Will Obama announce a Mars mission April 15th?

reply to post by MysterE


I should clarify that a mission to mars has my



approval!!!!

I just think the moon is a wonderful first step!

Presidents always announce some foolish space program to get all the space geeks and aerospace workers excited. It's kind of a tradition. Then when it comes time to budget real money out, suddenly the Moon and Mars missions get scrubbed and the money is brought back down enough to still keep the brainiacs employed and not selling their skills to North Korea.

But don't hold your breath for a huge new space program to be started. Talk is cheap.

If a Mars mission (or another Moon mission) were initiated now, it would have the funding rug pulled out from beneath it in 2 years - due to the findings of the current occurring Kepler Mission. When the Kepler finds another Earth planet, eveyone will want a mission sent there. That will require development of inter-stellar technologies. Any money spent to develop a Mars mission will have just been another waste of money, because it will not be useful for inter-stellar travel to a new Earth.

I don't think Obama is going to announce a manned mission to Mars. It just doesn't fit in or make sense with his desire to cancel the Constellation program. Although I wouldn't mind being proven wrong on this, but I just don't see it happening yet.

From the rumours and speculation that I've read, a compromise might happen. Here's an article from NASAWatch.com

A brief summery:
- Lockheed-Martin continues the Orion capsule, but as "Orion Lite"
- Human-rate an EELV to launch Orion Lite
- Extend Space Shuttle operations.
- Develop the Shuttle-C concept.
- Develop an exploration spacecraft that only operates in space.

Take all this with a grain of salt, as it might not be accurate at all.

It won't happen. As much as I'd love to see more space missions, manned or unmanned, there simply is no money. Or, I should say, there is no money without cutting back on stuff like military budgets, which will never happen.

It will be nothing of the sort. He wants to push the privatization or commercialization of space and open it up to civilian space corporations. He has already stated he would like to see NASA focus more on the environmental sciences here on earth, to push his global warming agenda. Sorry guys, maybe our kids or grandkids but definatley not us.

I forgot to mention that I am ready and willing to fly a one way mission to Mars. There are only a few of us who have volunteered. The cost of a one way mission is 10 time less than one where people return. I suppose I will have to pitch my idea to that Virgin Galactic dude since countries are getting out of the space biz.

I think the best we can hope for is a working Direct 4.0 plan that Obama supports.

en.wikipedia.org...

Originally posted by djvexd
It will be nothing of the sort. He wants to push the privatization or commercialization of space and open it up to civilian space corporations. He has already stated he would like to see NASA focus more on the environmental sciences here on earth, to push his global warming agenda. Sorry guys, maybe our kids or grandkids but definatley not us.

That's what I was thinking. He's just going to say that he's pushing more Global Warming crap onto us thru NASA.

The moon and mars belong to China now. We aren't going to do anything big in space again.

With what money, a Mars TARP fund ? US dublic dent is 13 000 billion dollars, they can't afford a mars program without lending more money. Maybe a joint effort from Russia, USA, EU, Japan, India and China.

Would be interesting if someone put a figure on a Mars mission, at par with the Apollo program ?


[edit on 8-4-2010 by rhines]

I know this thread has stalled, and may very well be talking to myself, BUT here is some updated info. I will also update this on the 15th with whatever President Obama's announcement is.

Obama to outline US space plans in NASA visit

I think people fear Obama is abandoning US leadership in space... I believe he does want to go to the moon, to Mars, but he has to come down here and say that.

-E-

reply to post by MysterE


Just so you're not talking to yourself in this thread. Here's another update.

Obama revives capsule from canceled program

The space capsule, called Orion, still won't go to the moon. It will go unmanned to the International Space Station to stand by as an emergency vehicle to return astronauts home, officials told The Associated Press.

Administration officials also said NASA will speed up development of a massive rocket. It would have the power to blast crew and cargo far from Earth, although no destination has been chosen yet. The rocket would be ready to launch several years earlier than under the old moon plan.

"Administration officials also said NASA will speed up development of a massive rocket."

Yet again... another 'rocket' program. No mention of using/developing anti-gravity lift/propulsion. So...

He will definately say that we are going to Mars. I would be shocked to find out otherwise. The only thing is though, is that he won't give a date. It will just be some "hopey changey" feel good stuff with no real goals. If he does give dates (and he won't) then it will be in the 2030's or later.

The Augustine Comission stated clearly that the ultimate goal of NASA should be reaching Mars. But it also said we should do other stuff first, like going to asteroids and lagrange points, and back to the Moon. No matter who is in charge this is the far reaching goal of NASA and Obama will certainly capitalize on this by talking about how we will one day set boots on the red planet. But again this is just a bunch of "cloud talk" and doesn't amount to much other than hot air.

MysterE said in one post that Obama may set the goal of Mars with some stops along the way. As I've already said, this is exactly what I think he will do, but the weird part is that this was also the mission of Constellation that Obama has now cancelled. Under constellation we were to develope and build the equipment that would "take us back to the Moon and on to Mars"

So what the @%#* !? Why is Obama going to cancel a plan and then create a new one that is the same as the old one? Is it simply because Constelation was created under Bush?

No.

This is in my mind just another example of how the plan appears to be changing, but is actually staying the same. Another example of NASA putting on a dog and pony show for the public. We were planning to switch to comercial craft from the conception of constelation. That's why we have put money into companys like SpaceX from day one, and why we haven't done jack squat on the Orion crew capsule or the Ares rockets. All these things are here to keep us on the edge of our seats and preoccupied. Keeping us talking about things that are supposedly changing and discussing what appears to be going on. The reality is that the plan isn't changing at all. We are doing exactly what we have planned to do.

So to recap... Obama will definately say we are going to Mars, but he will not set any deadline like Kennedy did with the Moon. Some will be excited by this, others will see it as a bunch of hot air. In the end we will develope the tools needed to send people to Mars and other parts of the solar system, but we will not use that technology to go beyond low Earth orbit until another country is on the verge of doing the same. We will continue to delay our expansion into space for as long as possible... Who ever controlls space controlls Earth, and as long as the US doesn't have any challengers then the US dosen't want to encourage any by doing bold and exciting things like showing how easy it is to go back to the Moon or onto Mars.

reply to post by jra

Just so you're not talking to yourself in this thread. Here's another update.

Ha! Thanks for that! I'm pretty sure talking to yourself is a symptom of insanity, so you just spared me trip to the psychiatrist!




reply to post by fieryjaguarpaw

Obama will definately say we are going to Mars, but he will not set any deadline like Kennedy did with the Moon

I agree with you on that, he seems to do and say things simply for approval ratings, and this may be the first thing I would actually agree with but it would be a step in the right direction, even though it would be a baby step!

-E-

[edit on 14-4-2010 by MysterE]

reply to post by MysterE


I’m assuming you’ve read this PDF from The White House?

www.whitehouse.gov...

The President’s Vision for NASA space exploration enables:

A set of stepping stones in space that will take us further and faster into space, allowing us to reach a range of destinations including lunar orbit, Lagrange points, near-Earth asteroids, the moons of Mars, and eventually Mars itself.

So we are going to Mars…but later rather than sooner.

For what it's worth, that guy AstroEngineer (visit blog) who claims to be an ex NASA employee, is betting on the "stepping stones to Mars" and commercializing of space as well.

Watch the press conference live here! Watch Obama address NASA LIVE about its future. Mars?

-E-

I am still mind boggled,

How on earth is man going to mars, without passing the moon?

This makes no sense!

If you can get to mars the moon is on the way!

arg!

I really wish the day would hurry up so we can watch his address to NASA and find out!

Again I have no issue with mars, but again the moon is on the way!

....waiting patiently!

I wonder if he will say we need to go to Phobos, just like Hoagland predicts. Would be interesting to watch an ET meeting live on TV in the inside of that spaceship moon LOL.