Mars by 2024?

[GrimGrimoire 4,973]

So SpaceX is looking to beat out NASA and their plans to send humans to Mars by the 2030's.

SpaceX vs. NASA

I find this very interesting. The space race challenge used to be a conflict just between nations, but now independent companies have been getting involved with many different ideas on the future of space travel and our place within it all. And although lofty, the idea that a company like Space X could possibly beat out NASA by 10 years or more on putting human feet on the red planet is pretty fascinating. Do you see it as possible? How about their vision of thousands or even millions of people heading off to colonize Martian cities? In a few more years many of us may have children signing up for such an endeavor and within a few short years after that, we may have grandchildren sending us computer messages from stations on Mars. It is a pretty exciting thing to consider. Where do you see us as a species by let's say 2050 when it comes to space, space travel and our place in the solar system?

[Zyrael 1,471]

 

 

yeah no. Not at this rate. 

[K.Rool Addict 718]

I honestly don't understand why humans have not been to Mars yet. We certainly have the technology; what's stopping them? 

[Nerdy Luigi 2,065]

36 minutes ago, K.Rool Addict said:

I honestly don't understand why humans have not been to Mars yet. We certainly have the technology; what's stopping them? 

The issue is that they still have to build a working ship, and send it on a trip to Mars (which NASA has estimated to take about 5 years.) It doesn't just happen...

 

2024? That probably won't happen. I would bet that nobody is going to Mars until around the 2040's.

Edited May 17, 2017 by Squirrel Luigi

[Goat-kun 2,525]

I don't understand this obsession with humans on Mars. It's a dead wasteland in the middle of nowhere. One good thing about Mars is that there are no natural ecosystems so you can drill pretty much anywhere without regulations and UN doodledoos breathing down your neck. Mobile industrial systems need to be developed further alongside propulsion. If it were me I'd send such mining and construction drones as my vanguard and claim Mars without human baggage. Radiation, food, hydration, low gravity, air, training? Life's good if you're a drone block. You can send those cumbersome manned ships with life support once the proper infrastructure has been established.

[Breite Wiese 95]

What I say is only a speculation. I think humans have been to Mars already. There's something there on Mars that the 

government is trying to hide before we make a more public visitation to Mars.

 

[GrimGrimoire 4,973]

50 minutes ago, Goat-kun said:

I don't understand this obsession with humans on Mars. It's a dead wasteland in the middle of nowhere. One good thing about Mars is that there are no natural ecosystems so you can drill pretty much anywhere without regulations and UN doodledoos breathing down your neck. Mobile industrial systems need to be developed further alongside propulsion. If it were me I'd send such mining and construction drones as my vanguard and claim Mars without human baggage. Radiation, food, hydration, low gravity, air, training? Life's good if you're a drone block. You can send those cumbersome manned ships with life support once the proper infrastructure has been established.

For many space is the ultimate frontier, and for many, that frontier is not explored by sending machines to do all the looking and filming. Just as many saw the adventure in braving new lands and worlds, so to do many see the opportunity for braving these new worlds.

Also, there is evidence Mars is not dead... and is actually still geologically active. There are also questions about what lies below the surface of the planet. Although it is pretty evident there is no life on the surface of the planet, the question has been asked of whether it may in some form or another exist underground. We know a lot about the planet, but we are still learning new things about it to this day.

Also, once people do set foot on Mars, there will most certainly be some sort of regulations going into affect i am sure. Once humans are able to officially make some sort of habitable presence upon the planet, the questions will start to rise about who owns what and who should have access to and profit from what. COPUOUS was established to deal with a lot of that, but that was put in place years ago and not really created dealing with private companies and non-government entities  There are already a ton of non binding laws in place dealing with a lot of it, and there is a lot of gray areas now just because space exploration has advanced so much. Next year COPUOUS is supposed to be looked at again just for the purpose of redefining many of those areas of concern.

 

[Dreambiscuit 8,955]

 

There is absolutely no reason and no excuse for not being on Mars within a decade. When Kennedy wanted to go to the moon within the decade of the '60s, we got it done. Now, with all the technology at our disposal, there is no excuse to not to achieve the goal of Mars. The computers that put man on the moon had no more power than todays laptops, so there is nothing that can convince me we aren't able to make this dream a reality. The one thing that's lacking now that wasn't lacking back in the '60s is the spirit of endeavor. Now it seems to be more about coming up with reason why it can't be done and why it's too expensive and why it's too dangerous. These were always factors in every age of humanity on earth, from discovering the Americas to landing on the moon, and yet it still got done because people wouldn't take no for an answer. The space race was a great thing back in the day because it lit a fire under people and got them moving. We need that now, because there's no winner in a race to see who can come up with the most reasons to not do it.

 

[Jon the VGNerd 856]

No thanks. I'd rather stay on Earth, where there is oxygen and without having to deal with dust and rocks blowing all over the place. Not to mention real food to eat even when it doesn't look like it though most companies are ditching processed ones for real ones. Including driving a car on paved roads, just to get from point A to point B. So yeah, still gonna remain on Earth and nowhere else, thanks.

[Goat-kun 2,525]

19 hours ago, GrimGrimoire said:

For many space is the ultimate frontier, and for many, that frontier is not explored by sending machines to do all the looking and filming. Just as many saw the adventure in braving new lands and worlds, so to do many see the opportunity for braving these new worlds.

Also, there is evidence Mars is not dead... and is actually still geologically active. There are also questions about what lies below the surface of the planet. Although it is pretty evident there is no life on the surface of the planet, the question has been asked of whether it may in some form or another exist underground. We know a lot about the planet, but we are still learning new things about it to this day.

Also, once people do set foot on Mars, there will most certainly be some sort of regulations going into affect i am sure. Once humans are able to officially make some sort of habitable presence upon the planet, the questions will start to rise about who owns what and who should have access to and profit from what. COPUOUS was established to deal with a lot of that, but that was put in place years ago and not really created dealing with private companies and non-government entities  There are already a ton of non binding laws in place dealing with a lot of it, and there is a lot of gray areas now just because space exploration has advanced so much. Next year COPUOUS is supposed to be looked at again just for the purpose of redefining many of those areas of concern.

 

If Mars has any activity left it's way too weak to coat the entire planet in EM field. Life below the surface? Our planet supposedly has a large subterranean ocean. They say those waters cannot sustain life. Who knows (lizard people). Anyway, I'm not saying there is no life present on Mars. Just that there was no life found on the barren surface that can be easily exploited.

 

Sending drones first would be beneficial to whoever wants to establish an unchallengeable foothold on Mars. Deep sea is also one of the last unexplored frontiers here on Earth. They use drones here too, and an occasional rich dude. Anyway, the problem is that you can't really take everything you need along for the ride to start resource exploitation, refinement, and construction independent from Earth. They'll need to make new things down on the surface. Fewer humans, less life support, less training means more funds and more time spent on these necessary things that can function perfectly fine without our constant supervision.

 

And as far as COPUOUS is concerned, it's a part of UN, and UN is an incompetent, virtue-signaling pile of dog shit. Their so-called laws don't punish "standard" exploration missions anyway. Think of it as large scale sample collection Another benefit of drones is that no one cares. Human launch has too much fanfare to it. 

[cmarston1 5,956]

Maybe we could get to mars by 2050 if we are lucky, but I highly doubt at the rate we are going that we will get there by 2024.

[Jon the VGNerd 856]

5 hours ago, cmarston1 said:

Maybe we could get to mars by 2050 if we are lucky, but I highly doubt at the rate we are going that we will get there by 2024.

And even then, staying here on Earth is still relatively better than moving to Mars.

[SparklingSwirls 21,284]

I could see humans going to Mars in the next decade or two, but yeah I don't think that long-term mass habitation there will really take off (ha) until much later in the century. Seems easier to just stay on Earth for awhile.

[SONICchaos 824]

In all honesty I dont believe we'll be on Mars by that date. Not because of limited technology but rather financing. Space travel is obviously not lucrative as a science and really just for scientific discovery. The idea of NASA being able to pull the funds and willing to risk it on a manned spacecraft that has a halfway decent chance of exploding on the launchpad or upon liftoff is beyond what I think the current political agenda and economy is willing to support. Another country I think can do it given the right circumstances but with the US budget crunch I just dont see "putting man on a rock in space 3 months at least after liftoff" to encourage federal funding.

Also I know this is old as dirt but I still have thoughts often of the proposed Mars colonization project that was looking for volunteers for a one way trip to mars

http://www.space.com/24112-private-mars-colony-1058-martian-volunteers.html

[GrimGrimoire 4,973]

Instead of starting a new thread, I will just drop this here, since it is about Mars.

Mars May have once been more Earth like.

I find this interesting that perhaps Mars was much more like Earth once upon a time... obviously it was not literally like us, but perhaps it did have a much much different ecosystem. I like to wonder what lived there if anything at all, and what caused all the changes that made it what it is today? We'll have to wait until 2020 for more excavations, but still very interesting all the same. I have been reading a lot of science articles, and watching several science shows about in the future possibly terraforming Mars, so i often wonder will Mars ever be a blue planet like our own (again possibly) or just some red rock we use a jumping point to get further into the solar system?

 

 

[ZiggWheelsManning 8,464]

2023, still no humans on Mars yet  

But get a candy bar  

[Splashee 28,557]

By 2030, we will have AI, longer lasting batteries and we'll have colonized Mars. All that was promised by the SpaceX guy who got his funds for it and used that money to by a social network site instead.

No, it will not happen in 2024, and it will not happen in 2030.

[ZiggWheelsManning 8,464]

Also don't bet on it happening by 2040  

[Supernova Energy 22,829]

I think that it would be much longer before that happens, like maybe another century at least.

[ZiggWheelsManning 8,464]

Add 2 more centuries  

[Sonic Shimmer 4,131]

No way. I’d predict the early to mid 2030s

[Sturmponiere 122]

- Stop dreaming and bring the damn shells. I know you're on the opposite side! Who cares!

[ZiggWheelsManning 8,464]

Please say you mean eggshells  

[Guest]

Yeah I don't think this is happening for another decade or so at least. Maybe the 2040s or 2050s we will get there.

[Astralshy 25,168]

Considering it is 2023 I think we can savely say that Mars 2024 is not going to happen. 2030s maybe, but still it would be a challenge and we have a lot of other current issues at our hooves at the moment. Trying to have a realistic look I would say 2040+ could be it if theres motivation