Orion first test flight was perfect!
 

"KENNEDY SPACE CENTER -- Atop the most powerful rocket available, NASA's next generation space capsule Orion blasted off Friday morning against the backdrop of a rising sun at Cape Canaveral Air Force Station and later landed with a "bull's-eye splashdown" in the Pacific Ocean."

Nice to see that it went better then expected. Re-entry speed was around 20,000 MPH and Orion got through that just fine!

http://www.msn.com/en-us/news/techno...era/ar-BBgo9wG

Thank goodness! :sunny:

Congratulations! Good to see the US is at it again :up:

Excellent!

I saw the launch at about T+1 since the video links were being a bit unreliable which was annoying, but watching the Earth get smaller and and the curvature more noticable.

https://pbs.twimg.com/media/B4GV_JpCUAA9gKk.jpg

Then the stages breaking away. Beautiful.

Good to hear that the re-entry was as successful as the launch. :yeah:

Yup. Between race riots, cheap gas and a spacecraft that looks like a glorified Apollo module it's kinda like a trip back to the 1960s here. :doh:

Don't forget the Cold war with the Russians and the drugs in Colorado. :03:

Stream died at T-10 seconds. :-?

Did get to watch the reentry and splashdown though. :)

The impending return of Ernst Stravo Blofeld in Bond films makes more sense now.

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedi...a/Blofelds.jpg

There's only one Blofeld for me, and that's Donald. :yeah:

I second that, but then I always wonder about his rapidly failing eyesight, and will he get away at the station or not! :hmmm:

Apollo spacecraft first flight: 1966
Apollo flight around moon: 1968
Two lunar landings: 1969


Orion first flight: 2014
Orion first manned flight: Sometime beyond 2020
:hmmm:

That's easy

the 60's was due to race between USA and Russia
And JFK famous speak about putting a man on the moon before the end of the decade

Now there's no race and a trip to Mars is far more.... than a trip to the moon is.

They have to establish some kind of base on Mars before the astronaut arrive a.s.o

That what I think.

Markus

Or just drop all the equipment to build a base and the machinery to do it with, most of it can and will be automated anyway.
Besides, the first visit to Mars will be just like the first one to the Moon, one small step, one giant flag and then back home to Earth with some Mars rock and a lifetime of fame ahead of them.
After that will come the colonies...and boy, is that going to be an exciting and interesting time for humanity. :yep: Both scientifically and morally, lots of questions to be answered in the future, about our place in the solar system, about the control of Mars and the resources upon it, about artificial intelligence and the future of mankind.

If you get a chance, read Kim Stanley Robinsons 'Mars' trilogy...and perhaps, watch this video:
http://vimeo.com/108650530

I seem to recall that these astronaut can't return at once, if I'm not remembering wrong they have to stay on Mars for some month or so

Markus

They can return at once, but it's not efficient. Making a short trip means they would be departing for Earth at a poor time, meaning more energy needed to return, and more time spent in transit. The first Mars mission needs to plan to hang out for a while before the return trip. (Or not return. One of the proposed models is Mars To Stay, where the first travelers go on long term colonization missions, and we just keep sending them supplies and more colonists.)

Good point, I'd forgotten about that bit. Still, could send the equipment ahead, could even feasibly have the majority of it built before the first people get there, using clever design and robotic/automated vehicles.

Send drones not people!

At the moment, but we're not going to Mars for the now, we're going for the next. :03:

http://cdn.zmescience.com/wp-content...rs-water-3.jpg

Sending the equipment ahead of time is a great idea. I liked Robert Zubrin's idea of sending not only the supplies, but the return vehicle and an in situ fuel production system. The idea is to not commit to sending people until you know the supplies and return trip are ready.



http://i.imgur.com/ohuSZDB.jpg

Zubrin is fantastic, he really has a passion for the Mars mission that's quite infectious. Some of his ideas probably wouldn't stick, but a lot of them are very good and worth NASA or some space agency looking into.


You're as qualified as the rest of us to say something. :salute:
A breathable, thicker atmosphere can be created, just as ours was, it just takes time and effort. Until then mankind can (and will) adapt to the environment, it won't be easy and it will be heavily reliable on Earth for supplies and equipment, however in time they will be capable of self-sustainability, and then eventually they will be capable of exporting goods back to Earth, raw materials to power our gradual expansion into the solar system.

We're at a very fragile stage of our development right now, that meteor which streaked low and exploded over Russia the other year really should be a wake up call for humanity. All our eggs are in one basket, and that basket is called Earth, we get hit with a big enough rock and it's goodnight Irene. By spreading ourselves out we reduce the chances of a civilization ending event (eventually we'll create other ways to possibly kill ourselves off, but that'll be a few generations to go) as well as help spread out our burgeoning population.

Certainly the first decade of manned Mars missions will probably be little more than scientific research and prestige gathering, but after that...that's when the real work begins. I hope to see it in my lifetime. :yep: