Space/Science — HabitableZone

Space/Science » in reply to I Think You're Both Right & Wrong

Getting to Mars
Don — (archived)

Getting to Mars is a more daunting enterprise than any of us can reasonably imagine. The hazards are logarithmically greater than any we faced going to the moon or currently experienced aboard ISS.

I view ISS and establishing a permanent presence on the moon as the appropriate means to develop the experience and technology needed to get to Mars. Likewise, a number of unmanned probes to Mars are still necessary to get a clear idea about how to earn a safe living on the beige planet. They are simply stepping stones along the way.

The single longest period of time anyone has spent in space was the 438 days Dr. Valeri Vladimirovich Polyakov spent aboard Soyuz TM-18 from 1994 to 1995. With that he was well protected from radiation by earth's magentic field and effectely tethered to the earth with routine re-supplies. Sending a half dozen individuals to Mars for essentially two years is significantly more challenging. It will eventually be done, but not without paving the way first.

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