Print

Please login or register.
1 Hour 1 Day 1 Week 1 Month Forever
Login with username, password and session length

[Siquo]

Deep Space Industries will start prospecting asteroids in 2015:

http://www.space.com/19368-asteroid-mining-deep-space-industries.html

[alway]

Something interesting:
http://www.popsci.com/science/article/2013-02/mysterious-mars-mission-announcement-coming-next-week-what-could-it-be
http://cosmiclog.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/21/17038750-how-a-millionaire-spaceflier-intends-to-send-astronauts-past-mars-in-2018?lite

A new mysterious nonprofit organization called the Inspiration Mars Foundation is holding a press conference next week to announce a round trip to the Red Planet. The “Mission For America” would launch in January 2018, and go to Mars and back in 501 days.

Apparently the plan is for two astronauts to ride in a modified SpaceX Dragon capsule, swinging past Mars and coming right back by using the planets' alignment for a free trajectory home. So no landing appears in the cards.

More info to come soon; keep an eye out for this.

[10ebbor10]

They're going to lock 2 people in a tin can barely larger than what the Moon missions got, for 500 days. Likely without exessive medical or radiation protection, and certainly without back-up's. Call me a sceptic, but I doubt it'll ever launch.

((Oh, and why the Americocentrism. Can't we just cooperate for once.))

[andrea]

This next decade is going to be an interesting one.

[Scoops Novel]

They're going to lock 2 people in a tin can barely larger than what the Moon missions got, for 500 days. Likely without exessive medical or radiation protection, and certainly without back-up's. Call me a sceptic, but I doubt it'll ever launch.

((Oh, and why the Americocentrism. Can't we just cooperate for once.))

My thoughts exactly. It's not the same as the other thread on someone attempting it is it?

Also!

This next decade is going to be an interesting one.

That is the new "so- it has come to this". http://xkcd.com/1022/

[10ebbor10]

Nope, this one is more minimalistic. (also more realistic).

[sneakey pete]

don't see how they'll fit a 500 days of supplies, life support equipment. (dragon capsule doesn't have a toilet or showers etc that i know of) into that pod. That being said, if they can physically fit everything that they need (waste reprocessing and the food) into the capsule, i'm sure they can find a couple of people who are crazy enough to just jump in the pod without showers or any other luxuries. if it means that they can go to mars. Heck i'd even probably do it.

[andrea]

maybe they will shower them in liquid nitrogen, and then hope they can be brought back to life when they come back?

[10ebbor10]

don't see how they'll fit a 500 days of supplies, life support equipment. (dragon capsule doesn't have a toilet or showers etc that i know of) into that pod. That being said, if they can physically fit everything that they need (waste reprocessing and the food) into the capsule, i'm sure they can find a couple of people who are crazy enough to just jump in the pod without showers or any other luxuries. if it means that they can go to mars. Heck i'd even probably do it.

It's a modified, extended capsule. (Quite a bit larger than the original thing). It also hasn't entered development yet.

Oh, and you're not going to Mars. It's only a flyby. (Ie, asides from taking pretty pictures, not doing anything usefull)

Edit: Also, no spaceship/station has showers.

[mainiac]

NASA allocates 1.7 kilos per person per day of food and packaging so you are probably looking at 2 metric tons of food and structure to hold the food.  I'm tempted to say grow food along the way but it's hard to imagine feeding people with less then two metric tons of equipment.  Those 1.7 kilos don't include water.

[PTTG??]

I figure a lot of agencies are going to try to do something special for the 2018 conjunction, because whoever does the most impressive thing is going to be the group that is in the strongest position to get funding for the 2030s conjunction, which is when the REALLY cool stuff is going to happen.

[10ebbor10]

I figure a lot of agencies are going to try to do something special for the 2018 conjunction, because whoever does the most impressive thing is going to be the group that is in the strongest position to get funding for the 2030s conjunction, which is when the REALLY cool stuff is going to happen.

Not really. The conjunctions aren't that usefull. The only thing they do is give a free return ticket. (Which means that you can stop to do anything) Even dropping something/someone of is problematic, as that is a significant change in mass, which you need to compensate for. (Also, only one try before you're flinged away again).

As far as I know, no large spaceagency is planning anything.

[DrPoo]

Im kinda aiming for working in this field.

[andrea]

another launch from SpaceX today. as usual, there will be a livestream, at http://www.spacex.com/webcast/ . it just went live. (although there is nothing to see at the moment)

[olemars]

another launch from SpaceX today. as usual, there will be a livestream, at http://www.spacex.com/webcast/ . it just went live. (although there is nothing to see at the moment)

Always amusing to watch engineers unaccustomed to public attention thrust into the role as live show hosts.