PsYcHoLoGiCaL

NASA has found massive Ice reservoirs on mars, so vast that if all of it were too all melt it could form a ocean on mars large enough to cover the enitre planet 500 meters deep.

This is pretty amazing, Check it out.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci...00/2009318.stm

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"Many of life's failures are people who did not realize how close they were to success when they gave up." -- Thomas A. Edison

Wired Hatred 420

OMG! That just blows my stoned mind!!! I really hope they send someone to mars! That would be such a trip. I need to go take another bong hit.....

bcbudman

douglas adams rules - the worlds best advice "dont panic"

i was listening to triple jjj radio australia yesterday and the dj mentioned a news reel he heard that said this will make travel to the planet possible. lack of water for austronauts was one of the major concerns... not a very good source but it amazing hwo quickly these theories form. What a dramatic story. Really makes me think how insignifigant I am and how little we know.

mindraver

i wonder how long before we send a colonization crew to Mars? dont we need to build faster ships?

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Cannabis is my anti-drug.
- the mindraver

PsYcHoLoGiCaL

No, we dont really need faster spaceships they already have it all drawn up on how it would work. Basicly what you do is slingshot around the moon to build speed, after that it will take around 8 to 9 months to get there. A long time but hey its possible, and thats probably how they will do it when the time comes, unless there is some new technology avaible. The cost of the mission would be around 20 billion dollars too.

Scuba-Steve

last i heard a trip to mars (with the slingshot method) woudl take ~6 months. i was readign some space sxploration article saying they are trying to get to mars in the next 10 or so years

PsYcHoLoGiCaL

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci...00/2010799.stm

The article is writen by the BBC, and is entitled "Manned Mars mission some way off". They belive this despite the new evidence of ICE on mars. Its a pretty good read, I highly suggest it.

Oh and as for the 6th months, well I guess there are differnt estimates. In fact the article says around 300 days. I think the time you start the mission is also a big factor, I mean you would have to time it right so that mars is as close too earth as possible when you start the mission.

FootlongFatty

I think you mean : they would have to time it so mars would be as close to earth as possible at the time that the ship would reach it. If they start the mission when mars is closest, wont it have orbited further away by the time the ship gets there?

Nevertheless, very exciting stuff, i like the fact that were (mankind) gettin away from earth because well, in the future there will be no earth. although i dont think mars would be any better for the lOoooooong term, it's a step in the right direction.

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PsYcHoLoGiCaL

Hrmm ok you're right, hehe but that was what I was thinking, oh well.

mindraver

i still say we need faster ships! come on now, when are we going to discover *warp speed* or something like it? having to use the moon to gain momentum seems old and out-dated to me, but i wouldnt care what method we use as long as someone gets to go.