The Martian

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Aesop
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Re: The Martian

Post by Aesop »

The Apollo program paid for itself with Tang alone.
Pocket calculators, microchips, and the entire digital universe we now move and breathe amidst were merely icing on the cake.

And we did it out of our national spare change, after funding ginormous wars on Poverty and in Vietnam, both of which were stupendous losses, and paid a much more abysmal return on investment.

Saying that going to Mars wouldn't get us anything the probes couldn't provide cheaper is like observing that Columbus' voyages were a colossal failure at lowering the price of cinnamon and pepper.
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toad
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Re: The Martian

Post by toad »

There is a lot of stuff that could be manufactured in zero gravity and/or cheap vacuum. The problem is getting to source materials.
There is starting to be some interesting ideas for better propulsion systems. There is one drive that shouldn't work but does and there is now considerable peer review to find out why it does. It is a "reactionless" drive but hardly anybody buys that, but it is still producing continuous thrust under various lab test. The jury is out but it would cut down interplanetary trip time a lot due to reduce fuel weight and continuous thrust. There are some others but any how the biggest obstacle tends to be government cronyism driving dragging regulations.
I read the book an really liked it.
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Kommander
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Re: The Martian

Post by Kommander »

So essentially this movie is the closest NASA is ever going to get to putting someone on mars.
toad
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Re: The Martian

Post by toad »

Kommander wrote:So essentially this movie is the closest NASA is ever going to get to putting someone on mars.
Yes, unless there are some major changes in the attitudes of the populace. If we get a celestial body hitting people might get back into effective space research. Right now NASA leadership is an oxymoron.

I can see a move into space by corporations driven by profit seeking.
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Rod
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Re: The Martian

Post by Rod »

Okay, saw it today and thought it was great. Aesop covered most of the movie in his piece at the start of the thread. I did notice ONE major blunder, or maybe it was done deliberately. When the captain decides to blow the front hatch to use it as a retro rocket, the astronaut who does the space walk up and back isn't tethered off at all. I had a vision of the rest of the movie turning into a remake of Gravity (which I never want to see).
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NVGdude
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Re: The Martian

Post by NVGdude »

JAG2955 wrote:Ah, it was Red Thunder

John Varley. Intentionally written in a style to evoke the Heinlein Juveniles but with more sex.
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skb12172
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Re: The Martian

Post by skb12172 »

toad wrote:The problem for the aged in space is calcium loss. Already brittle bones would become even more fragile. Also while a heart wouldn't have to pump as hard in zero gravity the calcium problem could lead to heart problems if too much of the calcium leached from the bones ended up in the blood stream. They need to put some volunteer old farts into orbit for multi-year studies. The wouldn't let me go because of my gas problem. :mrgreen:
On the other hand, cheap propulsion. :twisted:
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Captain Wheelgun
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Re: The Martian

Post by Captain Wheelgun »

skb12172 wrote:
toad wrote:The problem for the aged in space is calcium loss. Already brittle bones would become even more fragile. Also while a heart wouldn't have to pump as hard in zero gravity the calcium problem could lead to heart problems if too much of the calcium leached from the bones ended up in the blood stream. They need to put some volunteer old farts into orbit for multi-year studies. The wouldn't let me go because of my gas problem. :mrgreen:
On the other hand, cheap propulsion. :twisted:
I dunno, the Isp and thrust are pretty low. Might work as an RCS, though. :geek: (Yes, I do play KSP)

And, dare I say, :jacked:
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blackeagle603
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Re: The Martian

Post by blackeagle603 »

Caught up with a friend at a funeral who's been at JPL since '82. He was in charge of the rover payload team, played some big role in Cassini and has since then been mission director on more recent flights (had to homestead months at a time in Florida).

Fun to hear his impressions. Say's they all pretty much screamed more obvious solutions at the screen with the antenna and comm-link limitations/solutions as presented in the movie. Overall liked it and was relieved that none of his guys had to go on suicide watch like they did after Gravity.
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Weetabix
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Re: The Martian

Post by Weetabix »

I hated Gravity. Even Sandra Bullock in tight, skimpy clothing didn't save it.
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