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Trump Has Grand Plan For Mission To Mars But Nasa Advises: Cool Your Jets (theguardian.com)
Donald Trump would like to see Americans walk on Mars during his presidency. Nasa would love to get there that quickly, too. The reality of space travel is slightly more complicated, however. From a report: On Monday, during a call with astronaut Peggy Whitson, who was aboard the International Space Station, Trump pressed her for a timeline on a crewed mission to Mars, one of Nasa's longest standing and most daunting goals. "Tell me, Mars," he asked her from the Oval Office, "what do you see a timing for actually sending humans to Mars? Is there a schedule and when would you see that happening?" Whitson answered by pointing out that Trump, by signing a Nasa funding bill last month, had already approved a timeline for a mission in the 2030s. She added that Nasa was building a new heavy-launch rocket, which would need testing. "Unfortunately space flight takes a lot of time and money," she said. "But it is so worthwhile doing." Trump replied: "Well, we want to try and do it during my first term or, at worst, during my second term, so we'll have to speed that up a little bit, OK?" It was not clear whether the president meant the remark as a quip or something more serious.
Even if there is no suitable launch window in a decade, put him in the rocket and let him test it anyway. It could make America great again!
Nae king! Nae laird! Nae yurrupiean pressedent! We willna be fooled again!
"Interplanetary travel is more complicated than I thought it would be."
You are welcome on my lawn.
Argument overheard several tens of thousands of years ago:
Enough with this migrating to Asia thing. We cannot live in Asia. Ever. The difference in temperature will guarantee that. You can't fix biology and evolution. And don't say "take the skins off animals" or "build fires". Give us all a break.
You underestimate the stupidity of humanity. Have you ever met people?
I work in IT support. Are people as bad as users?
Right, Obama (or Clinton) makes the same pronouncement and you're all for it, Trump makes it and it is "EVIL!!!!!"
Keep it up, and the Democrats will never get back in power. Which is fine by me. The Republicans too are proving just as inept. Which is fine by me. Perhaps we'll actually get a viable third party that doesn't whine like a bitch when they aren't in power, and actually is constructive when they are.
Agent K: A *person* is smart. People are dumb, stupid, panicky animals, and you know it.
"Space is big. Really big. You just won't believe how vastly, hugely, mind-bogglingly big it is. I mean, you may think it's a long way down the road to the chemist, but that's just peanuts to space."
And the rockets will coal powered. Beautiful, clean coal. That's the secret to making America great again.
It's almost as unlikely as him ever getting elected President.
Trump's electoral victory was probably a statistical fluke. Maybe Biden will have better luck than Hillary in 2020, assuming that Kasich doesn't knock Trump out in the primaries.
As a sometimes-Republican with a folder full of Creepy Uncle Joe memes, I beg you, Please, please, nominate Biden.
See that "Preview" button?
I have a suspicion this is Ego vs Science.
Who cares? If that's what it takes, let's go to Mars!
He wants to cut all sorts of science and research budgets, so he's obviously not in favor of public money being spend on science. In Trump's eyes science is a private enterprise thing, not a government thing.
So why does he want to go to Mars, and specifically why does he want to go during his presidency?
The answer is Ego.
Who cares? If that's what it takes, let's go to Mars!
He wants to be known as the President who got man to another planet. He wants the capital city on some long-in-the-future Mars to be called Trump Town.
He doesn't want to go to look for signs of life, he doesn't want to go to advance science, he doesn't want to go to see if there is any long-term investment strategy.
Who cares? If that's what it takes, let's go to Mars!
He wants to go for the ego-boost.
Who cares? If that's what it takes, let's go to Mars!
Why do you think his wife doesn't want to live with him in DC?
Because she doesn't want to sleep in the same bed as Ivanka?
But will ego-boost add enough delta-v for a trip?
Silence is a state of mime.
No, no, no. How many times have we told you not to try out your code on the production server?
Faster! Faster! Faster would be better!