Space/Science — HabitableZone

Space/Science » in reply to EP Always Mentally Blocks Out Any Refrence To Mars

Don't develop target fixation
Larry J — (archived)

Sometimes, when a fighter pilot concentrates too hard on hitting a ground target, he flies right into it. This is target fixation. It sounds like you're developing that with your desire to go to Mars.

Having the ability to go back to the moon, to L points, and to NEOs shouldn't be seen as merely stepping stones to going to Mars. Each of these goals is desirable in its own right, perhaps just as much as going to Mars itself. Developing the capability to fly out of Earth orbit to a variety of destinations will allow for a lot of good science. Many of the systems developed for these other missions would also be useful for a trip to Mars. Having a sustainable space infrastructure and a robust capability to go just about anywhere is far more important than fixating on a single destination, even if it is Mars. Otherwise, even if it was funded, what besides wishful thinking is to prevent a Mars expedition from becoming another "flags and footprints" exercise like Apollo? Once we've "been there and done that", what will we do next?

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