242

We could make concrete too.

243

Theoretically.

244

Wouldn’t bet against it, robotics and machine learning are getting pretty good and they both progresses exponentially.

245

Of course … all of which need to be flown to Mars and safely landed on the surface. Quite an undertaking.

246

Musk dropped payload costs by a factor of ten and says can do it again, I wouldn’t bet against him.

247

And?

Reducing cost doesn’t make the difficultly any less, it just makes it more affordable … or rather less unaffordable.

248

Of course lowering costs makes it less difficult. That isn’t arguable.

249

No … the technical difficulties are the same. It’s just easier to come up with the money to try doing it.

250

No, the technical difficulties change with cost, Mass for radiation shielding as one example. Drop the cost of orbit payload by a factor of ten, you increased mass shielding by a factor of ten.

251

Tonnage doesn’t need to worry about radiation. That’s only an issue for people. Musk hasn’t solved that problem. He also hasn’t really resolved the risk to people that landing on the surface involves, nor has he figured out how to get anyone who survives the landing back to Earth. Listening to him talk, it sounds like he is expecting a maned mission to Mars to be a one way trip.

252

As it stands, it is a one way trip.

253

Wow. Cool premise for a sci fi book…

First the implications of a one way mission…the Mars explorers will land on Mars, explore for two years. When their food and oxygen supplies run out they will take cynide pills and milk themselves…is that ethical? Are they hero’s of fools or chumps?

Then, of course, they discover something that changes everything!!!

254

Just a fact, 120% of allowable radiation for a return trip at present. And that is if they are lucky. The radiation problem hasn’t been solved as of yet. Doubt they go until it is solved.

255

Right - that’s why the crew plans on killing themselves in the name of science.

But, then they stumble across the crew from the FIRST mission! How can they be alive! They sent the message that they were ingesting their cyanide years ago. How have they survived?

They will share their secret discoveries that allowed them to survive with the second mission…only if they promise to cut off all communications with earth…until they mount their attack…

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256

Don’t quit your day job.

257

WE HAVEN’T GOTTEN TO THE GOO PART YET!!!

I know what you are thinking…Martians…but no…it’s not Martians…it’s earthlings. Earthlings from…THE FUTURE!!!

258

Van Allen belts are nothing compared to the Van Winkle suspenders…

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259

Presumably that trend continues for successive missions? How will they keep their activities secret?

260

Not sure…but at some point the mars mission people have to attack the earth…in order to save it!!

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