So, why aren't we on Mars yet?

[Pasi Nurminen]

We have the technology, we have the money. We have men, we have rockets. Why have we not yet sent a manned mission to Mars? Why are we still dicking around sending out probes to study comets? If it comes to raising taxes in every country that has a space agency, go ahead and do it, just get a man to Mars. It's absolutely inconceivable that we haven't at least laid concrete plans to put men on Mars ASAP.

What do you think?

 

[Kozmos]

Waste of money ATM. In 20-30 years perhaps.

 

[JohnRM]

No, there are more important things for government to worry about. Let the private sector handle space exploration for the time being.

 

[Pasi Nurminen]

No, there are more important things for government to worry about. Let the private sector handle space exploration for the time being.

There is almost nothing more important than getting to Mars.

 

[MadScotsMan]

Long space travel tends to make you go insane if you are awak....we have nothing to put the spaceres to sleep for the several years it takes to get to mars

 

[Narz]

There is almost nothing more important than getting to Mars.

There are many trillions of things more important than going to Mars.

The energy crisis & climate change being the top two.

 

[plarq]

A trip to Mars cost several years, you can bet sexual abuses will happen in an isolated spaceship.

 

[JohnRM]

There are many trillions of things more important than going to Mars.

The energy crisis & climate change being the top two.

Quoted for Frickin' Truth.

 

[AL_DA_GREAT]

I want to go to Mars, big engineering projects are cool.

 

[LightFang]

Tell us why we need to get to Mars so badly first.

 

[Tee Kay]

Getting to Mars would be a great acheivement but with 11,000,000 children dying from poverty each year I say we delay it for a while.

 

[plarq]

Getting to Mars would be a great acheivement but with 11,000,000 children dying from poverty each year I say we delay it for a while.

if there could be a possible program running for saving children.

 

[Ramius75]

no urgency.... we dont even have the technology to terraform mars...

We got more important things like

1) Stop global warming !!
2) World Peace !!
3) Colonize the sea !!
4) Stop poverty !!
5) Ban Religion !!

I say we ban religion before it spread on Mars

 

[Izipo]

Getting to mars would probably generate an influx of research, which could in turn solve problems on Earh.
If we do it internationaly, it would probably ease some of the diplomatic tensions on Earth and give humans a greater sense of purpose.
You do realize that the only way to survive as a species is to colonize another planet. (ask the dinosaurs about that).

 

[Mirc]

There are many trillions of things more important than going to Mars.

The energy crisis & climate change being the top two.

Tell us why we need to get to Mars so badly first.

QFT! Tell me, what's so important in getting to Mars? I think it's not important at all...

5) Ban Religion !!

That would be not only impossible on large scale, but it would turn the country that does it into a total police fascist state.

You do realize that the only way to survive as a species is to colonize another planet. (ask the dinosaurs about that).

And how do you plan to colonize a planet which has such a different gravity, not to mention all the other inconveniences?

 

[SG-17]

Long space travel tends to make you go insane if you are awak....we have nothing to put the spaceres to sleep for the several years it takes to get to mars

It takes around 8 months, its not like we are going to the planet of the apes.

 

[steviejay]

I think going to Mars would be a very good thing and something we should seriously look into soon. A journey to Mars would be too big for one nation, as such it would encompass nations from all over the globe, and I think everyone working on a project for each other, towards a common goal might help bring people together and might take their minds off the fact that we all want o kill one another.

But then again....... I do watch alot of Star Trek....

subnote- just realised that Izipo has just said pretty much exactly what I have, but I've left my comments in to show my agreement heh

And He said something I missed, it would help speed development in other fields. And to the best of my knowledge there are two things which help speed up development and that's exploration and war, I think the former is a better choice.

One thing I do want to add. People say we shouldn't go because 11,000,000 children are dying and the like, but the thing is, I get the impression from the news and what not that the governments aren't doing a HUGE deal about that, it comes down to people such as Mr Gates and Sir Tom Hunter to give money to help that whilst countries like America and Russia would much rather spend money on new fighter jets or more powerful non-nuclear bombs. So I think perhaps taking money away from areas like that and putting it towards space exploration and potential new areas of research would look alot better in the eyes of the world governments than helping others.

 

[Fëanor]

Why don't we do something useful to the moon before we go to mars? like building a permanent base and develop technologies to make it very efficient so that further exploration trips would be a much more safe and cost effective.

 

[Winner]

No, there are more important things for government to worry about. Let the private sector handle space exploration for the time being.

If it was up to the private sector to do any exploration, we'd never have discovered America, much less gone to the Moon.

This is exactly what the government must do. Private sector is after the biggest possible gain in the quickes possible time with the lowest possible risk and the lowest possible investment. Space exploration offers nebulous gains in a very distant future, requires astronomical initial investments and is extremelly risky.

 

[Winner]

And how do you plan to colonize a planet which has such a different gravity, not to mention all the other inconveniences?

Ehm, where's the problem? Mars has about 1/3 Earth gravity, which would be kinda pleasant for humans. Gravity destroys our bodies, the stronger it is, the worse. Back pain is just a tip of the iceberg. Our skin gets wrinkled, we age faster, our hearts fail, our bones break, our joins hurt.

Of course, once you'd get used to Martian gravity, you'd have a trouble if you decided to go back to Earth.

Gravity is not the problem. It's the absence of a decent magnetic field, atmosphere and water.