Space/Science — HabitableZone

Space/Science » in reply to re: It is not "flags and footprints", it is CAPS

CAPS
E.P. Grondine — (archived)

Its nor just Mazanek, its a whole team, Chris. Now whose analysis are we supposed to trust here, that of a couple of Mars cultists like you and Mark - it is so refreshing to see Spacegirl2100's comments below and your reactions to them - or should we trust an analysis produced after months of rigorous work by a team of some of the best engineers in the country?

Since your concerns were answered in that analysis, it would be pointless for me to try to repeat those answers here, as well as being a nearly complete waste of my time. But as my left hand needs some exercise this morning, I'll give it a go: the dust can be handled by electrostatic systems. As far as operating costs go, it is easier and cheaper to service fixed Moon based systems - systems in free space would likely have to be replaced entirely quite often. Some detection systems simply can not be built in free space: lidar systems to provide timely warning of the smallest darkest objects. If you want to find a 100m carbonaceous chrondrite before it hits the Earth, your best hope is to use a lidar system based on the Moon. Then there's the problem of optical capabilities: For optical systems, the use of Moon based systems gives you fully 6 more months warning of incoming NECs than the use of free space based ones. That 6 months may likely end up being the difference some day between man's survival or his extinction. As far as sky coverage goes, it's the same. But in free space you also have the problems of having the necessary pointing accuracy and bandwidth, and the power supplies neccessary to provide these, and here Moon based systems are far better.

Like I said at the outset, I am undoubtedly not the person best suited to answer your concerns, so why don't you and Mark write up a detailed statement of the flaws in the CAPS analysis which you two have discovered and send it to Dr. Peiser for the consideration of the Cambridge Conference? That way, perhaps people far more skilled than myself will provide you with the kinds of answers your questions deserve.

Instead of nagging me about these engineering problems, let me speak instead to some of the social issues, issues which I am far better able to speak about.

Every 10 year old who saw either Deep Impact or Armageddon when those movies first came out will be able to vote in the next election.

Nearly every 5 year old feels a certain amount of powerlessness, and they become fascinated with the most physically powerful animals which ever existed, the dinosaurs. They treasure plastic models of dinosaurs, and they often play games in which they immitate dinsosaurs. Every television documentary and book on the dinosaurs now ends in exactly the same way, with all of the dinosaurs, every single one of them, being blown off the face of the Earth by the massive impact of a piece of stuff from space. (I was going to say "shit" here instead of "stuff", but for some reason I thought it would be better to use a more technical term.) An Extinction Level Event, so to speak.

It has been this way since the mid 1970's. All of those 5 year olds now vote.

It's a sad fact, and one difficult to face, but you and Mark's generation, which is among those generations who were children in the 1950' and earlier, those generations which were raised on science fiction which featured an Earth-like Mars, are dying. At best, these people are quitting the Mars Sociey and joining the AARP.

There were no more similar generations raised after Mariner IV sent back its images of the surface of Mars in 1964. That's why so much science fiction since then has been set in a galaxy which is far, far away.

Look you two, you can have your ice cream, BUT ONLY AFTER you've had your DINNER. Why don't you stop nagging me about this, so I can have a little fun too? I guess its simply because you don't have any consideration for other people, now do you? Do you? You two ought to be ashamed of yourselves. If you don't stop it, and stop it right this minute, Space-girl is going to find out exactly what it is you've been up to.

Back to the Moon, this time to stay, and then on, on to Mars

EP

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