Bush to Mars: Promises or Gimmick?

[oldunion]

what about building a cannon in space, like those massive ones hitler bombed france with...from germany! You could shoot a pod and also attach rockets to it for secondary propulsion. i suppose the astronauts would be mush from the gravity of it, but maybe not...

 

[Danger]

i suppose the astronauts would be mush from the gravity of it, but maybe not...

Yeah, they would. I think that the best shock suit is good for about 12 g's. There's a system (still top secret, I think) whereby a pilot can stay conscious through over 25 gees and survive even more, but that still wouldn't be anywhere near enough obtain meaningful velocity.

 

[Integral]

Unfortunately we have neither the time nor the resources to be wasted on "adventure" or "prestige".

Sorry that is just an economic fact.

When useless manned missions are planed and executed at the expense of real scientific explorations we are putting at risk the chance that we will EVER be able to break the bonds with the planet earth. At this point in time we need to develop our technologies for space travel, this can be done without the wasted payload represented by a man and his life support systems.

While our robotic probes are exploring the solar system looking for economic solutions to our many problems, we, on earth, need to start planing on the possibility that the universe has conspired to trap us on the surface of this planet forever. This means that we need to learn to live with each other and our fragile biosphere. If we cannot do this civilization, as we know it, is at risk.

 

[Ivan Seeking]

This means that we need to learn to live with each other and our fragile biosphere. If we cannot do this civilization, as we know it, is at risk.

https://www.physicsforums.com/showthread.php?t=69443

 

[Pre-AlgebraDude]

Bush is just an empty suit. His family is a bunch of dogs (refer to "Worse Than Watergate", by John Dean). Laura sold crack in college, etc., etc., etc. Some democrats said to take him up there and leave him.

 

[Hurkyl]

Personally, I would think that an orbital launch laser would be more efficient than a ground-based unit.

Well, one of the problems with that is that it has to deliver enough momentum to propel a ship to mars, without propelling itself just as far the other way.

There's a system (still top secret, I think)

If so, either someone liked you enough to commit a federal offense to tell you that, or your sources aren't entirely reliable.

 

[Danger]

If so, either someone liked you enough to commit a federal offense to tell you that, or your sources aren't entirely reliable.

The source is pretty good, actually. Nobody involved is on your side of the border, so there's no offense. We don't answer to US law.

 

[Hurkyl]

Okay, then pretend I said whatever the Canadian word for "Federal offense" is.

 

[Danger]

Okay, then pretend I said whatever the Canadian word for "Federal offense" is.

It's not a secret here.

edit: I was granted Top Secret clearance by the Pentagon and Ottawa several years ago, but it had absolutely no connection whatsoever with this topic.

 

[stoned]

could not they invent big trampoline and launch satelites this way ?

 

[Danger]

could not they invent big trampoline and launch satelites this way ?

If you wanted to excavate the Grand Canyon to several times its current depth to string it across, and could find a material that could take the forces involved, and... leave it suffice to be said 'no'. The 'Space Elevator' is a workable idea, though.