How many children will you have? — OZONE Asylum, home of the Mad Scientists

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How many children will you have?

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Your Text: Insert Slimies » Insert UBB Code » Close Last Tag \| All Tags UBB Help	Nuclear Propulsion Drives (aka Atomic Drives) already exist and have been used - I believe that the Probe that visited that Comet was using one IIRC. There is a very good and valid reason to set up mining on the Moon - because as I said, the Moon has plenty of a rare type of isotop of Helium that is very easy to reach - it is on the surface. Very easy is subjective here, because of course one would have to set up a mining platform on the Moon and that would not be easy. Would it be cost effective? Well, due to the gravity well of Earth being much stronger than the Moon's, it should be. I think there is incentive enough for the near exploration of the Solar System (especially raw material type of incentive = money). I know there are companies right now with plans on how to get to some of it (like that on the Moon, for instance). You know, 20 years ago, it was unthinkable that a private company would be able to put a manned craft into orbit. Well, we got that (yeah, so it was only for a little bit, but it succeeded). Next stop will either be the Moon itself (big prize for the first private company to put something on the Moon, btw) or near orbit in the form of a Space Station I think. We already know there are enough peeps with money who will be willing to spend alot to get into Space to make it worthwhile, provided the costs can be brought down, which is why commercializing these things is important (and ongoing). The problem with the food has already been solved, really. It remains one to get it to a point where it will be possible to put it in a reasonable environment suitable for space travel without exploding a reasonable budget. How do you think they are going to do a manned mission to Mars that will probably take a year (closest point from earth in orbits required, btw)? Food and Water are minor things compared to the air required here - but much of that has already been addressed. Yes, they will be required to grow the food, recycle the air and water. These systems already exist, however, and have been both tested in a lab and in practice (see the various Earth experiments, if you wish). Radiation is a much better argument here, and one that is hard to deal with. To be honest, I am not up to date on protection systems for such - so I can't tell you. Definitely a risk here. I rather suspect that there will need to be a "safe room" probably of a very thick or resistant material where the crew can hide in the case of a really nasty storm. As for getting out of the Solar System - I rather suspect that one would use the Slingshot method combined with a Nuclear (Atomic) Drive. Since we have never purposely attempted to find out just how fast we can get something up to speed by Slingshotting them, one has to use math to do some calculations. Not sure how much time such would take to get something up to a fast enough speed to make a near star journey feasible (probably something like 4 - 8 light years distance here). But of course, we would need to first find a habitable type planet within range first. I think that is holding things up more than anything else. Who cares about reaching another star system in X years except for scientists and kooks like me? But another inhabitable planet like Earth...I think that would energize things quite a bit! Perhaps the new satelites put into orbit (or the Hubble if it gets fixed up) will find one - who knows? Before, we could only theorize about planets and calculate their existence - now we have physical evidence that they really exist outside of the Solar System. With a bit more refinement, maybe we will soon be at a point where we can "see" earthlike worlds. BTW - if we do manage to do a manned mission to Mars, I will not require you to eat the hat - instead, you can just join in with me in the celebration ;) Please keep in mind that I am not saying that such will definitely occur - I think the chance of something along what I am picturing to be remote to none of really happening. That said, it is [b]possible[/b], and that is my argument here. [url=http://faq.ozoneasylum.com/397/]WebShaman[/url] \| [i]The keenest sorrow (and greatest truth) is to recognize ourselves as the sole cause of all our adversities. - Sophocles[/i] Loading...
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