Obama wants to go to Mars...

[BlackBII]

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100415/...us_obama_space

CAPE CANAVERAL, Fla. – President Barack Obama predicted Thursday his new space exploration plans would lead American astronauts to Mars and back in his lifetime, a bold forecast relying on rockets and propulsion still to be imagined and built.
"I expect to be around to see it," he said of pioneering U.S. trips, first to an asteroid and then on to Mars. He spoke near the historic Kennedy Space Center launch pads that sent the first men to the moon, a blunt rejoinder to critics, including several former astronauts, who contend his planned changes will instead deal a staggering blow to the nation's manned space program.
"We want to leap into the future," not continue on the same path as before, Obama said as he sought to reassure NASA workers that America's space adventures would soar on despite the impending termination of space shuttle flights.
His prediction was reminiscent of President John F. Kennedy's declaration in 1961, "I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade is out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to Earth." That goal was fulfilled in 1969.
Obama did not predict a Mars landing soon. But he said that by 2025, the nation would have a new spacecraft "designed for long journeys to allow us to begin the first-ever crewed missions beyond the moon into deep space."
"We'll start by sending astronauts to an asteroid for the first time in history," he said. "By the mid-2030s, I believe we can send humans to orbit Mars and return them safely to Earth. And a landing on Mars will follow."
Obama said he was "100 percent committed to the mission of NASA and its future." He outlined plans for federal spending to bring more private companies into space exploration following the soon-to-end space shuttle program.
He acknowledged criticism for his drastic changes to the space agency's direction. But, he said, "The bottom line is: Nobody is more committed to manned space flight, the human exploration of space, than I am. But we've got to do it in a smart way; we can't keep doing the same old things as before."
Obama said the space program is not a luxury but a necessity for the United States.
He noted that the Kennedy Space Center has inspired the nation and the world for half a century. He said NASA represents what it means to be American — "reaching for new heights and reaching for what's possible" — and is not close to its final days.
Obama sought to explain why he aborted President George W. Bush's return-to-the moon plan in favor of a complicated system of public-and-private flights that would go elsewhere in space, with details still to be worked out.
"We've been there before," Obama said of the nation's moon landings decades ago. "There's a lot more of space to explore."
He said his administration would support continued manned exploration of space "not just with dollars, but with clear aims and a larger purpose."
The Obama space plan relies on private companies to fly to the space station, giving them almost $6 billion to build their own rockets and ships. It also extends the space station's life by five years and puts billions into research to eventually develop new government rocket ships for future missions to a nearby asteroid, to the moon, to Martian moons or other points in space. Those stops would be stepping stones on an eventual mission to Mars itself.
Addressing concerns of job losses to space program workers, particularly in Florida, Obama said that "despite some reports to the contrary," his plan would add more than 2,500 jobs to the Cape Canaveral region over the next two years than would the plan worked out by his predecessor.
"We'll modernize the Kennedy Space Center, creating jobs as we upgrade launch facilities. And there is potential for even more job creation as companies in Florida and across America compete to be part of a new space transportation industry.
"This holds the promise of generating more than 10,000 jobs nationwide over the next few years. Many of these jobs will be created in Florida, an area primed to lead in this competition," he said.
Among his most vocal critics has been Neil Armstrong, the first man to walk on the moon. Obama did not mention Armstrong, who did not attend the speech, but he did praise Buzz Aldrin, one of Armstrong's Apollo 11 crewmates.
Aldrin did attend the speech — flying in with Obama on Air Force One.
Obama also said his administration would rescue a small part of the moon program: its Orion crew capsule.
But instead of taking four astronauts to the moon, the not-yet-built Orion will be slimmed down and used as an emergency escape pod for the space station.
Obama spoke in the vast launch complex's Operations and Checkout building — the place where Orion is scheduled to be eventually prepared for launch.
The president said, "This Orion effort will be part of the technological foundation for advanced spacecraft to be used in future deep space missions. In fact, Orion will be readied for flight right here in this room."
White House science adviser John Holdren summed up Obama's program as "a faster pace in space, more missions to more destinations sooner at lower cost."

[r1hatman]

Enough C4 could get him started! LOL

[straycat]

I know, Sara Palin can use her mouth power to get to Mars or wait!!!!! She can get all her ammo together and lite it under her ass and....blast off!!!! lol



Straycat

[LearjetMinako]

Mars or bust? Off to build a bigger rocket.

[master hec0]

its been too long since man has been on a planet.

[Captain Ledd]

I'd be satisfied if we just went to the moon again... Maybe a small permanent moon base and research lab. Probably learn more than going all the way to mars, at least at this point in humanity.

baby steps... lol

[Brett06]

send obama up with the rocket....and all his democrat buddies..... maybe we will get lucky and they wont come back

[Mac]

Originally Posted by master hec0

its been too long since man has been on a planet.

Other than this planet, hasn't happened yet. I really am not going to stop him if he wants to go, several millions of people will help load him in the cargo bay if he wants to save money so baddly. Don't see any purpose other than to say "We've done it". The Moon would be a much more practical (and still expensive) adventure.
Dave

[kimcrwbr1]

Why do we want to go to mars all the women are on venus. :-) There is nothing out there for us It is just a huge waste of money our money. For what! It is a ego driven hoax and we have alot more pressing problems to solve here on earth.

[AllanD]

Originally Posted by kimcrwbr1

Why do we want to go to mars all the women are on venus. :-) There is nothing out there for us It is just a huge waste of money our money. For what! It is a ego driven hoax and we have alot more pressing problems to solve here on earth.

You are wrong.

You are so wrong that I don't know where to begin.

not a single penny will be spent "on mars"

The money will be spend LEARNING things, and there is absolutely no way of knowing what we will learn.

I can tell you we will learn an awful lot and you have no concept how far reaching those changes will be.


You obviously have no idea how much of your life is "Spin off" from the apollo program, not the least of which is the computer technology you are using to demonstrate the monumental nature of your own ignorance and foolishness.

Frankly the answers to many of our earthly problems lie in space.

It's raining soup and people haven't invented buckets yet!

if you really believe that the conventional (liberal) way of "fixing" problems
will do a goddamned thing except make a FEW people feel good about having "done something" please keep it to yourself.

AD

[Nhaz]

Call me crazy but why are we still using rockets to get payloads into space?

The vast majority of the material you need to do anything in space can be sent up without rockets and and unbelievably cheaper.

Sounds crazy?

http://www.dunnspace.com/harp.htm

They were doing it in the 60's

How hard would it be to make it so the packets can be fit together to build larger items? CANNOT possibly be very hard. In a very simple idea think of the childrens toy called LEGO.

Yes people and more delicate instruments would still have to use rockets but as I said MOST of it doesnt need to be.

Ergo the costs of creating items in space and getting Materials in to space drops by HUGE margins.

[Jason]

Originally Posted by Captain Ledd

I'd be satisfied if we just went to the moon again... Maybe a small permanent moon base and research lab. Probably learn more than going all the way to mars, at least at this point in humanity.

baby steps... lol

Assuming we actually did it already. lol