but, the bigger the ship, the less the total percentage of mass would be dedicated to the water jacket. Also, the water could be used for drinking, then purified and recycled. (Also, since the article came out, I've read about water being found on the Moon. Getting water from the Moon for the water jacket might be more practical as it has less of a gravity well to be hauled up from.)
2. Alternatively, a very strong magnetic field around the ship would deflect the cosmic rays. This would be less massive. Methinks it would have to be a very powerful field and I'm wondering a bit at the technology to do it.
In theory, theory and practice are the same; in practice they're different. (Yogi Berra & A. Einstein)
...who noticed that the Bigelow Expandable Activity Module (BEAM) looks like a giant Jiffy Pop?
If it weren't for deadlines, nothing would be late.
With the BEAM idea, we could relatively easily build this and include electromagnetic shielding to guard against cosmic rays. Inflatable modules could be built en-mass, there is no reason we couldn't use them to make several Deep Space Habitats. All that's lacking is the political will power and vision.
You *do* realise that all the Golgafrinchans who *weren't* on the B ark, died, right? Wiped out by a virulent disease contracted from a dirty telephone...
I'd rather that they spend tax money on US Congressional Districts than hand it to a corporation that passes it to the Chinese.
At least government pork is local, benefits Americans and keeps American jobs alive.
You're gonna love this one then.
"Congress has officially mandated the creation of such a module."
Really - this needs to stop. Congress should mandate broad projects with goals that support the nation as a whole (e.g., the Interstate Highway system). They should stay away from legislating where overpasses go.
Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!
Unless someone can come forward and provide a compelling reason why we should send humans (of all things) to Mars, any such venture is doomed to failure in the long term. By compelling, I mean, demonstrating some objective benefit that we mostly agree on. The reasons givens o far fall short of that benchmark:
1. "Because we can". We "can" also eat a bag of pinecones. Doesn't make it a good idea.
2. "We like to explore" - now we can use robots to explore for us. Why dick around on a dead rock when there are interesting places for us to go (via our robot allies)?
3. "We need a backup" - but humans aren't pigs or cows. You can't breed a herd to replace your old herd from a remnant number of bulls and heifers. Humans are culture and belief and outlook and songs and poetry. Whose culture will you choose to preserve on Mars? Will there be people there to carry on the lifestyle of the Bantu? The Zulu? The Fijians? How will you structure that society - according to the cultural norms of the Motswana? The Brahman caste system? Will you adopt Sharia Law?
4. "It's exciting" Exciting for a few. But in general, people are going about their lives and never thinking about Mars and landing on Mars. Look around. There is just not enough public interest.
But that was before everyone had their own individual phones, so nobody needs a phone sanitizer nowadays. That's why they still go on the B Ark :-)
"Transparent" is a shit show that trades on every stereotype going. A man in drag is NOT a transsexual.
Oh brother.
But it won't.
I told you to quit having your head banged against the wall when you are sucking the kock bros. . your lack of intelligence is just one of the symptoms. Damn, you are one stupid fuck.
yes because space exploration is equivalent to digging holes and never aided in scientific discovery.