This Mars thing is turning into a horse race which is maybe the best thing that can happen: between the Russians and America and Europe and China: who is going to get there first?
Russians plan cut-price Mars trip
A group of Russian space experts says it is planning a privately
financed manned mission to Mars.
One of the team, Georgy Uspensky of the Central Research Institute
for Machine-Building, said it would happen within 10 years and cost
$3-5bn.
Aerospace Systems, a commercial company seeking to fund the project
using private capital, suggested it could involve a reality TV show.
The plan is for six cosmonauts to take a three-year round trip,
including several months exploring Mars.
The spaceship would be equipped with its own garden, to supply them
with fresh fruit and vegetables.
The experts said the craft would use parts already tried and tested
at the International Space Station.
Th
It would be put together in orbit, centred on two inflatable modules
with living space for a crew.
Mr Uspensky said the plan - of which the estimated were given as a
fraction of those of US plans for a manned mission to Mars -
had "good business potential".
A real-time TV serial could be made from the lives of the crew, made
up of both men and women, which could provide a return on investments
in the project, the experts said.
Earlier this week the US authorities issued a licence for the first
time to a company hoping to make a manned sub-orbital space flight in
a privately owned rocket.
The license clears the way for an attempt on the X-prize - for the
first privately funded, non-governmental body that can launch a three-
person craft into space twice in two weeks.
For the full article, go to:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/3615251.stm
eye-sea
HI-HO,HI-HO it's off to mars we go (NASA sucks!)
Moderator: Super Moderators
American Chemical Society
Chemical & Engineering News
April 26, 2004
http://pubs.acs.org/cen/nlw/8216lett.html
"I was pleased to read a quote from Steven W. Squyres in which he
said that signals from the rover Opportunity provided numerous lines
of evidence that nearly unequivocally indicate that large amounts of
water were present on the surface of Mars eons ago (C&EN, March 8,
page 7). Then he continued, "That doesn't mean that life was there,
but Mars was a habitable place at one time."
I regret that this well-qualified statement is not what was projected
during a highly publicized television interview in which Squyres
joined about half a dozen National Aeronautics & Space Administration
and Jet Propulsion Lab directors. Not only was the interesting
geological data recounted--all directly tied to proof of a past very
wet Mars--but the directors also gleefully exclaimed, "Where there is
water, there is life." Yes, I did even hear Squyres chime in, "On
Earth, wherever there is water, there is life." I cringed at the
comment by my Cornell colleague. On Earth, there are winds that carry
bacteria, seeds, and insects for deposition under relatively benign
temperatures and favorable ambient pressures.
What image does the phrase "where there is water, there is life"
convey to the average citizen, whose taxes support the enormously
expensive NASA enterprise? To some, it implies bacteria; to others,
more complex entities. Some even imagine apelike creatures with IQs
of 270. It is evident that for NASA, this mantra is blatant
propaganda to justify continued funding.
It has been known for several years that water was present on Mars at
the polar ice caps. Gamma-ray spectrometer signals recorded during
the Mars Odyssey flyby indicated that the permafrost was composed of
up to 50% H2O. Radio spectral evidence was recently obtained for
H2O2, a hazardous chemical for microbial life, in the martian
atmosphere.
Christopher P. McKay of Ames Research Center pointed out that, were
robotic explorers to chance upon clearly recognizable fossilized
entities in the dry, desertlike regions of Mars, we would learn very
little regarding the fundamental questions of when and how these were
initiated and in what respects these were Earth-like. Perhaps deep
below the ice cover at the poles there are sufficiently well-
preserved microorganisms, such that their compositions could be
analyzed.
Were this the case, the similarities and differences from Earth-like
species would answer a number of crucial questions: Do their amino
acids have the same chirality as those on Earth? Are their nucleic
acid sequences recognizable? Are there any indications that martian
and Earth biospecies may have originated in close proximity somewhere
in the solar system? Is there a similar set of principles for biology
and evolution on Mars and Earth?
Were the "search for extraterrestrial life" expressed in these terms,
I would support NASA's quest. As matters stand, I seriously question
their dedication to basic science."
---S. H. Bauer
Ithaca, N.Y.
My Comments to this...
If "Mars was a habitable place at one time." as this Mr. Steven W.
Squyres stated earlier, then doesn't that mean that life "was" there?
the science that I grew up to learn about teaches me that
any "Inhabitable" Environment carries some form, or another of life
within it! What kind of crap is he selling? When will NASA Get off
this Insantity of Blatent Official Denial Syndrome of
Extraterrestrial Life? Funny thing when ART Bell or George Noory of
Coast-to-Coast asked them about this subject they got real sensitive
and mentioned more than once that the only thing that any of the Mars
Probes were designed specificly to examine "Geological" samples
only!... meaning that because of this mental block that NASA
officials have with respect to the potential existance of
Extrabiological life forms (since they are impossible by their number
scale) there was no need to include any devices aboard to even look
for Biological samples.
How Absurd!
I agree with you, NASA- You Suck!
Chemical & Engineering News
April 26, 2004
http://pubs.acs.org/cen/nlw/8216lett.html
"I was pleased to read a quote from Steven W. Squyres in which he
said that signals from the rover Opportunity provided numerous lines
of evidence that nearly unequivocally indicate that large amounts of
water were present on the surface of Mars eons ago (C&EN, March 8,
page 7). Then he continued, "That doesn't mean that life was there,
but Mars was a habitable place at one time."
I regret that this well-qualified statement is not what was projected
during a highly publicized television interview in which Squyres
joined about half a dozen National Aeronautics & Space Administration
and Jet Propulsion Lab directors. Not only was the interesting
geological data recounted--all directly tied to proof of a past very
wet Mars--but the directors also gleefully exclaimed, "Where there is
water, there is life." Yes, I did even hear Squyres chime in, "On
Earth, wherever there is water, there is life." I cringed at the
comment by my Cornell colleague. On Earth, there are winds that carry
bacteria, seeds, and insects for deposition under relatively benign
temperatures and favorable ambient pressures.
What image does the phrase "where there is water, there is life"
convey to the average citizen, whose taxes support the enormously
expensive NASA enterprise? To some, it implies bacteria; to others,
more complex entities. Some even imagine apelike creatures with IQs
of 270. It is evident that for NASA, this mantra is blatant
propaganda to justify continued funding.
It has been known for several years that water was present on Mars at
the polar ice caps. Gamma-ray spectrometer signals recorded during
the Mars Odyssey flyby indicated that the permafrost was composed of
up to 50% H2O. Radio spectral evidence was recently obtained for
H2O2, a hazardous chemical for microbial life, in the martian
atmosphere.
Christopher P. McKay of Ames Research Center pointed out that, were
robotic explorers to chance upon clearly recognizable fossilized
entities in the dry, desertlike regions of Mars, we would learn very
little regarding the fundamental questions of when and how these were
initiated and in what respects these were Earth-like. Perhaps deep
below the ice cover at the poles there are sufficiently well-
preserved microorganisms, such that their compositions could be
analyzed.
Were this the case, the similarities and differences from Earth-like
species would answer a number of crucial questions: Do their amino
acids have the same chirality as those on Earth? Are their nucleic
acid sequences recognizable? Are there any indications that martian
and Earth biospecies may have originated in close proximity somewhere
in the solar system? Is there a similar set of principles for biology
and evolution on Mars and Earth?
Were the "search for extraterrestrial life" expressed in these terms,
I would support NASA's quest. As matters stand, I seriously question
their dedication to basic science."
---S. H. Bauer
Ithaca, N.Y.
My Comments to this...
If "Mars was a habitable place at one time." as this Mr. Steven W.
Squyres stated earlier, then doesn't that mean that life "was" there?
the science that I grew up to learn about teaches me that
any "Inhabitable" Environment carries some form, or another of life
within it! What kind of crap is he selling? When will NASA Get off
this Insantity of Blatent Official Denial Syndrome of
Extraterrestrial Life? Funny thing when ART Bell or George Noory of
Coast-to-Coast asked them about this subject they got real sensitive
and mentioned more than once that the only thing that any of the Mars
Probes were designed specificly to examine "Geological" samples
only!... meaning that because of this mental block that NASA
officials have with respect to the potential existance of
Extrabiological life forms (since they are impossible by their number
scale) there was no need to include any devices aboard to even look
for Biological samples.
How Absurd!
I agree with you, NASA- You Suck!
<Img Src=http://web.mit.edu/isn/images/top/news1.gif>
"Time Has Come Today. . . . T I M E ! "
"Time Has Come Today. . . . T I M E ! "
Space.com Science News
By Leonard David
Senior Space Writer
posted: 07:00 am ET
27 April 2004
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- NASA is not wasting time in moving forward on its
next rover that will strut its stuff across the far-flung sands of
the red planet.
The space agency released mid-month an "Announcement of Opportunity"
that calls for science gear and related ideas that could wind up
onboard the Mars Science Laboratory -- or MSL, for short.
The overall MSL science objective is to explore and quantitatively
assess a local region on the Mars surface as a potential habitat for
life, past or present.
This mission will use a variety of instruments carried on a rover
platform that will operate under its own power and telemetry and is
expected to remain active for one Mars year, or 670 sols. For those
on Earth Today Time, that equates to 687 Earth days.
"Once down and dirty on Mars, the Mars Science Laboratory is to
perform science chores related to biology, climatology, geology and
geochemistry in terrain which could include -- depending on the site
selected -- sedimentary, hydrothermal, ancient and/or ice-bearing
deposits."
related to biology?
why not relate decices designed to look for bilogicals specificly?
When are they ever going to get around this delima and really get
down & dirty and actually look for Life?
More Available...
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/m ... _040427.ht
ml
Oh we have to wait another five yrs. or so for them to send up another rover to coduct what? for let me see here, "science chores related to biology" What???
related to biology? RELATED To, But Not Associated with I'll bet!
why not relate devices designed to look for bilogicals specificly?
When are they ever going to get around this delima and really get
down & dirty and actually look for Life?
More Available...
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/m ... _040427.ht
ml
Again.... NASA, You SUCK!
By Leonard David
Senior Space Writer
posted: 07:00 am ET
27 April 2004
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- NASA is not wasting time in moving forward on its
next rover that will strut its stuff across the far-flung sands of
the red planet.
The space agency released mid-month an "Announcement of Opportunity"
that calls for science gear and related ideas that could wind up
onboard the Mars Science Laboratory -- or MSL, for short.
The overall MSL science objective is to explore and quantitatively
assess a local region on the Mars surface as a potential habitat for
life, past or present.
This mission will use a variety of instruments carried on a rover
platform that will operate under its own power and telemetry and is
expected to remain active for one Mars year, or 670 sols. For those
on Earth Today Time, that equates to 687 Earth days.
"Once down and dirty on Mars, the Mars Science Laboratory is to
perform science chores related to biology, climatology, geology and
geochemistry in terrain which could include -- depending on the site
selected -- sedimentary, hydrothermal, ancient and/or ice-bearing
deposits."
related to biology?
why not relate decices designed to look for bilogicals specificly?
When are they ever going to get around this delima and really get
down & dirty and actually look for Life?
More Available...
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/m ... _040427.ht
ml
Oh we have to wait another five yrs. or so for them to send up another rover to coduct what? for let me see here, "science chores related to biology" What???
related to biology? RELATED To, But Not Associated with I'll bet!
why not relate devices designed to look for bilogicals specificly?
When are they ever going to get around this delima and really get
down & dirty and actually look for Life?
More Available...
http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/m ... _040427.ht
ml
Again.... NASA, You SUCK!
<Img Src=http://web.mit.edu/isn/images/top/news1.gif>
"Time Has Come Today. . . . T I M E ! "
"Time Has Come Today. . . . T I M E ! "