ex nasa engineer suggests that there is a propulsion system that can do the distance of Earth to Mar

I recently visited nasa as a tourist and there was an ex appollo 11 engineer available for questions. While discussing how little I know about science he said that when he retired last year (laid off) his dept was working on a propulsion system that could already travel to mars in 9 days. When he saw my amazement and I began asking how and why weren't we using it already he quickly said that he only meant the actual distance not the journey itself. He specified that in reality it would still take 18 months to send humans to mars due to getting the planetary alignment right and he jokingly (I think) added that they would need to recruit Eskimo's as they still hadn't found a reasonable way to keep warm in such deep cold the further they got from earth.
So I thought ok.
Then later I got a calculator and worked out that if mars is at it's very closest to earth it would be 38 million miles away so to do that journey in 9 days would mean traveling at 259, 259.259259259 miles an hour. IF he was telling the truth then this prepulsion system is incredible. Does anyone think this can be remotely feasible? If it existed why bother with humans at all? Just lob drones/rovers and camera's at mars instead.
Thoughts anyone?

On a side note for the new age pyramid is power believers I noticed that the best way of preserving the moon rock on display at nasa appears to be encased in a pyramid.

Im surprised no one has an opinion in this?

You would have to accelerate and decellerate, so you would have to reach an appropreate top speed to allow for that.
Unless you want to squish everyone on board you can only change velocity at so many gravities of force

The only propulsion system that would be capable of these speeds would be the Magnetoplasmadynamic engine.
From NASA 2004

Testing for these thrusters has demonstrated exhaust velocities of 100,000 meters per second (over 200,000 mph) and thrust levels of 100 Newtons (22.5 pounds) at power levels of 1 megawatt. For perspective, this exhaust velocity will allow a spacecraft to travel roughly 11 times the top speed of the space shuttle (18,000 mph).

www.nasa.gov...

Not something that surprises me as Ben Rich, former Head of the Lockheed Skunk Works and father of the Stealth Bomber has said in this famous quote “We already have the means to travel among the stars, but these technologies are locked up in black projects and it would take an act of God to ever get them out to benefit humanity….. anything you can imagine we already know how to do.” and that was in 1995.

Also Ben Rich: "We have things in the Nevada desert that are alien to your way of thinking far beyond anything you see on Star Trek."

Originally posted by LeLeu
The only propulsion system that would be capable of these speeds would be the Magnetoplasmadynamic engine.
From NASA 2004

Testing for these thrusters has demonstrated exhaust velocities of 100,000 meters per second (over 200,000 mph) and thrust levels of 100 Newtons (22.5 pounds) at power levels of 1 megawatt. For perspective, this exhaust velocity will allow a spacecraft to travel roughly 11 times the top speed of the space shuttle (18,000 mph).

www.nasa.gov...

edit on 12-5-2013 by LeLeu because: (no reason given)

So I wonder what happened to that? Maybe it is in use and falls under a military budget hence the need for secrecy but human travel has a miniscule budget hence nothing much happening over a large period of time.
Makes me wonder if the right questions are being asked. Maybe all this publicity about manned space travel is to detract from the fact that unmanned travel has been happening for years and I don't mean the rovers they launch every couple of year's.

Originally posted by cass1dy09
Not something that surprises me as Ben Rich, former Head of the Lockheed Skunk Works and father of the Stealth Bomber has said in this famous quote “We already have the means to travel among the stars, but these technologies are locked up in black projects and it would take an act of God to ever get them out to benefit humanity….. anything you can imagine we already know how to do.” and that was in 1995.

Also Ben Rich: "We have things in the Nevada desert that are alien to your way of thinking far beyond anything you see on Star Trek."

edit on 12-5-2013 by cass1dy09 because: (no reason given)

Did he really say that?

reply to post by markygee

What interests me more is your Apollo 11 engineer saying that they haven't figured out a way to keep people heated as the capsule moves further from the earth (I assume he means sun). Why would it be colder going to Mars than it would going to the moon? I never read anything about the astronauts feeling cold on those missions.

I think the government took off with the discoveries Townsend Brown found using HV electricity.

www.themissingtimes.com...

  "Students of "electrogravitics," pioneered by physicist and space-flight researcher Thomas Townsend Brown in the 1950s, emphasize the parallels between the B-2's claimed electrostatic capabilities and Brown's experimental apparatus. Brown had developed and patented experimental devices that appeared to generate an anomalous gravitational force by means of an electrostatic charge placed across an insulating medium. (Motion pictures of Brown's levitating devices in operation still exist and a site on the World Wide Web contains photos of Brown's saucer-like electrogravitic devices.)"

Pladuim

Originally posted by Aleister
reply to post by markygee

 

What interests me more is your Apollo 11 engineer saying that they haven't figured out a way to keep people heated as the capsule moves further from the earth (I assume he means sun). Why would it be colder going to Mars than it would going to the moon? I never read anything about the astronauts feeling cold on those missions.

He said something about further out the colder it gets and the length of time system's would have to run providing heating for astronauts without failing which isn't that much of a consideration when sending unmanned vehicles that only need their components warming.
I have an interest in this sort of thing but I wasn't quick enough to think of any smart questions at the time.

38,000,000 miles in 9 days is only 175,000 mph.

We've gone 25,000 mph on the way to the moon.

A little more acceleration would get us there quickly.

Originally posted by markygee
[color=cyan]
Does anyone think this can be remotely feasible?

[color=cyan]
Yes, 1 thinks the distant travel techs of EA*RTH are more advanced then some may think...

Good question

reply to post by Danbones


not if they know how to reverse the effects of gravity

Originally posted by Ophiuchus 13

Originally posted by markygee
[color=cyan]
Does anyone think this can be remotely feasible?

[color=cyan]
Yes, 1 thinks the distant travel techs of EA*RTH are more advanced then some may think...

Good question

of course, they use to have the propulsion system on this site, its actually how i first found this site like 8 years ago, there was test footage of it

Originally posted by MuzzleBreak
38,000,000 miles in 9 days is only 175,000 mph.

We've gone 25,000 mph on the way to the moon.

A little more acceleration would get us there quickly.

If in space they can travel at 25000 mph with no obvious physical effect on the human body then at what speed could they theoretically travel upto before there are physical implications on the human body? You wouldn't know that the ISS was travelling at that speed when you see astronauts bobbing around inside would you?

Back in 1975 they already had Star Trek's mater anti-mater engines plus Star Wars particle beam weapons. The latter being reported in Aviation Week and Space Technology with photos of them being tested on missiles and a helicopter (UH-1). Don't remember if Aviation Week was the reporter on the Star Trek star drive or the European Space Agency. I used to have the pubs but after several moves later they are lost. Not long thereafter Aviation Week was sanitized by the gov and not worth reading. It will keep you up to date on minor things but the good stuff is all gone.

Since we had star drives in 1975 I am sure they have things way beyond Star Trek's style of propulsion. Even Asimov had the physics part calculated in the early 70's regarding the propulsion systems. For those that don't know, he was much more than just a SF writer.

When the engineer said that they had not figured out a way to keep warm, the OP's BS meter should have gone to 100%. Retaining heat is not difficult and even that issue was addressed by Robert A. Heinlein in 1974 regarding going between Earth and Mars. I know, another SF writer but like Issac Asimov, more than just a SF writer. However, the public is gullible enough to be feed the BS without question.

Personally I have no idea what they are capable of today but I'm sure it would warp ones mind.

Originally posted by markygee

Originally posted by MuzzleBreak
38,000,000 miles in 9 days is only 175,000 mph.

We've gone 25,000 mph on the way to the moon.

A little more acceleration would get us there quickly.

If in space they can travel at 25000 mph with no obvious physical effect on the human body then at what speed could they theoretically travel upto before there are physical implications on the human body? You wouldn't know that the ISS was travelling at that speed when you see astronauts bobbing around inside would you?

judging by newtons laws of motion probably none, they could probably travel at near light speed with no affect as long as they are at a constant velocity i cant see why travelling at whatever speed will be a concern.. the concern i can think of would be the acceleration and deceleration to and from that velocity.

"Speed has never killed anyone. Suddenly becoming stationary, that's what gets you." - Jeremy Clarkson

reply to post by pstrron


I was suspicious regarding heating in space but as he was an engineer on his home turf and I was a visitor with no background in science whatsoever I didn't dare contradict him.

reply to post by markygee


No worries, most people do not have the background to refute his statement anyway. The only reason why I know it's BS is I retired from the industry. Why they still use a Roman Candle to put someone in space is beyond me, it's stone age tech.

reply to post by pstrron


So why don't they stop messing with with the big fireworks and upgrade to new tech and set some new goals not keep chasing goals from the 1960's with 1960's rockets? Could you explain any further as you are as you say from the industry?