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[10ebbor10]

Did spaceX ever launch that geostationary mission?

Yup, it's nothing special though.

Edit: On a side note, I still don't believe in the project. I mean, aside from all the technical problems inherent in their design and business plan. (It's funded by a reality show, when the ratings drop, so does support from Earth)

[Sheb]

Really? I haven't heard from them since they postponed the launch.

[10ebbor10]

Literrally the first thing that pops up when you look for SpaceX in the news.

[Sheb]

And that's not even the Falcon Heavy. It's nice to have the feeling that the space industry is finally moving forward. Hell, a day may come when the best way to send stuff in orbit won't be 50-year old soviet technology anymore.

[10ebbor10]

Yup, nobody said they were launching a falcon Heavy. IIRC, it isn't even finished yet.

On a side note, this puts the SpaceX rocket in direct contest with the Proton M rocket. A battle which they're going to win, as the Proton M rocket failed 8 times since July this year, mostly due to failures of the orbital insertion stage. However, at best it fails 2 to 3 times a year. Considering the Space X rocket has a similar price, it's unlikely that the Proton M will still fly in it's current form in 5 years. IIRC, the entire Russian space organization thingy is currently being reformed.

On a side note, the Falcon Heavy will have to deal with competition of the Ariane 5 and the Ariane 5 MLE, which will be more interesting. The Ariane 5 is superior in terms of safety, technology and payload flexibility, while the Falcon Heavy is far cheaper, and has a significantly larger payload capacity.

On another side note, the Ariane 6 will be decent competition for the Falcon 9.

On a side note, said Russian technology was pretty nifty. Which once again proves that if you want to get something done, get a totalitarian regime to design it for you. ((Note: North Korea not included. They prefer indoctrination above all other things. If you want indoctrination technologies, you know where to look.))

[Sheb]

Hey, do you know another country that can send payload into orbit with a GDP of less than 500$ per capita?

[10ebbor10]

Hey, do you know another country that can send payload into orbit with a GDP of less than 500$ per capita?

Well, the only country I could find with a GDP lower than 500$ per capita is the DRC. So, nope.

[Sheb]

Best Korea: cost-effective* space solution because we can't afford anything else.


*Warning. Space solution may not be effective.

[MetalSlimeHunt]

Best Korean Rocketry: Do you feel lucky, punk?

[PTTG??]

It's not as if they'll be breeding there. The plans don't seem to include either the facilities for the medical process nor the room for a growing population. Nor child-sized suits, and the alternative seems quite appalling, to confine someone to a tiny habitation can for their entire childhood. Plus, said child would pose grave risks unless severely restrained.

I assume that either decades later, when costs have come down, they'll send in a return option, or they'll be studying the effects of decomposition in a space capsule. Interring people on Mars, even in a sealed container, seems irresponsible in this early stage of the study of the planet, as the potential for forward contamination is quite high.

The plan is to do three people, then a second mission with three more, and then larger and larger groups. They have enough volunteers.

As far as contamination, well, I think the point is they aren't planning on pure science. They're going there to live there.

[10ebbor10]

They want to do a reality show about it. They honestly don't care about how much they destroy with their actions, and appear to have made no provisions for it. It's one of the reason why I expect them to never be allowed to launch.

On a side note, I recalled that they were going to start with a group of 4 people, then add 2 people in each next mission.

[GiglameshDespair]

There's no laws that stop people launching to Mars.

We've no doubt contaminated Mars already. Our landers and probes still carry terrestrial bacteria, despite out best efforts.

[10ebbor10]

There is such a thing as Space Law, you know. Which is vague, and outdated, and can be interpreted in a multitude of ways.

However, the Mars One mission will fail to pass the moon treaty. Link. It has only been signed and ratified by 15 countries, with no spacefaring countries among them. The Netherlands did sign the agreement, and so Mars One is bound to it. This means that any mission must be accepted by other countries, that they are not allowed to make changes to the environement, and imposes other restrictions.

We've no doubt contaminated Mars already. Our landers and probes still carry terrestrial bacteria, despite out best efforts.

Though significantly less, and in fact, almost none.

[WillowLuman]

We've no doubt contaminated Mars already. Our landers and probes still carry terrestrial bacteria, despite out best efforts.

Those aren't our "best" efforts anymore: since discovering the mistake, we've been working on better ways to sterilize. Colonists can take precautions and follow procedures while alive to avoid it, and since they'll have to their waste and wear suits outside, the risks are further minimized. I realize now they will probably have some method for disposing of or storing bodies for when people pass away, too.

But forward-contamination from adults aside, I SERIOUSLY doubt they'll be breeding. Look at their planned colony: a bunch of tiny rooms connected by crawlspaces. Until you have the technology to build a LARGE facility, not as in total volume but containing individual spaces of large volume, it would be inhumane to raise a child there. Children need room to play and exercise, and just putting them on a weight machine or treadmil isn't going to do it. You oould saddle them with videogames and movies, but that's not healthy either, if its all they do. The sheer wonder of being on mars would just be boring to them, as it would be all they know, not having the cultural experience of Earth, so that won't do either.

Child-sized space-suits wouldn't do it, as first you'd need to develop them on earth (since testing the prototype on mars with a real child is also inhumane), the child would need extensive training in its use before ever going outside (which might take years, and still end with a fatal mistake), and they wouldn't be able to stay outside long enough to get good use, nor would it likely allow enough freedom of movement for proper exercise.

Speaking of training, that would take time, and before that set in, the child could cause serious problems. Try baby-proofing a space capsule: wayward fingers, drool, vomit, or waste could do a lot of damage. And you can't just restrain them all time: it would be cruel and they need to learn how to walk.

Basically, we likely have the technology right now to make a long-term adult habitat on Mars, but we'll need serious advances before we can build a colony that supports children.

It would be better to try raising a child in prototype habitats on Earth first, in places like Antarctica or wherever. At least if the test goes awry the child can be moved somewhere safer.

[10ebbor10]

Honestly, I don't think it's a good idea for people to procreate after they have been subjected to low-mid amounts of radiation for a good 2 years, and don't have much radiation protection of the surface too.

On a side note, Mars One intends to build pressurized ground covered inflatable modules too, which would be considerably larger.

Also, Mars has a significantly lower gravity than Earth. That would prove quite problematic for development of the child.