Mars Base: Space Station Obsolete

Does anybody else reckon that by building a base on mars the International Space Station (ISS) would be rendered obsolete?

i mean the ISS does travel around the earth many times a year and allows us to research orbital things, but having a mars base would allow a self-sustainable research center that can expand at a much greater rate.

thanks in advance for your replys, i couldnt find any other threads on this topic.

Eastoe

Ask yourself: what is the difference between the ISS and a human based mission on the surface Mars?

well i would rather ask not ask myself as i am confused on the matter... i was hoping for input from other people on ATS.

you sound like a psyhchologist by saying "ask yourself" lol

I wouldn't have thought so, the ISS is a stepping stone to the Moon which is a stepping stone to Mars for a start.

I doubt it, personally.

We have planes and helicopters and space shuttles, and the ISS, etc, etc.....


That damn train still catches me about twice a week going to work....

Even though the ISS might be "outdated" technology in comparison to a moon base or mars base....it (at least in the human POV) will have some value.

That's my opinion at least.

I don't think you can compare a planetary based research station with a space based on. The fields of research are completely different.

Most of the research they would do on a mars research station can be done on earth too, except when it comes to research fields concerning mars itself.

Then, a space based station as an acces point to the rest of space is always better then a planetary one, since you'll be able to use much larger spaceships when you refuel, repair, reman and maintain them in space, compared to having to land them on a planets surface.

We should have both orbital and planetary bases to fullfill the different.

One is usefull for things the other can't be used for and viceversa

posted by lil_eastoe: “Does anybody else reckon that by building a base on Mars the International Space Station (ISS) would be rendered obsolete? The ISS travels around the earth and allows us to research orbital things, but having a Mars base would allow a self-sustainable research center that can expand at a much greater rate . . thanks for your replies . . I couldn’t find any other threads on this topic.” Eastoe [Edited by Don W]

I think the new ISS will be much closer to state of the art and can do more of whatever it is they do there. It will cost 25 X to 50 X as much as the ISs to build one on the Moon. It will cost 100X the Moon cost or more to build a space station on Mars. Assuming you are talking of ROUND trips. If we can find volunteers for a ONE WAY trip, the costs can be cut more than half. Maybe we could get a couple Iraqi insurgents interested?

posted by Hopefully Helpful: “I don't think you can compare planetary based research station (ISS) with a space based one. The fields of research are completely different. Most of the research on a Mars station can be done on Earth too, except when it comes to research fields concerning Mars itself. A space based station as an access point to the rest of space is always better then a Earth based one. We should have both orbital and planetary bases. One is useful for things the other can't be used for and vice versa.” [Edited by Don W]

Well, I don’t want to ever say we could not learn much by going to Mars. OTOH, as I see it, we have an obligation to furnish food and water to all of Earth’s inhabitants before we launch a program to go to Mars and back. It would surely costs $1 T. I just do not think WE as a fellow humans have a RIGHT to spend this kind of money when we have so many people - 2+ billion - in desperate need of the basics for survival. Not just for the good life, but for survival. It would be a blatantly misdirected expenditure of money which I’d describe as misfeasance if not malfeasance.

NO MARS TRIP THIS YEAR.

[edit on 3/25/2006 by donwhite]

Originally posted by donwhite
Well, I don’t want to ever say we could not learn much by going to Mars. OTOH, as I see it, we have an obligation to furnish food and water to all of Earth’s inhabitants before we launch a program to go to Mars and back. It would surely costs $1 T. I just do not think WE as a fellow humans have a RIGHT to spend this kind of money when we have so many people - 2+ billion - in desperate need of the basics for survival. Not just for the good life, but for survival. It would be a blatantly misdirected expenditure of money which I’d describe as misfeasance if not malfeasance.

NO MARS TRIP THIS YEAR.

Well I don't mean to drag this off the original topic, but I felt the need to comment on this.

As much as it would be great if everyone on Earth could have their basic needs met. I just don't think it could ever happen, at least not for a long time. But with technologies that are developed for living in the harshest conditions on the Moon and Mars can then be easily adapted for here on Earth as well.

there will allways be poor, sick, hungrey and homeless, taking money from the space program and giving it to them will not solve the problem. Instead space exploration.. especially human space exploration provides technology that may solve those problems.

A mars base cannot provide an help in zero gravity reasearch which is what a majority of what the ISS does.

I think its to soon for a Mars base...space stations are good, as well as Moon bases, but Mars is just to far away. We need to have a way to get to Mars much faster then it take today...Its surrently just to damn expensive.

I'm hoping by 2025 we will have learned a lot from the moon base, that it will be much cheaper for a Mars one. It will be at the very earliest that we send humans to Mars by 2030, so I would assume by that time we will have an efficient and cheap solution to the distance problem.

I think both have a mission to be fulfilled that the other could not serve. There are certain things that can be made in orbit that can't be done on Earth and having a station a couple of hundred miles up would be the place to put such facilities. Why go all the way to Mars to do research when in a couple of hours you can get to the space station? Of course, there are plenty of things must be researched on Mars that cannot be researched in orbit. The same goes for the moon.

[edit on 2006/3/25 by GradyPhilpott]

Would it eventually be possible to launch ships towards planets from the ISS or is that something that will be left to the moon?

Originally posted by lil_eastoe
Would it eventually be possible to launch ships towards planets from the ISS or is that something that will be left to the moon?

Whats the point???
If you want a craft to go to Mars, it would be easier and cheaper to launch it directly from earth to mars...The ISS doesn't carry rocket fuel on board, nor will it, it would be just plain dumb to launch a rocket at the ISS caring fuel for a future Mars craft...just so the actual mars payload could be launched cheaper (because of the smaller rocket) on earth, then fill up at the ISS, and head for Mars.

The only way the moon will be different from the ISS in that regard, is if we can find a (relatively) large amount of water on it...cause if you have water...you can have rocket fuel. Then you could launch a Mars payload from the earth to the moon, and have it fill up its tanks and finish the journey to Mars.