Interesting video. What do you folks think? Mars or return to the Moon?

[mako88sb]

I've always been of the opinion that since we've already been to the moon, going to Mars would be the best way to go for future manned missions with no real reason to go back to the moon. Having said that, I've read up enough about the Apollo missions that I have a much better appreciation for just how complicated those missions were and how fortunate NASA was to not have lost anybody on any actual mission. That's just a relatively short jaunt lasting less than 2 weeks. A proposed mission to Mars seems so much more involved, I really wonder if it's something reasonably feasible to pull off. This video does a pretty thorough job of explaining the pros and cons for each and I have to agree that perhaps returning to the moon would be the better choice. Of course, the proposed helium-3 mining is somewhat of a mute point until they can get fusion power to the point that the huge costs mining it on the moon would be justified. How much longer, if ever till that happens?



Of course, as also mentioned in the video, it will be interesting to see if SpaceX can pull off those pretty ambitious goals.

[Onkel Neal]

It's very do-able, but to get it done safely, it would cost a lot.

[Skybird]

https://www.amazon.com/Limit-Frank-S...sch%C3%A4tzing

By the author of "The Swarm" LINK, "Breaking News" and "Nachrichten aus einem unbekannten Universum" (one of the most accessible popular science books I have ever read).

People living in a notorious hurry, and feeling stressed by books longer than 150 pages, are recommended to stay away, though.

Schätzing combines science facts and reasonable exploration of current technologies in their near-future realisation, and combines that with sometimes thriller elements (The Swarm), and detective motives (Limit). Think of hiom as the German Michael Crichton. In German-tongued Europe, he is one of the most successfull contemporary writers. His books are long and thorough - but I like them to be like that. Tremendously.

While I am at him, "Breaking News" also was a good book, telling en-passant the history of the state of Israel from original and subjective perspectives, using the form of thriller and family biography.

[mako88sb]

Originally Posted by Skybird

https://www.amazon.com/Limit-Frank-S...sch%C3%A4tzing

By the author of "The Swarm", "Breaking News" and "Nachrichten aus einem unbekannten Universum" (one of the most accessible popular science books I have ever read).

People living in a notorious hurry, and feeling stressed by books longer than 150 pages, are recommended to stay away, though.

Schätzing combines science facts and reasonable exploration of current technologies in their near-future realisation, and combines that with sometimes thriller elements (The Swarm), and detective motives (Limit). Think of hiom as the German Michael Crichton. In German-tongued Europe, he is one of the most successfull contemporary writers. His books are long and thorough - but I like them to be like that. Tremendously.

While I am at him, "Breaking News" also was a good book, telling en-passant the history of the state of Israel from original and subjective perspectives, using the form of thriller and family biography.

I'll have to check that out. I read Arthur C Clarkes "The Fountains of Paradise" when it first came out but I don't ever recall reading about an actual connection between the Earth and the moon. Sounds pretty interesting.

Have you read Kim Stanely Robinson's Mar's trilogy series? Just started with "Red Mars" and enjoying it so far.

[Oberon]

Red Mars is very good, there were rumours of a TV series circulating a while ago, if done right would be very good.

Mars will happen, but it'll probably be either the Chinese or a private company. I doubt it'll be NASA, there's no real public urge for it.

[Betonov]

Originally Posted by Oberon

Mars will happen, but it'll probably be either the Chinese or a private company. I doubt it'll be NASA, there's no real public urge for it.

Just wait for the Chinese to land on the Moon.
NASA is going to kick up a gear or two.

We need a space race. The exploration wasn't boring since the fall of the eastern bloc, but you don't push the boundries with probes.

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by mako88sb

I'll have to check that out. I read Arthur C Clarkes "The Fountains of Paradise" when it first came out but I don't ever recall reading about an actual connection between the Earth and the moon. Sounds pretty interesting.

The elevator in "Limit" is not connection between Earth and Moon, but Earth linking to a stationary orbital platform. A no more new idea, Schätzing only extrapolates the latest ideas for materials and design features.

He also extrapolates the possibilities of Google glasses, and some more.

However, like many people thinking in these trails, he te3ndfs to be overly optimistic about the flawlessness and possibilitiues of new technologies. In his scenarios, technology always works, and never fails, and all the bugs of new stuff already have been ironed out before the first unit ever sold. . His idea of how privatized space industry will overtake Nasa ignores the latest setbacks the real privatised space industry has seen. Google glasses have hit an inviusible wall so far, and the concept of the space lift also atrracts critical reflecitons that he ignores.

That does not make his scenario less exciting. Its just ioptimism tralken to the extremne. Something that I sometimes have a hard time to sdwalow so easily - and the reason why I did not like Matt Damon and "The Martian" so much - too optimistic, human psyche being too perfect.

However, Limit is a relatively slow book (what I like, I prefer if writers take their time), considering that it is over 1000 pages. If you want some more thrill, his international bestseller "The Swarm" is the book of his life, and for which he will be remembered. I cannot comment on the quality of the transaltion, however, the first ediiton from severlas years ago seem to have caught soime criticsm there. But if you come new to Schätzing, "Swarm" is the first to read, the Swarm, and always the Swarm . I read it four times now. And yes, it also is no thin book. 1000+ pages. - The film rights went to James "Avatar" Cameron some years ago, but i do not know what has come of that. If such SF movie heavyweights are interested in a book, this tells you something.

In Limit, it is private entrepreneurs who return to the moon and establish a lasting presence there - a hotel. And a fleet of autonomous mining robots.