Author Topic: What type of vehicle would be used to get to The Red Planet?  (Read 7194 times)

0 Members and 2 Guests are viewing this topic.

ApolloWalker

  • Private
  • **
  • Posts: 6
  • Orbitnaut
I think solar sails, neuclear drives, electrical and ion engined would be top picks.
What do you think?  ???

profit004

  • MCCS Test
  • Mission Commander
  • ******
  • Posts: 418
Re: What type of vehicle would be used to get to The Red Planet?
« Reply #1 on: June 09, 2011, 01:03:27 PM »
It will be a chemical rocket... If we ever go.

People have no stomach for nuclear anything in space it seems and all the solutions except solar sail require it.   Solar sails I just do not think are practical for the orbit of mars, the craft needs a tangential velocity to the particles coming from the sun.  It would only work if the spacecraft was heading to the distant outer solar system or beyond.


thedubman

  • Mission Commander
  • *****
  • Posts: 416
Re: What type of vehicle would be used to get to The Red Planet?
« Reply #2 on: June 09, 2011, 03:45:39 PM »
I cant understand why nuclear is unliked, sure its dangerous but so is going into space.

outzoner

  • Mission Commander
  • *****
  • Posts: 121
  • new Toys for me!!!
Re: What type of vehicle would be used to get to The Red Planet?
« Reply #3 on: June 09, 2011, 03:59:05 PM »
what about cold fusion?
Volunteer for one-way-mission!

Fish

  • Private
  • **
  • Posts: 13
Re: What type of vehicle would be used to get to The Red Planet?
« Reply #4 on: June 09, 2011, 04:32:58 PM »
I cant understand why nuclear is unliked, sure its dangerous but so is going into space.

If the rocket was to explode after take off it would potentially (dont know if that spelling is right)  scatter radioactive materials throughout the atmosphere. this i believe is the reason that they dont want to build a nuclear powered space craft.
"Judge a man by his questions rather than by his answers."

profit004

  • MCCS Test
  • Mission Commander
  • ******
  • Posts: 418
Re: What type of vehicle would be used to get to The Red Planet?
« Reply #5 on: June 09, 2011, 05:08:08 PM »
I cant understand why nuclear is unliked, sure its dangerous but so is going into space.

If the rocket was to explode after take off it would potentially (dont know if that spelling is right)  scatter radioactive materials throughout the atmosphere. this i believe is the reason that they dont want to build a nuclear powered space craft.


The reason is right, the logic the people that hate it so much use to get to it is wrong.

Nuclear reactors before they are started have only tiny amounts of radioactivity.  However do not try to apply logic and reason to the green movement.   We have hundreds of nuclear reactors in this world, we just had three do full melt downs in japan, that were old designs, terribly mismanaged, and hit by a 9.0 earthquake and a tsunami.   

The outcome??   0 deaths by radiation...

Currently lightening, soccer, swimming pools, and millions of other things have proven to be far more dangerous... Yet, here we are running scared and closing all nuclear power plants in Germany, halting approval for any in America,  people protesting, running scared, buying iodine.

If we used logic like this on any other industry, we could NEVER drive because car's would have been banned, and protested against years ago.   Eating would be far too dangerous because of the risk of choking, and music would be banned because of the number of people that are distracted while listening to it and have accidents.

Marco2001

  • Mission Commander
  • *****
  • Posts: 353
Re: What type of vehicle would be used to get to The Red Planet?
« Reply #6 on: June 09, 2011, 06:20:31 PM »
Just as a quick reply - nuclear propulsion isn't banned. In fact project PROMETHEUS was restarted by Bush in 2005 and in this decade a probe will be lounchech using nuclear propulsion towards Jupiter called Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter (JIMO).

The best candidate for first flight toward mars will be convenctional propulsion, becouse its fairly good developed.

Hovever - there is VASIMIR plasma propulsion that exists now and may be used in space travel.

Cold fusion does not exist....

Poland here. My time: GMT + 1h
Writing a book about Mars. Any ideas? Type to me.
I'am an Astrobiology/Biology student.

profit004

  • MCCS Test
  • Mission Commander
  • ******
  • Posts: 418
Re: What type of vehicle would be used to get to The Red Planet?
« Reply #7 on: June 10, 2011, 12:30:17 AM »
Banned and unable to be used are two entirely different things...

In America, it may not be banned but if NASA ever tried it, the green nutcases would firebomb the shuttle and kill NASA administrators.

thedubman

  • Mission Commander
  • *****
  • Posts: 416
Re: What type of vehicle would be used to get to The Red Planet?
« Reply #8 on: June 10, 2011, 04:27:14 PM »


The best candidate for first flight toward mars will be convenctional propulsion, becouse its fairly good developed.



..I have allways wondered how much 'easier' it would be to go to the moon these days, using the Apollo missions teqniques but using modern design, materials and modern computers.

outzoner

  • Mission Commander
  • *****
  • Posts: 121
  • new Toys for me!!!
Re: What type of vehicle would be used to get to The Red Planet?
« Reply #9 on: June 13, 2011, 06:12:52 AM »
 ;)   Some of you know that i am living in germany,   and i have to say, there is a real panic about nuclear-system..it has become abnormal after japan earthquake.

germany is very special in this case:  they are winers and have to discuss everything until its dead-every new technology.they are affraid of everything. but the biggest problem is, they think everybody has to do like they do.

in fact i dont really like nuclear devices as well, because of a danger,i cant see..(radiation)
but i know if there is not a better technology to use...i have to accept it.  i just see the problem what to do with the radioactive garbage....

Volunteer for one-way-mission!

profit004

  • MCCS Test
  • Mission Commander
  • ******
  • Posts: 418
Re: What type of vehicle would be used to get to The Red Planet?
« Reply #10 on: June 13, 2011, 11:08:23 AM »
The radioactive waste is dangerous... But it is not that dangerous.  Deep enough, in a stable area, it should harm no one.  And worse case if they left the crap laying on the ground, open to the air, people just could not get near it, it wouldn't spread far or even really contaminate much.

That's right if they left high level nuclear waste on a field in a city,  and put a fence around it, chances are no one would be harmed.

We have a field of High level nuclear waste not far from here, while it is not laying on the ground... It is also not harming anyone.

 http://web.me.com/stewartbrand/DISCIPLINE_footnotes/Dry_cask_files/DryCask.jpg

Each one of those contains about a years worth of a reactors dreaded High level nuclear waste.  

They could be reprocessed for fuel now to fuel other reactors, but the US is kinda sketchy about reprocessing.

If for some reason you went to there and put your arms around one of those casks and stayed there all year... You still wouldn't have enough radiation exposure to make you sick..

I want one for heating my house in the winter, honestly....
« Last Edit: June 13, 2011, 11:11:21 AM by profit004 »

Alasandros

  • Specialist
  • ***
  • Posts: 22
Re: What type of vehicle would be used to get to The Red Planet?
« Reply #11 on: October 07, 2011, 04:28:14 PM »
Personally i believe if/when we ever do go to mars it will be normal chemical propulsion sadly developing a new drive system would take so damn long to fund and approved or grand children's grandchildren s grandchildren would still be waiting. as for the vehicle used.. it will most likely be a ship build in orbit or on the moon from parts and units flown up from the surface  consisting of a drive section, a storage section, mars entry vehicles,  a rotating living / work section (artifical gravity).  and finally the main command section ( zero g) with a radiation / micro meteorite shield. What can i say recent sci-fi isnt all that far of from what would be required...and besides all sci-fi sealing with space and technology eventually become fact....=D