Space/Science — HabitableZone

Space/Science » in reply to None, What Part About Ultimate Goal and Wasting Effort Is It That You Don't Get?

We didn't go straight from Mercury to Apollo for a reason
Larry J — (archived)

The Gemini program was almost an afterthought. NASA realized that going from the very simple 1 man Mercury to the very complex (for the time) 3 man Apollo was too big a leap. They created the Gemini program to accomplish several things that would be necessary for Apollo, such as orbital maneuvering, rendevous and docking, EVAs, and longevity missions up to 2 weeks long. Gemini was the first manned spacecraft to test on orbit computing, fuel cells, and other technologies that would play vital roles in Apollo. Without Gemini, Apollo would likely have either taken much longer or perhaps been a complete failure.

Going straight to Mars is, in my opinion, too big a leap. We need some intermediate steps to develop and prove technologies as to increase our skills. Simply charging ahead because St. Zubrin says so or because we're too impatient to do it right is just plain dumb, IMO.

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