Re: ISS




Thanks Moonduck - It is good to hear that someone is listening to my rantings, I must say I very rarely get any responses except when there is a fierce debate raging...

I agree on the whole that it is sad that we have not returned to the Moon. I grew up witnessing the Apollo missions and I have hoped we would go back all my life. But the reality of the situation is that we really have no need to use the Moon as a staging post for an interplanetary mission. All of the research about living in the hostile environment of space, creating water from available resources, and so on are all being carried out successfully on the ISS. Added to that the data from Apollo and all other manned and unmanned missions all contribute to the knowledge needed to advance further out into space.

I can not see any point in sending humans back to the moon or to Mars for exploration purposes in the short-term. Unmanned (sorry to any feminists for the sexist sounding term - any suggestions for an alternative?) missions such as Chandrayan 1 & 2(proposed) and of course Spirit and Opportunity are pushing back the boundaries of knowledge in huge leaps - without risk to human life, and at a fraction of the cost.

The long term is a completely different issue. Buzz Aldrin's visionary proposals for the 'Mars Cycler' gives us a free ride to Mars - no fuel, regular and fast transits between Earth and Mars - a space route which can be used by freighters, scientific research missions and yes, people carriers. We know it works, Aldrin has done the maths all we need is the political will and the money to do it.

Gazing into my crystal ball I see in the future (say 150 - 200 years) there will be a permanent presence on the moon. Mars I think will be a little longer away - say 200 - 300years. This will be driven by commercial interests - tourism, mining (Helium 3 on the Moon) and of course scientific research - including medical research.

As for manned (how about 'peopled') activities in space, I see that being limited in the next 50 -100 years to low earth orbit. This would include the harnessing of solar power as a source of electricity (the Space Elevator 'Sunflower Array')
and the servicing of the Mars Cycling spacecraft. For this, a human presence would be necessary and we are training for these objectives right now on the ISS.

I can heartily recommend Aldrin's books 'Free Return' and 'Magnificent Desolation' for an introduction to the concept and the struggle he has had gaining recognition for it. He had the same resistance from the establishment when he proposed Orbital Rendezvous as the method most likely to succeed in the journey to the moon. He is the inventor of the concept and is known in space circles as 'Dr Rendezvous'.

It is this that President Obama has refocussed the aims of Nasa on. Perhaps more importantly he has taken up Aldrin's baton of promoting the commercial sector as the driving force behind the future of Space exploration. The only thing that will take us to the moon or Mars or anywhere else it seems is that 'there is 'gold' in them thaar planets'...

The fact that as a species, we have to get off this planet is indisputably a universal truth. The only questions are - when will be ready to do so, and is the human race a show worth taking on the road?.

Maybe in 500years - IF we can sort out these disappointing medieval ideological differences which still blight human development.

http://www.space.com/scienceastronomy/helium3_000630.html


PS: I can't find anything specific about 'Sunflower' on the interweb quickly, but it is basically an array of huge solar panels in the form of a sunflower (hence the name) which converts solar energy into gigawatts and transmits it down the S.E. superconducting carbon nanotube cable to ground stations. Each Sunflower Array capable of generating the power requirements of a large city - completely safely.