Space: Nuclear propulsion in the offing? Humans on Mars within a decade? (1 Viewer)

[Max Leung]

Putting aside your differences is easy when everyone shares science:
Palestinian, Israeli fly tests on shuttle
The title is a little misleading...the pair didn't fly on the space shuttle, but:

The language of the universe is science and math," said Tyson, a champion of science as a method to break down barriers between peoples.
"Political or social divisions exaggerate our differences, but they are really infinitesimal. If we are going to move beyond Earth, we are going to have to work together."

Science is one of the few tools we have to get people together on the same page (celebrity rock concerts run by Bob Geldof aside...).
I'd like to think that an international mission to Mars would precipitate some kind of global cooperation and goodwill.

 

[LDfan]

I'd like to see a Mars expedition happen but I doubt NASA could even put anyone back on the moon these days.

If we really want to prove we could do something of great importance perhaps we could try to find a cure for any viral illness such as the flu or common cold.


Jeff

 

[Jeff Kleist]

but we never followed through because the return on investment for these missions became too low.

No, it's that the political benefits became too low. Once we beat the commies to the moon, it just wasn't sexy anymore. :rolleyes

 

[Max Leung]

If we really want to prove we could do something of great importance perhaps we could try to find a cure for any viral illness such as the flu or common cold.

Actually, a lot of money has been spent trying to do just that. However, it would be an impossible task, as every vaccine we make can only be custom tailored to each flu virus. Considering the mutation rate of the cold and flu virii as a result of micro-evolutionary effects (accelerated by global travel), a general cure for all colds and flus with traditional methods would be akin to changing the laws of physics! I'd guess that the only possible solutions would be to aggressively pursue genetic engineering on humans (politically unpalatable) and/or aggresively developing complex nanotechnologies (also politically unpalatable).

Going to Mars is a hell of a lot easier, a hell of a lot cheaper, and much more politically palatable to the public and to the intellectuals, who are traditionally opposed to whole-hog-balls-to-the-wall genetic engineering and over-the-top uses of nanotechnology.

 

[Dennis Reno]

I can't believe everyone missed this sobering note (or did I miss the post???):
Senate Recommends $200 Million Cut To NASA’s 2003 Budget
They just don't get it do they?

 

[Jeff Kleist]

Well, they showered their buddies with gifts, have to recoup it somehow