Russia's New Ambitious (Mars) Space Plans

Russia is paving the way for a crewed mission to Mars, according to its new 10-year space plan. The plan also calls for it to finish the construction of its section of the International Space Station, though some analysts say this may now be impossible.

The Russian government has approved a space programme covering 2006 to 2015, a Russian space agency official told the Itar-Tass news agency on Tuesday. "The plan has been approved by the Russian government, which implies a commitment to fund it," says John Logsdon, director of the Space Policy Institute at George Washington University in Washington DC, US.

This new plan sounds very interesting. With international co-operation between Europe and Japan I'm sure this vision can be achieved. The manned mission to Mars around 2020 sounds amazing, and a probe to Phobos in the 10-year time frame also sounds very interesting too.
What do you guys think?

Source: www.newscientistspace.com...

I think Russia has more important things she should be worrying about.

Food for her people, for instance.

First off, I'd like to say that's pretty cool--I'd love to see anyone make it to Mars in my life, I don't care where they're from.

Now, I have a problem with this:

Originally posted by apc
I think Russia has more important things she should be worrying about.

Food for her people, for instance.

While you are correct, that's the same kind of thinking that stalls out any scientific progress. Based on that train of thought, we'll probably never have a country that's in a stable enough position to worry about space exploration, or any other large scientific endeavor. There's always something else that needs to be worried about, something else that's more important from an immediate and moral standpoint. If you're worried about immediate social problems, you'll spend all your time solving those, which in turn will create (or at least expose) other social problems for you to solve, so on and so forth.

We've got people starving here in the US, as well as a myriad of other problems, but our government and our large businesses--those who actually can do something about it--put other priorities first. I'm of the mindset that space exploration is a great benefit to all of us in the long run, and should be a priority. I think there's plenty of other budget items that can be scrapped in its place, both here and in other countries, and that money can be put to use for the homeless and hungry.

Just my opinion.

I agree. I am well practiced in the statement of "If we don't get off this rock, everyone dies."

However, a nation under such great economic stress as Russia is, really does have more important matters to deal with than ambitious space plans. Atleast here in the US, our soldiers get paid their salary. Starving families are able to get federal assistance and buy food. Our roads, for the most part, are not falling apart. And our Gov. is not walking the globe begging for spare change.

If they can't feed their army, how can they justify feeding their cosmonauts?

This plan is all within Russia's current budget for their space programme. They have matters to sort out in their own just like every other country, so I don't really see why Russia shouldn’t go to Mars and the US can.
Like MCory1 said, whoever gets their first whether it be Russia, China, US or anyone else it will be an amazing achievement.

what we should be doing is teaming up with the russians for a mars mission. if we take the two budgets and combine our know how with theirs, there is nothing we cant achieve.

not to mention we could probably get it done in half the time.

not to mention we could probably get it done in half the time.

Doubtful. If the Russians seriously hope to put a man on Mars, they have yet to make public plans for either the ISS or a lunar base. It is far too expensive to build an interplantary vehicle on Earth's surface, heave it into orbit, and then send it on its way to Mars. Such a vehicle would have to be constructed in Earth's orbit, at a rather hefty price tag. Or in lunar orbit, using fuel sources obtained from lunar soil. The latter is the most cost effective route.

So, even if the US, ESA, JAXA, and the RKA put their collective efforts together, we could still only expect a fully operational and industrial lunar base by 2020. And that's being optimistic. Assuming by that time an international team had assembled and set in stone designs and plans to send men to Mars, it would still be several years before such a plan was put into action (unless the craft was ready to be constructed ahead of time, the crew were already trained, and all we were waiting for was the lunar factories to say "We've got gas!").

Unlike the US plan to first put astronauts back on the Moon, Russia is likely to be targeting Mars directly, says Logsdon, because the US beat the former Soviet Union to the Moon in 1969.

So... basically they say they want to launch straight from Earth orbit to Mars. But...

They will also carry out biomedical tests on volunteers on Earth to prepare for a crewed mission to the Red Planet, which would probably take place after 2020.

They atleast admit it would't be for quite a while.

So, basically, no... even if everyone held hands and played on the same side... we would not be on Mars anytime soon.

[edit on 25-10-2005 by apc]

Its hard for me to see Russia doing this. They couldn't hold up there end of the bargin for the ISS project. They lacked money to Fund there part, and they where allways behind on there manufacturing end of it.

But it would be cool to have humans goto Mars I don't care what country they come from...

Heres a few more links to the new Russian space plans:

www.space.com...
www.spacedaily.com...

The space.com article says that by the end of 2006 work for the manned mission to mars will begin.
Also here's an interesting illustration of the design for the Phobo moon probe set to bring back samples from the Mars moon.

The U.S is working on Plasma rockets and Plasma 'push' beams to speed up to trip to and from Mars (currently 6 months each way). The U.S is also planning to try having people live on the Moon for a couple months to see if it would be possible to do the same on Mars. Russia is working on or planning none of these wise things.