Mars by 2033 - - - or 2060

According to Robert Howard, who heads up the lab developing future space habitats at the legendary Johnson Space Center in Houston, the hurdles aren't so much technical or scientific as much as a question of budget and political will.

"A lot of people want us to have an Apollo moment, and have a president stand up like Kennedy and say, we've got to do it and the entire country comes together," he said.

"If that happened, I would actually say 2027. But I don't think that's going to happen. I think in our current approach, we are going to be lucky to do it by the 2037 date."

But Howard said if he were to be pessimistic, and assume political dithering lay ahead, "it could be the 2060s."

After the Moon, people on Mars by 2033...or 2060

I think we need to get our @ss to Mars ASAP. At least a self sustaining base on the moon.

The human race is at a point where it can assure it will not be wiped out by one of many natural or man made ELE's that will without a doubt happen at some point and kill all or most life on Earth.

We have the tech to make the tech to do it now, all that is holding us back is the will to do it. The catch is the event that will instill the will to spread the human race will very likely take away the ability to do it.

a reply to: LookingAtMars

Yeah, let's save humanity by spending trillions of dollars to colonize a planet that won't support human life.

If that is your plan, the human race is totally f#.

If the "smartest" minds on the planet go for that plan, humanity will get exactly what it deserves.

Stupid is as stupid does.

a reply to: NthOther

So what is your plan when super volcanoes start to blow after the Earth is hit by a mile wide comet?

a reply to: LookingAtMars

Sadly we've been let down by previous administrations who didn't have the political will to do the hard things so here we are way behind where we should be by this point in the 21st Century ... which is on Mars.

Rushing to Mars is a bad idea so I'd say by 2060 , first we need a base on the moon then we can go to Mars. if we lose the first people we send to Mars because of a rush to get there that will just put the whole program back even more years.

a reply to: LookingAtMars

Dying. At that point I would plan on dying.



Only I'd be dying on the cheap, as opposed to on another planet that was never intended to sustain me.

a reply to: NthOther

I understand your point, but if you want to talk STUPID, what "humanity" spends on war, both offensively, and defensively, for the purpose of killing said humanity seems vastly more insane than space exploration.

a reply to: gortex

I agree the idea of the moon as a testbed is the best plan. We need to get moving now though.

a reply to: LookingAtMars

Need to colonize our own low Erath orbit before we attempt to tackle the Moon nor Mars.

And to do that we need a viable means of launching Man and machine into orbit in a cost-effective manner.

The answers there, it's a space elevator, and even the material science to do so, just the large scale production of Diamond/Carbon nanotubes where a tether cable is concerned that remains elusive really.

That and the actual motivation and funding to construct the thing.

a reply to: NthOther

Yeah, let's save humanity by spending trillions of dollars to colonize a planet that won't support human life.

If that is your plan, the human race is totally f#.

Short term thinking , we are where we are now because of the efforts of our ancestors , we need to go to Mars for future generations who will build on our efforts and travel further , a Mars base would be a stepping stone.

a reply to: Mach2

So you want to bring that mentality into the cosmos?

Do you want to explore it or subdue and conquer it?

The galaxy doesn't need war-mongering humans running amok.

originally posted by: NthOther
a reply to: LookingAtMars

Yeah, let's save humanity by spending trillions of dollars to colonize a planet that won't support human life.

If that is your plan, the human race is totally f#.

If the "smartest" minds on the planet go for that plan, humanity will get exactly what it deserves.

Stupid is as stupid does.

That is completely wrong actually. Mars is by far the best choice for a colony. We already have the technology to do so now all we need is someone willing to take that risk.
Mars has crazy dust and lightning storms, so we will need a base of operations in a safe zone. I and many others can think of a few but I am sure the experts have more.
After that original base has found recourses then we can move forward.
But putting our eggs in one basket is absolutely stupid. Please don’t be of that mindset.

a reply to: Allaroundyou

If you step outside on Mars you will die.

That is a terrible choice for a human colony.

Unless it's a prison colony. Or a concentration camp for pro-life humans.

a reply to: Allaroundyou

But putting our eggs in one basket is absolutely stupid. Please don’t be of that mindset.

I think what he is saying is putting eggs of a deadly virus anywhere is probably wrong.

originally posted by: andy06shake
a reply to: LookingAtMars

Need to colonize our own low Erath orbit before we attempt to tackle the Moon nor Mars.

And to do that we need a viable means of launching Man and machine into orbit in a cost-effective manner.

The answers there, it's a space elevator, and even the material science to do so, just the large scale production of Diamond/Carbon nanotubes where a tether cable is concerned that remains elusive really.

That and the actual motivation and funding to construct the thing.

A colossal elevator to space could be going up sooner than you ever imagined

Agree about the elevators to space. The moon is only a few days away. Not sure we need to colonize low Earth orbit, but it couldn't hurt. We should have infrastructure in orbit to build at least.

originally posted by: NthOther
a reply to: Allaroundyou

If you step outside on Mars you will die.

That is a terrible choice for a human colony.

Unless it's a prison colony. Or a concentration camp for pro-life humans.

What other choice do we have?

We can use the moon as a jumping point as we should but to just stay here does not sound like a sound plan.
Think of all the technology that can be gained from taking on such an endeavor that will also help those here on our blue planet!

originally posted by: NthOther
a reply to: Allaroundyou

If you step outside on Mars you will die.

That is a terrible choice for a human colony.

Unless it's a prison colony. Or a concentration camp for pro-life humans.

Ok this I can definitely agree on.

But then comes to mind all other species that have done so? Did they do so with the same intention?

originally posted by: gortex
a reply to: NthOther

Yeah, let's save humanity by spending trillions of dollars to colonize a planet that won't support human life.

If that is your plan, the human race is totally f#.

Short term thinking , we are where we are now because of the efforts of our ancestors , we need to go to Mars for future generations who will build on our efforts and travel further , a Mars base would be a stepping stone.

Well the moon would be the steppingstone as you have previously said. Really just making this reply as a way to check your inbox.

a reply to: LookingAtMars

"We should have infrastructure in orbit to build at least."

Hence the reason we need to put Man up there also, robotics and automation still require the Human touch, at least until we manage to construct viable self-replicating machines that are better than ourselves.

Still even then if we are going to go into space we actually need to be there.

Not colonizing our own orbit amounts to avoiding the baby pool and jumping in at the deep end.

Need to walk before we can run, or swim through a near vacuum and all that jazz.

a reply to: Allaroundyou

What species are you referring to?

A hypothetical one?

a reply to: NthOther

Ya a hypothetical one.
I only assume this based on the Drake equation.
Not fact but seems to make sense.