flightglobal.com — A 400,000kg (880,000lb) Marship would be assembled in orbit using six Ares V cargo launch vehicle flights for a 900-day mission to the red planet. - The spacecraft would take a "minimal crew" to Mars in six to seven months, with the crew spending up to 550 days on the surface.
Nov 26, 2007 View in Crawl 4
warriorscotNov 28, 2007
There are engines that we have in development that are faster but they are not Ion engines they are totally different, Ion engines are good for long distances and small vehicles they provide a very small force but do it for an incredibly long time which makes them good for satellites but not much else.
Closed AccountNov 29, 2007
Mars, in all its glory, can not support human life in any meaningful capacity. To go to Mars is to go on a Voyage of Discovery, a joy and worthy goal in and of itself. Humanity is stuck on Earth, which is why we must go to Mars./wait for it...
thekappaDec 2, 2007
The world's going to end in 2012, anyways...:(
toddhenkelDec 9, 2007
What you describe certainly does weigh down the program. But I see that as risk aversion from those in charge. Not wanting to take chance something goes wrong on their watch, they add a layer of protection/management as a buffer. Then that layer of management does the same. Seen that time and time again in the business world. I feel your pain.
Closed AccountFeb 6, 2008
Haha, in my AE courses, English measurements are referred to as "Standard" measurements.