Why Mars?

Well said Andy. I think our species needs to move off Earth to survive and to thrive. I think we’re approaching the carrying capacity of the planet now. And if not this century, perhaps next, we will find the need to colonize another world. But, we need newer propulsion and energy technologies to do so.

bubba, I’m a fan of both, and both have their uses. Robots can do the preliminary work, but there’s no substitute for a human being to see and to find out the real story about the site being visited. Plus, the human is able to discover what a robot can’t see, and to react to things the robot may not have been programmed for. What would a seismic robot “think” of an alien walking up to the craft, kicking it and walking off. It would see foreshocks, a main shock and several after shocks. If the robot’s cameras didn’t see anything, well a momentous event would go almost unnoticed. I really do believe we need both manned and unmanned exploration.

Is it really that important to go to the frontier of space when people on this planet are starving? Which is more important? Where is our perspective in life? If you were starving and we could help you become self-sufficient, but we declined because we needed to go explore the galaxy, how would you feel? Is spending billions to search for something that “might” be there more important than a human life?

My dad trains astronauts at JSC, and I personally support JPL’s unmanned missions much more so than manned missions for all of the obvious reasons, habitat modules, etc.

Our governments are looking for other places to live because we’ll use up Planet Earth’s resources in a few decades, and then humanity is basically screwed.

great scott! what an epiphany!
how long did it take the all of you geniuses to figure out that this earth is a finite resource ? OF COURSE , we need to conserve ,recycle , be as green as possible ,work towards ZPG for the entire planet , but even at that its a well known fact that the earth and this entire solar system are bound for destruction one day ,even if it is many millions of years in the future.
there still is no time to waste, many problems are still unseen/unfigured ; we are truly in the infancy of space travel so having very long term plan/approach is most important. the job of exploring and perhaps colonizing space/other planets will be a exercise in adaptation and ingenuity ,and many wrong turns will be made along the way , as with the challenger mission . overall though it appears nasa and the esa are generally on the right track ; only time can be the judge of that opining ,however i personally am quite convinced that our survival as a species depends imminently on our ability to learn how to travel to other planets and colonize them , adapting (as we always have ) as we go .

Matrix stated it well: human is like a virus, when Earth is polluted and destroyed by humans, they move on and try to plaque and destroy another planet, in the name of survival… if you let them acquire the technology to travel the Space.
Nature will find a way to limit this potential damage and cage humans on Planet Earth alone.

Whoops, not Dave, but James.
James! LOL.
> … scriptures lead me to believe game over.
Could you please list all of these, at least as partial or exact quotes (or approximate quotes), and/or references?
Thanks!
© Stephen

padme,
> Matrix stated it well: human is like a virus
Are you saying that you are that way, or not that way, or not Human?
Not all Humans were or are that way (at least not all the time).
However, a lot of times those involved in places of “power” can act without enough restraints and consideration for people and things and nature around them.
Almost anyone with enough “power” or authority can be tempted to not hold to ideals, even as the old saying goes: “Power corrupts”. (And it doesn’t have to be political, military, or economic power either. It can even be personal or interpersonal.)
When Humans learn to hold one another accountable individually, locally, and not to relish despising anyone — even to follow the long-held principles of respect and even Love for the person nearby you — then, in those places, situations and relationships can and may and maybe even will improve.
But there seems to always be someone who holds onto prejudices and lack of respect for others. When we help to minimize their effects on us and on those around us, things can improve.
Love, :)
Stephen
LOL.
© Stephen

One more:
If they have the capability of hiding and/or being invisible, as evidence leads people to believe is true right here on Earth, then it is unlikely that we will find a whole lot more elsewhere than we do right here.
Maybe especially if unmanned, as someone suggested earlier.
Our robots and probes might find some evidence of organic life existing or once existing, though.
But don’t expect NASA or the governments to tell us much about it anytime soon.
© Stephen

I am very interested in how fundamentalist churches would square the discovery of extraterrestrial life with their teachings.

You mean a world without OIL? My gosh we wouldn’t need exxon or mobil to supply and rip us off? Sign me up for the first ride off this world.

If I could go to Mars I would probably bring thousand of solar panel that they would almost cover the whole entire planet, execpt that we would need to move there when solar traveling comes out (traveling in space) and probably need to go at 2020 or something. We’ll also need a big supply of water. We could use a gigantic space ship to carry water execpt that the water will dry up so we need thick strong metal to prevent it from drying up.

Wow, people went from discussing the possibilities of life on other planets all the way down to the validity of human existence. Life, I suspect, is extremely common throughout the universe. People who equate a lack of coherent radio signals as proof there is no other life forget that until only 100 years ago, THIS planet had no electromagnetic emissions to show there was life on it, let alone that there has been for over 3 billion years.
Life is going to be found everywhere. Whether we can talk with it remains to be seen. An INTELLIGENT species has yet to be found – on this planet or anywhere else. Given mankind’s inherent desire and constant drive to destroy himself, I don’t give our species high marks in intelligence. If there is intelligent life out there, and they have been observing us, do you think they’d act like we would by trying to intervene in a multi-pit-bull dog-fight? I seriously doubt it. We don’t show enough promise that we can live peacefully with the rest of the universe to risk any form of contact.
So, life is abundant, intelligent life will avoid us and because of our homicidal tendencies, we have little chance of surviving our own technology. Interesting viewpoints folks, but this is where my conclusions take me.

Judging by some of the “armchair watchdogs” posting unread nonsense such spening the money for the lander project on allieviating food shortages, gas shortages, and humane suffering, obviously you aren’t well studied on any of the subjects. NASA gets well less than 1% of the national budget. Of that, only a minute amount of that goes toward this project, most going toward aviation research, education, as well as Space Shuttle and Space Station operations, and many other things. The nation spends in excess of 35% just on welfare assistance in this country alone. Perhaps we should all just cease all technological research and fall into a quagmire and join third world nations in their squalor. I am tended not to desire to myself. To allof you that have posted against the project i say, grab a book, go to the NASA web, actually read and learn what it is that you post about before you post rather than blather a bunch of nonsensical prattle.

Some 600 years ago our ancestors were in the same boat we are in now.
Poorly run goverments expanding populations forced man to send Wooden ships across an unknown ocean.
As Much as anyone may like to complain about the need or the waste of Mars Missions, It is a nessary fact.
At least we will not have to wait 600 years to reap the benifits of exploration that is being done TODAY.
Though I do wish it were a more private venture and govermental.

If you use logic you’ll see that human life away from the source and sustainer of human life(earth) just is NOT possible! “Move off” this planet onto another one? PLEEEEEASE! There’s nothing wrong with this PLANET–it’s the PEOPLE on the planet! There’s not a lack of morals…there’s a lack of people willing to follow morals and be guided by them. the pathetic greed, dishonesty, prejudice of many kinds, rampant stupidity.
The Creator of humanity, which is also the creator of Earth, and by the way–Mars TOO—says he’s going to “cause an extermination from one end of the earth clear to the other end.” -Jeremiah 25:32, 33
You can’t even repair a small issue such as the housing crisis in ONE country let alone on another planet. Inequality in so many areas that it’s pathetic to even THINK about putting life on another planet.
The biggest problem with humans is the inability to solve problems between themselves! You worry/complain about skin color, facial features, languages, body shapes—if someone looks at you more than 3 seconds–it’s “Kill or BE KILLED!”
Global warming? Famine? Pestilence? Death? Who started all of these–and answer honestly. Science is going to “fix” the problems? Are you CRAZY!??? Do you see what happens each time a “discovery in science” is made? ANOTHER problem arises!!! It’ll be like wanting to fill up the Grand Canyon—to move the quantity of dirt necessary you’ll need special equipment; where will the dirt come from? Let’s take it from Africa’s deserts. Do so—and you’ll create a problem sooo big you’ll reverse any “progress” that’s been made in the name of “humanity”. You’ll leave a hole bigger than what you are trying to fill.
Move to Mars? Are you crazy? A necessary assignment? Are you silly? START life on Mars–with what race, what nationality, what religion, what industry? You’ll kill the planet just TRYING to start life there!!
When God starts his destruction of the wicked, evil, and stupid people here on earth, He’s going to target those that essentially said that HE was wrong with putting life here on Earth—instead of Mars. Let me tell you this—I will NOT want to be in your shoes. As the Bible says, “Ten thousand will fall by your right side, and ten thousand will fall by your left side. To you no harm will come near.” -Psalms 91:7
Good luck on GETTING to Mars. You better hope you DON’T make it there.

i find the most interesting note on this mission is the statement nuclear powered.exactly what does this mean?.what we really need in our society is not wether there is or was water on mars but a nucler powered moter,or a nuclear battery or both.every thing that is in our homes or on the road will one day end up in the garbadge or a museum.every thing,bar nothing.i can see a hybrid auto in a museum next to dinosaurs,circa 2008,what is neccessary to preserve our economy and our quality of life is not the knowledge if there is water on a piece of dirt millions of miles away but a nuclear device that will turn wheels.this forth of july when gas is god knows what you can sit home and look at the four walls and tell your family its not important that we have a holiday, what is important is the fact that we are looking for water on a round piece of dirt millions of miles away.i hope that the nuclear power that is used in this contraption will develope to a point wher it will be used in a practical manner,the ability to turn wheels.eventually the human brain will develope such a device. i have absolutely no doubt about it.look back, see where we were with anything, see the progress?,the human brain is the real tool to the survival of the human race and a survival of a decent standard of living which demands that we are able to have a device that will turn wheels and take us away once in a while from the four walls so we dont go crazy.our economy is fading do to the cost of nothing more then the cost of turning wheels.