Radiation shielding: No, the radiation level is an obstacle. The benefit is the outcome of our research and development in ways to protect people from it. Think of the uses we would have here on Earth for such protection. And I'm not thinking apocalyptic visions of the future.
Large amounts of water and metal structure: When you recycle the water you don't need to carry much. The amount you would need for protection from radiation is far more than you would need to carry for drinking, eating, and cleaning. The structure necessary to protect is also way way way more than we need support the loads. I think the last numbers I looked at show that we'd need about 1" thickness in Aluminum to bring the lethal levels down to barely survivable. Then add to that the fact that we're moving farther away from using metal structures and toward composites so we can get them lighter and stronger. Metal isn't a good heat insulation, either.
Land mass: I don't see how that's an obstacle. We haven't performed an extensive search for large amounts of water. And we can recycle what we have. Again I say the water needed for the trip is a lot less than you think.
Lunar missions: Alloys, composite materials, computers, communications, power systems, propulsion, air filtration. This is just a short list of the research areas that benefitted from the massive amount of money that was spent to get us to the moon. Yes, they were being researched before the space program, but they, and we, certainly benefited from that extra dollar or two or billion.
True that fuel itself isn't nearly as expensive as most people think. However, you increase the size of the craft to store the fuel. You have to have tanks, heating or cooling depending on your system, structure to support the extra mass, more engineering to change the scale of the overall system from our current large to one that's ginormous.
About cosmic radiation: The only reduction in this that I know of is from the sun. During a solar maximum there is less cosmic coming into the solar system. The problem then is to protect people from the increased solar radiation. And the benefit I mean here is research and development in theoretical areas of protection. Artificial magnetosphere, maybe, or some other forms I haven't yet studied.
Mineral resources: Yes, I've seen mines on Earth. My father worked for a coal mine here for about 30 years. A major difference you didn't take into consideration for early Mars miners is that they won't have to mine for nearly so many people at first. One reason mining equipment on Earth is so large is that they have to move a huge amount of material on a daily basis to meet the needs of the people using the resources. At first, mining Mars would only be necessary to support those few people who are already on the planet. The mining equipment shipped up would then not need to be nearly as large. The large equipment would come later as the need grows. If the materials are there, the larger equipment could be built on the planet rather than here and sent there. I'm meaning way down the line, of course. And companies are already designing the lightweight equipment. John Deere is one of them.
Land mass: Again, I mean way down the line. But things have to start sometime in order to get the ball rolling down that line.
Lunar missions: Massive moneys going to research and development on computers, communications, programming, alloys, composite materials, propulsion systems, air filtration, etc, etc. Although these research areas were in the works before the space program, the huge amount of money poured into them to get them ready for the missions definitely sped up our advances.
Likely the number one benefit of a manned mission to Mars: radiation shielding. Currently the only way to protect people from the solar radiation on that long trip is to put them behind massive metal sheets, tanks of water, tanks of the astronauts' waste, etc. All very heavy, which increases the fuel necessary to reach Mars and MOI.
Benefit #2: minerals. Lots and lots of minerals.
Benefit the third: land surface area nearly the same as that of Earth.
Fourth: likely better propulsion systems and/or fuels.
Fifth: it's not the ISS
as well as any number of little and not so little things i can't think of right now because i'm not a futurist. Just think about the lunar missions. The benefits of those missions were not just political and social.
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Radiation shielding: No, the radiation level is an obstacle. The benefit is the outcome of our research and development in ways to protect people from it. Think of the uses we would have here on Earth for such protection. And I'm not thinking apocalyptic visions of the future. Large amounts of water and metal structure: When you recycle the water you don't need to carry much. The amount you would need for protection from radiation is far more than you would need to carry for drinking, eating, and cleaning. The structure necessary to protect is also way way way more than we need support the loads. I think the last numbers I looked at show that we'd need about 1" thickness in Aluminum to bring the lethal levels down to barely survivable. Then add to that the fact that we're moving farther away from using metal structures and toward composites so we can get them lighter and stronger. Metal isn't a good heat insulation, either. Land mass: I don't see how that's an obstacle. We haven't performed an extensive search for large amounts of water. And we can recycle what we have. Again I say the water needed for the trip is a lot less than you think. Lunar missions: Alloys, composite materials, computers, communications, power systems, propulsion, air filtration. This is just a short list of the research areas that benefitted from the massive amount of money that was spent to get us to the moon. Yes, they were being researched before the space program, but they, and we, certainly benefited from that extra dollar or two or billion.
True that fuel itself isn't nearly as expensive as most people think. However, you increase the size of the craft to store the fuel. You have to have tanks, heating or cooling depending on your system, structure to support the extra mass, more engineering to change the scale of the overall system from our current large to one that's ginormous.
About cosmic radiation: The only reduction in this that I know of is from the sun. During a solar maximum there is less cosmic coming into the solar system. The problem then is to protect people from the increased solar radiation. And the benefit I mean here is research and development in theoretical areas of protection. Artificial magnetosphere, maybe, or some other forms I haven't yet studied. Mineral resources: Yes, I've seen mines on Earth. My father worked for a coal mine here for about 30 years. A major difference you didn't take into consideration for early Mars miners is that they won't have to mine for nearly so many people at first. One reason mining equipment on Earth is so large is that they have to move a huge amount of material on a daily basis to meet the needs of the people using the resources. At first, mining Mars would only be necessary to support those few people who are already on the planet. The mining equipment shipped up would then not need to be nearly as large. The large equipment would come later as the need grows. If the materials are there, the larger equipment could be built on the planet rather than here and sent there. I'm meaning way down the line, of course. And companies are already designing the lightweight equipment. John Deere is one of them. Land mass: Again, I mean way down the line. But things have to start sometime in order to get the ball rolling down that line. Lunar missions: Massive moneys going to research and development on computers, communications, programming, alloys, composite materials, propulsion systems, air filtration, etc, etc. Although these research areas were in the works before the space program, the huge amount of money poured into them to get them ready for the missions definitely sped up our advances.
Likely the number one benefit of a manned mission to Mars: radiation shielding. Currently the only way to protect people from the solar radiation on that long trip is to put them behind massive metal sheets, tanks of water, tanks of the astronauts' waste, etc. All very heavy, which increases the fuel necessary to reach Mars and MOI. Benefit #2: minerals. Lots and lots of minerals. Benefit the third: land surface area nearly the same as that of Earth. Fourth: likely better propulsion systems and/or fuels. Fifth: it's not the ISS as well as any number of little and not so little things i can't think of right now because i'm not a futurist. Just think about the lunar missions. The benefits of those missions were not just political and social.