It looks like you're using an Ad Blocker.
Please white-list or disable AboveTopSecret.com in your ad-blocking tool.
Thank you.
Some features of ATS will be disabled while you continue to use an ad-blocker.
originally posted by: Quantum_Squirrel
We're sending humans to Mars! Watch our #JourneytoMars briefing live today at 12pm ET: www.nasa.gov... #Orion
NASA announces plans to send humans to Mars - @NASA
awaiting article links this just off twitter
we all knew it was coming but hopefully this will provide a solid timetable.. pls pls in my lifetime .. i want that moon landing moment!
Lets go boys , stop fighting and start exploring !!
Nasa tv link ETA 12 noon
QS
only part of the list mind you we need to keep striving for knowledge and pushing the boundaries of human limits and technology so we can advance as a species and get off this lovely blue marble and give our race a fighting chance so that we dont all get wiped out in a stellar catastrophe or global war/pandemic etc .
In honor of the end of NASA’s 30 Year Space Shuttle program, we came across a list of things invented as a direct result of NASA’s space program! Check it out! According to The Independent, here are 50 everyday items we use that were developed by the space program: 1.The hand-held vacuum cleaner 2.Air-cushioned trainers In the early 1980s, a process known as “blow rubber molding” was used to produce space helmets. Using this technology, former Nasa engineer Frank Rudy pitched an idea for an in-trainer shock absorber to the Nike Corporation. He envisaged a trainer with hollow soles filled with shock-absorbing material to cushion the impact of running. Rudy’s idea included a pad of interconnected air cells and the resulting trainer was called the Nike Air. 3.Firefighter breathing apparatus Before 1971, the average weight of breathing apparatus was more than 30 pounds. Carrying the extra weight was so physically grueling that some firefighters opted to attack flames without any equipment. However, engineers at Nasa adapted the life-support systems used in spacesuits for use by emergency services. Four years later, experts had designed apparatus that weighed a third less and offered better fit and visibility. 4.Blankets for marathon runners In 1964, Nasa developed a material capable of reflecting heat very effectively – a thin sheet of plastic coated with a metallic reflecting agent, usually gold or silver in color. Used as a blanket, it reflects about 80 per cent of the wearer’s body-heat back to them. It’s used to keep accident victims warm, and by marathon runners after the finish. 5.Safer runways Nasa researchers discovered that cutting thin grooves across concrete runways reduces the risk of an aircraft aquaplaning after landing. Excess water drains along the grooves, increasing tire friction in wet conditions. The expertise has been adopted by airport operating authorities around the world. 6.Pill transmitters Pill transmitters swallowed by astronauts to check their temperature and blood pressure are undergoing trials to be used as a way to monitor the health of fetuses in the womb. These pill-shaped gadgets can be used to monitor body temperature, pressure and other vital signs. 7.Faster racing cars Carbon fiber was invented by the British in the 1960s (at the Royal Aircraft Establishment, Farnborough), but was given a boost by its use in space flight. Carbon-fiber-reinforced graphite is used in the nose cone of the Space Shuttle. Strong, light and heat resistant, it is found in everything from tennis rackets to Formula One racing cars 8.The roof of the Millennium Dome A flexible yet durable Teflon-coated fiberglass material was developed in the 1970s for use on astronauts’ spacesuits. Teflon-coated fiberglass is now used for the roofs of many buildings worldwide, including the Dome in London. 9.Greenliving It may seem strange, but the green movement owes a debt of gratitude to the rockets that blasted off into space. Efficient solar-power technologies – in which silicon crystals grown in a laboratory convert light into electrical energy – were first developed by Nasa in the early 1980s. The same technology is now widely used by companies manufacturing solar panels. 10.Personal storm warning system 11.The most impressive soundbite of all time Neil Armstrong setting foot on the moon on 21 July 1969 was one of the most historically important moments of the 20th century. His proclamation, which was heard by radio audiences around the world – “that’s one small step for [a] man, one giant leap for mankind” – remains one of the most famous statements ever uttered. 12.Better sunglasses Nasa invented a special coating using a form of diamond-like carbon to protect its astronauts’ helmets from being scratched by space particles. A modified form of this substance – which decreases surface friction and therefore reduces scratching – has since been used by many sunglasses manufacturers, including Ray-Ban, since 1988. 13.First detailed map of another planet In 1971, the Mariner 9 probe arrived at Mars and beamed a total of 7,329 images of the planet back to Earth. It provided the first global map of the surface of the Red Planet, including detailed views of its system of canyons and volcanoes, Valles Marineris. 14.The potential to preserve priceless art After being first tested by Nasa, “polyamides” – incredibly strong and heat-resistant polymers – have been researched by the J Paul Getty Trust, which has discovered that one in particular may protect bronze statues from corrosion. 15.Car crash technology “Explosive” bolts that can be remotely detonated to destroy them were used to free the Space Shuttle from its rocket boosters on blast-off. The technology has been adapted to create quicker and more powerful equipment to cut people out of car crashes. The cutters employ the same pyrotechnic “power cartridges” used on the Shuttle. 16.Longer golf shots Wilson – one of the world’s biggest golf ball manufacturers – has improved the performance of its golf balls by implementing technology used to test the aerodynamics of the Space Shuttle’s external fuel tanks. These balls have a variety of specially configured dimples, which the company claims makes them travel further than conventional balls. 17.Plane wing-tips Ever seen the vertical tip at the end of an airplane wing and wondered what it is? It’s a called a winglet and was originally developed at Nasa’s Langley Research Center. The winglet produces a degree of forward thrust (to help the plane in take-off and flight), operating much like a boat sail, and reduces wingtip drag. The winglet has been in service since the 1970s, and is found on all types of aircraft. 18.Freeze-dried meals Nasa developed freeze-drying technology for the food carried by the Apollo missions. After the process, the product retains 98 per cent of its nutritional value and weighs just 20 per cent of its original weight. Snacks based on this technology are exported by Nasa to many countries, with sales running to several million pounds a year.
We see the transformative effects of the Space Economy all around us through numerous technologies and life-saving capabilities. We see the Space Economy in the lives saved when advanced breast cancer screening catches tumors in time for treatment, or when a heart defibrillator restores the proper rhythm of a patient’s heart….We see it when weather satellites warn us of coming hurricanes, or when satellites provide information critical to understanding our environment and the effects of climate change. We see it when we use an ATM or pay for gas at the pump with an immediate electronic response via satellite. Technologies developed for exploring space are being used to increase crop yields and to search for good fishing regions at sea.”
originally posted by: AreUKiddingMe
Wait a minute..(sorry I didn't read all 6 pages)...don't we have to get through the Van Allen Belts, and wouldn't it be prudent once we do that to go to the moon first?
originally posted by: AreUKiddingMe
Wait a minute..(sorry I didn't read all 6 pages)...don't we have to get through the Van Allen Belts, and wouldn't it be prudent once we do that to go to the moon first?
The Mars Science Laboratory Curiosity rover measured radiation on the way to Mars and is sending back radiation data from the surface. This data will help us plan how to protect the astronauts who will explore Mars
originally posted by: PhoenixOD
a reply to: parad0x122
I find them both offensive but that not the comparison i was making. The money could be spent helping the world instead of just boosting Americas ego.
originally posted by: lostbook
This is great news. In the last six years there has been a lot of attention placed on Mars. I mean the focus has been rather intense. Conspiratorily speaking, what is driving this huge push for Mars?
I can only think of two possibilities:
They've found something on Mars
or
Things are worse than we know and Earth is in its final days
originally posted by: Sparkymedic
The stupidity surrounding this plundering of resources and taxpayer money is mind boggling. Many more things need to be done here on earth first before we go farting off into our solar system and beyond.
originally posted by: Blue Shift
I suppose sending people to Mars is as good a reason to spend money as anything else.
It will never have the same cultural impact as landing on the Moon, however. At that time, we thought it was going to be a "first step" in mankind's glorious exploration of the universe, and a race won against those damned Commies.