Comments on: One-Way Mission to Mars: US Soldiers Will Go

By: JANINE

JANINE — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 20:26:51 +0000

soz for that wrong spellings lol

By: JANINE

JANINE — Tue, 10 Feb 2009 20:26:04 +0000

thanks doldiers for saving energy god bless and keep on doing what your doing!!!!!!!!!!!love evryone

By: David

David — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 07:20:50 +0000

one more thing to anyone from nasa who reads this if this become the future of mars make the new civilization to depend on solar energy something that can't be depleted and used that fuel just for bus ride back and forth between earth and mars at least until something is more useful or suficent for space travel…

By: David

David — Fri, 26 Dec 2008 07:12:34 +0000

I have a family and i would take that one way trip i fear 5-6 generation from now earth will have depleted all our resource, look at the talk about polar ice caps melting why not help the future prepare to keep mankind from possible extension your blood line from living on… if this man feels like he can help nasa make a change for us as a whole then so be it, its his life not yours i feel as though your a true donkey thier is always someone who thinks negative first rather seeing the possibilties of the positive first… if everyone thought like the previous guy comment we would still be ride in horse driven buggies and thinking that the world is flat… lol

I say go plant some tree's grow some veggies and who's to say after 12 years that he can't come back we just might have an entire enginering crew up thier that may develop some sort of fossil fuel now here comes the possiblities of space bus rides between earth and mars.

By: A Soldier at War

A Soldier at War — Tue, 09 Dec 2008 01:52:39 +0000

OK man you are so hard due to the war, why don’t you try something like train your soldiers to be just as hard as you. There are soldiers dying every day just to give you the freedom to write a paper such as this. I can understand that you want to be famous and the first person on Mars but, why would you put your suicidal thoughts on the internet for all to see. You need to see a therapist before you write anything else. I to am a soldier that has deployed been hurt in combat, but I have to say that I would rather spend time with my family or other Americans before I pay the ultimate price.
There are mothers, fathers, wives, sons and daughters that will never see their loved ones again because they were doing what they love and that is protecting this place we call the United States of America. There is a phrase All Gave Some but Some Gave All. Nowhere in there does it say I want to go to mars and die.
To all the readers I feel that you must know that all soldiers are not suicidal. There may be 1 or 2 but look in the city you live in how many people try to kill themselves on a daily basis? Then look at the Army, not that many. We have a lot of stressors and hurdles that we must work our way around every day but, wow we are not crazy like this guy.
Thank you for your time.

By: !hunseUnumma!

!hunseUnumma! — Mon, 03 Nov 2008 09:49:38 +0000

Do you like ?
Make your choice of ?
Specializes in quality ?

Please don't spank me!

By: Joe M.

Joe M. — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 18:43:19 +0000

Look at all of the other things that man has accomplished after it was written in a book or was in a movie or video game. Going to Mars was in Doom, just as the LHC was in Angels and Demons. We wi one day go to Mars and be able to get back and forth.

By: Moron

Moron — Sat, 23 Aug 2008 23:26:55 +0000

Will you bring your own booze and hookers, or should they be sent separately?

By: Steve Schaper

Steve Schaper — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 18:45:14 +0000

It isn't a true one-way suicide mission. It is a mission where the initial crew don't have the return capability lugged with them. Instead they have loads of supplies and building equipment. Mars has the volatiles we need for water and breathing, and we know how to get it. We -can- "live off the land" inside of habs and suits, of course.

The idea is to send the mission, then prepare the follow-on mission, which will be less likely to get gutted by the Dems the way Apollos 19 and 20, and Skylab 2 were, and how Freedom became Fred, because we would have people to go and get and bring back.

Meanwhile the crew could do a tremendous amount of in-depth exploration.

There are places on Mars with enough local magnetic field to protect against radiation, and enough water ice in the ground to keep them going for a long time if the greenhouse works.

It is likely only when there is competition that we will bother to do it. An international mission destroys that, increases complexity and corruption. It just isn't the way to go. What -would- be helpful is to have some kind of code where each crew would help the other if in need, in spite of nationality.

By: space bastard

space bastard — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 16:56:12 +0000

people die everyday, many in an attempt to accomplish something. No one has ever died in an attempt to accomplish something so monumental. If you are opposed to the idea… I suggest you stay home. For those who have the courage and foresight to volunteer for such a mission, I salute you.

let's do this soon before the Chinese beat us to it. Space Race round 2.

By: Peth

Peth — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 23:28:08 +0000

The idea makes sense, but I think the ideals,symbolism and hope that some people are throwing into it don't really belong. I don't think this idea (or the execution of it) would do much to unite anyone.

Cool idea, though. I hope it happens.

By: Joe

Joe — Fri, 06 Jun 2008 23:26:56 +0000

They state repeatedly that people would be willing to make the "sacrifice" to do this mission.

If it's such a hardship for them, Let someone who would WANT to go, without hesitation go.

Give me a one and a thousand chance of it working. Give me equipment, spares, and supplies to start out on, and I'd go tomorrow. No questions asked, no regrets.

Anyone who views being one of the first to live out the rest of their life on another planet, to take those risks, to see those sunrises, to build with their own two hands and wits something that NO human has ever done before, as a "sacrifice" doesn't deserve the ticket, to me.

By: Pradeep Nair

Pradeep Nair — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 07:15:56 +0000

Mars human mission should be a collective one represented by mankind. regardless of race, cast,creed,color, country or community. We all are humans. Whoever lands on mars should be represented as the first human beings who have set on Mars and not as a country! It will be the best example of Unity in Diversity and a strong message of love and peace for Mankind for future generations.

By: Sagarika

Sagarika — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 07:09:31 +0000

This is the bad idea. I think the US should train and send "person waiting to be executed" on one-way-mission to Mars. In this option, the US will have a wide choice and select the companion as well.

By: Mike Hawkins

Mike Hawkins — Sun, 01 Jun 2008 09:43:25 +0000

I'd go no problem, be nice if they landed a supply ship first so I could survive long enough to conduct some real science to benefit future missions. About 38,000 Americans on average die every year in car accidents but they're questioning sending a man on a one way ticket to Mars?? For the 1 trillion cost of the Iraq war we could have put a colony on Mars. Our priorities are messed up on this planet.

By: R.D

R.D — Sat, 31 May 2008 01:19:56 +0000

That is awesome above poster. I love how you've politicized space exploration! A+ for that! Republicans! What a riot! If only he had mentioned Obama and Ron Paul in the same post! That would have been legendary!
(sarcasm off)

You, sir, are what is wrong with the current American political scene.

By: zifferman

zifferman — Thu, 29 May 2008 19:49:36 +0000

Why don't we send our criminals, deviants, psychos, reprobates, and republicans to Mars on this one-way trip?

It will alleviate some of our problems and look how well Australia turned out after being first populated by scum.

By: Chuck Lam

Chuck Lam — Thu, 29 May 2008 17:49:46 +0000

To: KnowYourHistory, I'm basically in agreement with all you have said with one or two exceptions. I am aware as you are that progress is not possible in anything without the efforts of the dreamers and disciplines you describe. However, it is the infallibility of man and speed of light limitation that my coments are based on that will keep us close to planet earth. As I repeatedly said, "if Einstein is correct concerning the speed of light", we aren't going anywhere regardless of scientific possibilities. All of our scientific accomplishments to date are childs play compared to a trip to Alpha C.

By: KnowYourHistory

KnowYourHistory — Thu, 29 May 2008 15:58:55 +0000

@Chuck

You have to change you're view of space/time when thinking of interstellar travel. Vehicles as we know them, made of particles, traveling through space within time, won't do it, obviously. I mean, literally, they can, but logistically, it doesn;t make any sense.

However, who says we will be taking vehicles to other stars? Sure, the idea of wormholes and "teleportation" are far-fetched ideas with today's technology, but imagine how ridiculous space travel seemed less than 100 years ago. You have absolutely NO idea what kind of technology will be developed in the next 100 years, you have absolutely NO idea what scientific discoveries will be made, and you have NO clue as to how they will be applied. Go back in time to 1908, and the ideas of jet airplanes, rockets, space stations, moon landings, interplanetary space probes, solar power, wind power, and particle accelerators were alien ideas saved for science fiction. Now, they are commonly accepted forms of OLD technology. Amazing that you think we'll never reach beyond the solar system.

Humans aren't infallible, of course, but that has nothing to do with anything. Every mission to space has had problems, and they were worked through, and fixed. Advancements in particle, nuclear, and theoretical physics have opened up a realm of possibilities for humans to do what no other known beings have ever been able to do.

The only way to advance technology to any level is to reach for the unattainable, building machines with no "practical" purpose (like the LHC). The knowledge left in the wake of such crazy, impractical research is what we apply to our "practical" world.

Putting a man or two on Mars isn't going to be "luck"… it's going to be a matter of when, and how to do it right the first time… just like we did for the moon. This isn't a mission to put Old Glory in red sand, it is an essential next step in the evolution of human technology.

By: Chuck Lam

Chuck Lam — Thu, 29 May 2008 13:54:18 +0000

Hey all you dreamers; if Einstein is correct about the speed of light and I believe he is, man isn't going anywhere beyond the outer reaches of our Sun. Keep in mind (a key clue) that anything we design will reflect our arrogance, our misconceptions of what will work and our way too often faulty positive thinking, etc., etc.. Look at the current communication problem with Pheonix. Someone needs their ass kicked. In addition to our collective screwed-up thinking, man is simply too fragile a life form for even a single generation trip anywhere, yet alone a multi-generation trip to Alpha C. not to mention there may not be a damn thing of interest there. And for any scientific group to think we will venture to or beyond Alpha C and colonize some unknown planet is totally ludicrous. My gawd people, we are not infallible. The only way for any intelligent life-form to travel through deep space is to travel several orders faster than the speed of light. Maybe there is some heretofore undiscovered phenomenon that will allow speed beyond 186,000 mps. This one-way mission proposal may be attempted one day this century and we might get lucky and actually put a man or two on Mars or even Pluto. But highly doubtful any further. The problem besides our very dangerous "can do anthing" attitude is over coming the painfully slow speed of light.

By: Steven

Steven — Thu, 29 May 2008 07:46:44 +0000

So the point is. Let us(Human Beings) sort this world out. Perhaps then we could sort other worlds out, because by then we would have experience at it, and by then we would not have the need to have any Marines, army's, navy's, we would be in a perfect world. Where we(human beings)everyone would work to a common goal, getting of a dead planet before we become extinct, like everything else we touch, kill, or forget to feed.

By: Steven

Steven — Thu, 29 May 2008 07:39:08 +0000

Let's face it, others(meaning human beings) have gone out of their way to explore, up, down and all around. Perhaps the rulers of this world, are a well established utopia living in a spirit world at the bottom of our oceans which we are killing anyway, or living in an invisible sphere(unknown to us) high in the sky, which we are killing anyway, or anywhere on Earth, which we are killing anyway, and if that's not enough, there's the humans of this world, which we are killing anyway.
So what would a microbe on Mars think of it all, or anywhere in the Universe come to that.
Here comes those idiots, the killing machines from Earth(we have all seen the films) and so have the Aliens. Lucky the Aliens are not into spring cleaning because we in this world and I suppose our Galaxy would by interstellar standards be the first to get dusted good style. All the Star movers in the universe would by accident drop one next to OUR SUN, and bobs your uncle. Of course we could send in the Marines to fix that little problem. If you can think of it, it could happen, now who said that, I wonder.

By: Dan Kez

Dan Kez — Thu, 29 May 2008 02:07:21 +0000

I am not a soldier or any person that has faced war, but I would go on this trip, if given the chance. Personally, would like something out of the ordinary to happen in my life, if this may be my calling then I am all for it.

But over all, I think that this would be the first step into a new dawn for man. For the first time in all history, humans of every nationality and race can assemble, peacefully, and work towards a common goal.

If given the chance to go on a trip such as this, I would accept wholeheartedly. While I may lose my chance to take part in different activities, or the safe life of society, an opportunity such as this would set my life on new tracks, and aim for a new future.

By: Chuck Lam

Chuck Lam — Thu, 29 May 2008 01:45:56 +0000

Putting a science team on Mars for an extended stay! Not in this century! Possibly never!

By: KnowYourHistory

KnowYourHistory — Thu, 29 May 2008 00:10:22 +0000

Many opponents of a manned Mars mission are overlooking a very obvious point: going to Mars is not about going to Mars. Going to Mars is about progressing technology to a certain point, and using the research and engineering of such a project to make applicable technologies here on earth. Setting up base on a desolate, dangerous planet and having people actually LIVE there with next to no resources will push the boundaries of self-sustainability technology, making it cheaper and distributable, in-turn increasing living conditions on our own planet.
And the billions upon billions of dollars? Again, I wont reiterate the countless voices here that agree that even at a cost of several billion dollars, that is only a drop in the bucket compared to the cost of, say, war… or the lining of corrupt political pockets. Why not let the private industry take care of it? They are! They have been! The private sector has always held contracts with NASA to develop space technology. North American Aviation built the Apollo Command and Service Modules, Grumman built the Lunar Lander, and now SpaceX is under contract to develop the launch vehicles of the upcoming Orion missions. NASA organizes, provides launch facilities, and oversees the missions, but it is the engineers of the private sector that have always been the backbone of American spaceflight.
Sure, the original goals of space exploration were pompous and political, but we have learned so much because of it, and I believe that after Apollo 17, space had been handed over to the world of science, where it should have been from the start.

Robots would not have been good enough for Columbus.