NASA warned plan to send humans to Mars may fail

[DocM]

The only thing that I worry about it's small meteorites that come from space. Mars does not have an atmosphere that can destroy it. How are they going to deal with it?

The Bigelow habitat tech is largely polymers like Vectran and Kevlar, whochvare used in bulletproof vests, and a minimum of 16 inches thick. Polymers are also good shields against radiation.

NASA tested their version of this 'expandable habitat' tech with their hypervelocity gun (simulates meteor impacts) and it stopped steel balls cold. ISS modules were shredded. Bigelow's version is stronger yet.

Bigelow plans to go further for lunar or Mars habitats, and it's pretty simple: long, tubular bags filled with the local regolith (soil) layered over the habitat. This also adds to radiation shielding. The also have a KISS method for filling and positioning them.

2 subscale Bigelow modules have been in high orbit since the late 2000's, and their BEAM module goes to ISS with the Dragon CRS-8 mission next year to be flight-proven. After that plans are for a fully human rated commercial space station to start construction around 2017/18. One of their modules would be 2x the volume of ISS.

Bigelow testbed in orbit

[Auditor]

You think convicts will be able to establish a colony in another planet? They can't live civilized with other convicts in jail, how you think they will work together for the sake of a future colony? that's just the most dumb idea ever.

Well they were successful in Australia.

[+Warwagon MVC]

That and the person going to mars will have been driven insane by the 3 month trip!

[DocM]

Crewmembers have been on ISS for a lot longer than 3 months - 6 months to a year, with two guys drawing year long missions in the near future.

[Xerxes]

You think convicts will be able to establish a colony in another planet? They can't live civilized with other convicts in jail, how you think they will work together for the sake of a future colony? that's just the most dumb idea ever.

Why not? My country (Australia) was essentially founded by convicts! it may not be the best idea in the world but history has proven it does work. The harsh environment of Mars would ensure they either co-operate or die.

[Kravex]

So an organisation has told NASA they need a plan to go Mars? Somehow I think they already know that...

[FloatingFatMan]

You think convicts will be able to establish a colony in another planet? They can't live civilized with other convicts in jail, how you think they will work together for the sake of a future colony? that's just the most dumb idea ever.

 

Worked in Australia! :p

[theyarecomingforyou]

So an organisation has told NASA they need a plan to go Mars? Somehow I think they already know that...

No, NASA is being warned that its plans aren't realistic. Landing on the moon is still a major feat and setting up a colony on Mars is obviously many magnitudes more difficult (especially given the distance). Therefore it makes sense to create a colony on the moon and explore the potential issues before embarking on a trip to Mars.

[DocM]

Which is why SpaceX and Bigelow are (separately for now) looking at a lunar landing etc. to prove capabilities.

[Original Poster]

As we learned with ISS, the cost spreading "benefit" is often an illusion as far as the US is concerned. Other partners barter some module or project that for politics gets valued higher than it actually is and we end up with 80%+ of the bill anyhow.

The Moon would at most be useful for testing habitats, wheeled transports and such and they're already in development. The problem is those parts that need testing could be tested in NASA's big vacuum chambers or in the high deserts where they tested Apollo gear. A coin flip.

Asteroid missions make little sense, and the Administration's proposal to capture one and return it to lunar orbit for examination makes less sense the more you look at it.

?RC is full of it on this one.

its other peoples technology and expertise you want which every country harbours...even if the US gets slabbed with 80% of the bill it would be 80% of 100 rather then 80% of 1000 because of ease of resources

[Hum]

There are a lot of sources that money can come from. First, closed unnecessary military bases around the world. That's billions of dollars in savings for NASA and many more for other agencies.

Good luck with that.

[DocM]

There have been several rounds of base closings (known as BRAC) since 1990. A new 2015 round of base realignment and closings failed in the Armed Services Committee by a vote of 44 to 18.

[Hum]

^ And any base closings is to help with the enormous 18 Trillion dollar debt.

 

Any 'savings' will mostly go to social programs -- Welfare, Medicare, Social Security, 'Affordable Health Care', etc.