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DESPITE DISCOVERY OF WATER ON MARS, SEVERAL TECHNICAL AND PRACTICAL BARRIERS EXIST TO A MARS MISSION-Venezia and Harrison '04



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DESPITE DISCOVERY OF WATER ON MARS, SEVERAL TECHNICAL AND PRACTICAL BARRIERS EXIST TO A MARS MISSION-Venezia and Harrison '04

[Todd and Bridget; MANNED JOURNEY FACES MISSION IMPOSSIBILITIES; THe New York Post; 3 March 2004; page 9]


With the discovery of Mars' watery past and President Bush's call for a manned Mars mission ASAP, excitement has been growing over the prospect of humans setting foot on the Red Planet.

But science experts warned that would-be astronauts should not be packing their bags just yet - a great number of costly and dangerous obstacles stand firmly in the way.

"It's unlikely people are going to go to Mars soon and this finding [of water on Mars in the geologic past] wouldn't have one iota of influence on it," said Martin Weiss, director of the New York Hall of Science in Queens.

"I don't think the technology is there," said Weiss.


MARS DIRECT IS BETTER AS A PARABLE THAN A GOOD PROGRAM WITH FLESHED OUT DETAILS-Portree '97

[David S.F.; The new Martian chronicles; Astronomy; August 1997; page 32]


Others had proposed making fuel on Mars before Zubrin, but no one called for such a profound reliance on martian resources. Using martian fuel for the trip home cuts the amount of weight launched from Earth. Two big rockets would be sufficient to launch Zubrin's expedition directly to Mars, with no Earth-orbital assembly.

According to Joosten, Mars Direct's concepts are "parables . . . that is, good lessons, good ideas to look at, but not necessarily correct in their details." In 1993, JSC planners modified some of Zubrin's details to come up with their version of Mars Direct. It's called Mars Semi-Direct, and is the point of departure for current NASA Mars mission planning.



THE TECHNOLOGY REQUIRED FOR A MARS MISSION REQUIRED A “MIRACLE”-Pendick '09

[Daniel; Next step MARS?; Astronomy; August 2009; page 30]


The challenge of landing heavy payloads on the martian surface is just one of the multiple leaps in technology required to carry out Mars Direct and the NASA reference mission. "There are a few ‘miracle occurs' steps that we have to invent," Manning concedes.

Quickly inflating an SIAD -- nearly the wingspan of a Boeing 747 -- at several thousand miles per hour is among the major "insert miracle here" steps that stand in the way of getting to Mars. But don't despair, Manning says: "It's not impossible; it's just a challenge. Put this on your list of things to do, America."


MARS IS TOO UNREALISTIC AND EXPENSIVE-Easterbrook '04

[Gregg; Red Scare - Bush's goofy Mars proposal; The New Republic; 2 February 2004; page 12]


When skeptics point out how expensive and unrealistic a Mars mission would be, proponents often reply, "What if Queen Isabel had told Columbus his plan was too expensive and unrealistic?" But George W. Bush's proposal that the United States mount a mission to Mars, throwing in a moon base to boot, is not like Columbus's proposal to explore the Indies--it's more like a 1492 expedition to the South Pole.

However bold, Columbus's westward journey from Spain to the Bahamas was not notably different from long ocean voyages that had already been undertaken by others, his destination was hospitable to life, and chances were he would find something of greater value to the throne than it had paid for his ships and stores. By contrast, a trip to the South Pole would have been dramatically longer and more difficult than any before--a phenomenally expensive and risky journey to a place hostile to life, where, even if he survived, Columbus stood little chance of finding anything of value commensurate with the voyage's cost. Isabel would have been a fool not to say, "This is too expensive and unrealistic."


MARS DIRECT HAS NO BACKUP VEHICLE, INCREASING THE DANGER-Portree '97

[David S.F.; The new Martian chronicles; Astronomy; August 1997; page 32]


Every spacecraft in Mars Semi-Direct has a backup, so the plan is less risky than Mars Direct. In addition, the Earth Return Vehicle never lands on Mars. It stays in Mars orbit, where the crew reaches it using a Mars Ascent Vehicle powered by martian fuel. NASA's 1993 plan uses three Saturn V-class rockets, one each for the Surface Habitat, the Earth Return Vehicle, and the Mars Ascent Vehicle/Fuel Factory.
ZUBRIN AND OTHERS IGNORE BASIC TECHNOLOGICAL NEEDS REQUIRED FOR A MARS MISSION-Pendick '09

[Daniel; Next step MARS?; Astronomy; August 2009; page 30]


On the extreme of Mars mission skepticism sits Donald Rapp, a retired JPL engineer who has performed detailed analyses of human spaceflight to Mars. In his 2007 book, Human Missions to Mars,

Rapp dissects the underlying assumptions of the NASA Design Reference Mission on a cellular level. Rapp credits the important role of Mars advocates like Zubrin. But he criticizes enthusiasm that may exceed reality. "They're visionaries," Rapp says. "People like Zubrin can look across the desert and see the greenery of the orchids beyond. But you still have to get across the desert, and they tend to underestimate grossly what it takes to do that."



DESPITE ADVANCEMENT IN THE DIRECTION OF MARS, THE TIMEFRAME IS DECADES, NOT YEARS-Keck '99

[Aries; Settling the Solar System; Astronomy; December 1999; page 60]


Some engineers say Zubrin underestimates the cost and difficulty of a manned Mars mission. But it seems NASA has been listening. The most recent Mars mission concepts developed at Johnson Space Center use many of Zubrin's ideas, and official cost estimates now fall into a relatively affordable $50-billion price range. And while the time frame is still a matter of decades and not years, NASA will launch a series of robotic missions that are geared toward helping humans survive the grueling six-month trip to Mars, the probable 500-day surface stay, and the equally gruelling six-month return trip.
EVEN WITH ITS ADVANTAGES, DEVELOPING TECHNOLOGY NEEDED FOR A MARS MISSION IS A DAUNTING TASK-Oberg '99

[James; Missionaries to Mars; Technology Review; January/February 1999; page 54]


And Mars does offer certain advantages over the moon as a mission target. Drag from its atmosphere helps approaching vehicles slow down without expending as much rocket fuel as needed on the airless moon. And Mars, unlike the moon, has plentiful supplies of water ice and gaseous carbon dioxide (raw materials for oxygen, hydrogen and hydrocarbon fuels). But developing the proper equipment to exploit these local resources is a daunting task.
MUST HAVE MORE THAN A SENSE OF EXCITEMENT TO JUSTIFY A MARS MISSION-Portree '97

[David S.F.; The new Martian chronicles; Astronomy; August 1997; page 32]


But major challenges stand between the dream and its reality. Travelers to Mars will have to cope with low levels of gravity for a long time, avoid large doses of radiation, deal with a chemically reactive martian soil, and perhaps even ward off contamination by martian life. But according to Michael Duke, a scientist at the Lunar and Planetary Institute in Houston who has long been involved in Mars mission planning, the biggest challenge might come from robots. "We need to demonstrate a need to send people," Duke says. "It is no longer considered sufficient to propose human exploration based on excitement."
ISS AND PREVIOUS MISSIONS AND SYSTEMS WERE NOT NEARLY AS BIG OF COMPLEX SYSTEMS AS A TRIP TO MARS-Manzey '04

[Dietrich; Institute of Psychology and Ergonomics, Technical University of Berlin; Human missions to Mars: new psychological challenges and research issues; Acta Astronautica; August-November 2004; page 781]


Since the first flight of a human being into Earth orbit, human spaceflight has shown an impressive evolution. Compared to early space flights which lasted only a few hours or days, today's space missions are characterized by a much longer duration and a higher degree of crew heterogeneity with respect to cultural and professional background. To date, a total of five Russian cosmonauts have stayed on an orbital space station for almost one year or longer with a maximum mission duration of 438 days, and the Apollo lunar program has already provided first experiences with sending humans beyond Earth orbit. The International Space Station (ISS), which has been put into service for permanent occupation in 2000, currently marks the preliminary culmination of this development. However, even this big achievement only must be regarded as a further step towards a much bigger endeavor, i.e. human interplanetary missions to Mars.

EXTRAORDINARY TECHNICAL CHALLENGES REMAIN FOR A MARS MISSION-Oberg '99

[James; Missionaries to Mars; Technology Review; January/February 1999; page 54]


If humans are to make it to mars, However, it will take much more than excitement. The successful flights of astronauts to the moon and back during the Apollo program of 1968 to 1972 rank as some of the greatest historical achievements of human technology; engineers overcame challenges in dozens of fields, including propulsion, thermal protection, communications and navigation, in a coordinated fashion. But the technological challenge of a manned mission to Mars represents a different order of magnitude.
ADDITIONAL TECHNOLOGY NEEDS TO BE DEVELOPED BEFORE PROGRAMS LIKE MARS DIRECT ARE A REALITY-Pendick '09

[Daniel; Next step MARS?; Astronomy; August 2009; page 30]


Current EDL technology will reach its limit in 2011 with the planned landing of the Mars Science Laboratory (MSL). Its mass on the ground will be 1,984 pounds (900 kilograms). Conventional combinations of heat shields, parachutes, and thrusters are not up to the task of landing anything heavier than the MSL rover.

But Mars Direct and the NASA DRM envision payloads ranging from 30 to 60 metric tons. (A metric ton is 1,000 kilograms of mass, or about 2,200 pounds of weight on Earth.) With current EDL technology, we can't land a Cooper Mini on Mars -- curb weight with manual transmission 2,524 pounds (1,145kg) -- much less a capsule with astronauts.

Manning and other EDL experts say a human landing will take new technologies. Mars Direct and the Design Reference Mission both rely on parachutes for the descent. But the Red Planet's thin atmosphere means parachutes would need to be extremely large and able to deploy quickly at supersonic speeds without tangling or shredding. "You would need a parachute about a football field across," Manning says. "It would easily, when flattened out, be a nice canopy for the Rose Bowl."
FACTORING IN EXISTING MISSIONS AND THE UNSOLVED TECHNICAL CHALLENGES PUTS THE UNITED STATES ON THE MOON IN 2080-Pendick '09

[Daniel; Next step MARS?; Astronomy; August 2009; page 30]


Rapp says $10 billion a year for up to 30 years might get us to Mars. Factoring in the delay of NASA's plan to return to the Moon and all the unsolved challenges, he says it could take NASA until 2080 to get boots on the martian surface.
MUCH PREPARATORY RESEARCH IS REQUIRED BEFORE APPROPRIATE COUNTERMEASURES CAN BE DEVELOPED FOR A STAFFED MARS MISSION-Manzey '04

[Dietrich; Institute of Psychology and Ergonomics, Technical University of Berlin; Human missions to Mars: new psychological challenges and research issues; Acta Astronautica; August-November 2004; page 781]


From the foregoing analysis it becomes clear that much preparatory research will be needed before the psychological risks associated with Mars missions finally can be assessed and new concepts for countermeasures can be developed. Certainly, one important approach of research will involve empirical studies during long-duration space missions onboard the ISS. Such studies will represent the most directapproach to investigate psychological issues associated with long-duration space missions. In particular, they are an indispensable element for investigating any issues related to the prolonged exposure to hypogravity. However, the opportunities for this research are limited by both, the number of flights, as well as crew time constraints. Furthermore, the range of issues that can be investigated during actual spaceflight is naturally limited to those which do not conflict with operational demands or safety. Thus, it seems fair to say that spaceflight studies alone will not be sufficient to accumulate the knowledge needed for extrapolating psychological issues which might arise during a flight to Mars.

SOLVENCY: SPECIFIC TECHNICAL BARRIERS PREVENT A MARS MISSION


ANY OF THE TECHNICAL CHALLENGES OF A MARS MISSION IS A MISSION DEAL-BREAKER-Christian Science Monitor '04

[A Countdown to Mars; Bush's space mission needs a 10-point reality check; The Christian Science Monitor; 16 January 2004; page 10]


Is a Mars trip even technologically and humanly possible? One reason Bush proposed a moon base first is to work out the many potential hitches. Can the moon's minerals be tapped for fuel to launch spacecraft or sustain a colony? Can humans withstand the radiation of space for months? Any one of such problems could be a mission deal-breaker.
MARTIAN DUST IS THE REAL PROBLEM FOR MARS MISSIONS-Portree '97

[David S.F.; The new Martian chronicles; Astronomy; August 1997; page 32]


More than radiation, Joosten is concerned with the infiltration of martian dust, which both Viking landers showed was highly reactive when exposed to water. "We will fly an experiment that exposes martian dust to a wet, warm, oxygen atmosphere, like that inside a Mars habitat," he says. Finegrained martian dust will inevitably enter any outpost humans establish on Mars. For one thing, astronauts will track it in on their space suits. "It will be a mess," Joosten says, "and could present a real problem if it's toxic." The 2001 Surveyor might also evaluate experimental dust filters.

Tracking in dust could also lead to an invasion of any martian microbes present in the soil. James Gooding runs the laboratory at NASA's Johnson Spaceflight Center that stores and studies moon rocks collected by the Apollo astronauts 25 years ago. Gooding says NASA has adopted a "conservative approach" to handling Mars materials to avoid "back-contamination"--that is, the accidental releasing of possible martian organisms on Earth.


MANY SCIENTIFIC BARRIERS EXIST TO A MARS MISSION-Venezia and Harrison '04

[Todd and Bridget; MANNED JOURNEY FACES MISSION IMPOSSIBILITIES; THe New York Post; 3 March 2004; page 9]


Science would also have to figure out how to make water out of the hydrogen and oxygen, since carrying a two-year supply would be difficult and no liquid water has been found.

For now, scientists said we need to learn more and that yesterday's finding, while stunning, is only the first of many steps that need to be taken.

"There is an enormous amount of science that needs doing on the planet before we go there," Shara said. "Going there will be very difficult for another twenty to twenty-five years.”
NO ROCKETS EXIST TODAY TO EVEN LIFT THE SIDE ORBITER REQUIRED INTO SPACE-Easterbrook '04

[Gregg; Red Scare - Bush's goofy Mars proposal; The New Republic; 2 February 2004; page 12]


Going from Earth's surface to orbit requires a lot of energy and is very expensive with existing technology. At the current space shuttle launch price of $20 million per ton, merely placing 1,000 tons of Mars- bound equipment into orbit would cost $20 billion--more than nasa's entire annual budget. And that's just the cost to launch the stuff. Design, construction, staffing, and support would all cost much more.

But the space shuttle isn't the right vehicle to carry Mars-mission hardware into orbit, as each 240-ton spacecraft would require numerous shuttle flights (the effective maximum payload for the shuttle is around 15 tons), followed by elaborate in-orbit assembly. To avoid these problems, some Mars advocates propose using a super-rocket to launch each 240-ton, Mars-bound craft as a single, complete unit. The only problem is that no rocket exists today that could place a 240-ton vehicle into orbit; the most powerful rocket ever built, the Saturn V, could lift only about one-half of that. Presumably, a mega-rocket could be designed, but the development cost of the Saturn V was about $40 billion in today's dollars, and a rocket that towered over the Saturn V in size would surely tower over it in cost as well. Developing a new super-rocket and using it to launch 1,000 tons bound for Mars could easily cost $100 billion. Again, that's just to launch the stuff-- design, construction, staffing, and support would all cost significantly more.


RADIATION MAKES STAFFED MARS MISSIONS FAR MORE COMPLEX THAN A MISSION TO THE MOON-Wald '03

[Matthew; Mars Mission's Invisible Enemy: Radiation; The New York Times; 9 December 2003; page F1]


As the United States considers new goals for NASA after the loss of the Columbia, some space enthusiasts have renewed calls for a mission to Mars.

But a team of physicists and biologists here at a laboratory on Long Island is demonstrating that even if the nation wanted to commit to such a goal, it would be far more complex than the Moon mission that gripped the country in the 60's.

One reason is radiation, in the form of heavy ions from distant stars, zipping through everything in their path. Others include price, estimated at $30 billion to $60 billion, and launching enough food, supplies and fuel for a round trip. Any one of these could make the project impractical.
THREE MASSIVE TECHNICAL PROBLEMS EXIST THAT PREVENT MARS EXPLORATION-Wald '03

[Matthew; Mars Mission's Invisible Enemy: Radiation; The New York Times; 9 December 2003; page F1]


The NASA administrator, Sean O'Keefe, has identified radiation as one of three problems that will have to be solved before a Mars mission. The others are better propulsion and on-board power generation.

Brookhaven is studying the radiation in a a sprinkling of undistinguished-looking corrugated metal buildings, connected by low earthen berms. ''That's where the action is,'' said Mona Rowe, a spokeswoman. The berms are shields for tracks underneath that carry the accelerated particles that slammed into targets or one another. Above the berms, wild turkeys amble through the woods.

The radiation environment that the accelerator is mimicking is vastly different from the terrestrial one.
SHOULD WAIT ON MARS GOAL UNTIL WE HAVE INTERMEDIATE TECHNOLOGIES-Easterbrook '04

[Gregg; Red Scare - Bush's goofy Mars proposal; The New Republic; 2 February 2004; page 12]


At least, Spain would have waited until steam ships and other advances made a trip to the South Pole imaginable. And that realism points to the big question hanging over Bush's moon-Mars proposal: Why not wait until technology renders such travel less impracticable? There's no reason right now to go back to the moon, other than as make-work for aerospace contractors. For 30 years, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (nasa) has sent no automated probes to the moon, because no one has proposed anything compelling for even robots to do there. And, while a Mars visit would be an exhilarating moment for human history, planning for Mars before improving space technology is putting the cart ahead of the horse. Nasa's urgent priority should be finding a new system of placing pounds into orbit: If there were some less costly, safer way to reach space than either the space shuttle or current rockets, then grand visions might become affordable. And, if there were some new form of propulsion, Mars flight might become practical. But, today, the maximum speed of spacecraft propelled by chemical rockets is such that each leg of a Mars voyage could take up to a year, meaning that the ship would have to carry huge quantities of supplies and the astronauts would have to cope with the psychological effects of extended close confinement. Once advanced propulsion offers higher speeds, Mars travel might become thinkable. Until then, Bush's sweeping visions are a formula for wasting money.
SOLVENCY: HUMAN SAFETY AND PSYCHOLOGY FACTORS ARE KEY
EVEN IF TECHNOLOGICALLY FEASIBLE, THE KEY ISSUE FOR TRAVEL TO MARS IS THE MEDICAL AND PSYCHOLOGICAL CHALLENGES-Manzey '04

[Dietrich; Institute of Psychology and Ergonomics, Technical University of Berlin; Human missions to Mars: new psychological challenges and research issues; Acta Astronautica; August-November 2004; page 781]


As becomes evident from these studies, there can be no doubt that future space missions will go beyond the Earth's orbit. The fundamental technologies required for such flights are already available and the only question seems to be when the first humans will be sent on an interplanetary flight. However, technical feasibility is just one important aspect of such a mission. Beyond that different medical and psychological challenges need to be considered, which might become a limiting factor for a human mission to Mars.
THE PROSPECTS OF DAILY RADIATION DOSES TO HUMAN PASSENGERS ALONE SHOULD BE ENOUGH TO CANCEL MARS EXPLORATION PLANS-Kibbins '04

[Gary; To boldly stay home?; Globe & Mail; 9 January 2004; page A14]


It's entirely appropriate that the two authors of It's Logical: On To The Final Frontier (Jan. 7) would invoke a campy sci-fi television program to frame their support of a manned mission to Mars. No cliche about "what it means to be fully human" and "our need for heroes and adventurers" was too corny for their argument.

Despite countless billions of dollars, the space shuttles (which are too unsafe to launch) can no longer serve the International Space Station (which has sprung a leak). Nevertheless, to remain "fully human," the argument goes, we must press on to Mars, for "it may be crucial for our species' evolution."

On the same day, The Washington Post published an opinion piece by Anne Applebaum, a mere journalist, who preferred to apply a more rational and responsible approach -- traits also thought to be "crucial to our species' evolution." Her article, titled Mission To Nowhere, outlined the folly, waste and misplaced vanity of such "vision."

The mission, with its mind-boggling price tag, is without perceivable goals, apart from proving to ourselves that we are, yes, human, in that indomitability-of-the-human-spirit kind of way. But if the rather pathetic and insecure nature of that argument doesn't do it, the prospects of a constant dose of deadly radiation should be enough to scuttle the mission. Ms. Applebaum quotes a NASA scientist, who knows we will not go to Mars: "Space is not Star Trek, but the public certainly doesn't understand that."


MUTANT DISEASES WILL HURT ASTRONAUTS ON THE WAY TO MARS-Tham ‘09

[Ker; Mutant Diseases May Cripple Missions to Mars, Beyond; National Geographic News; 4 November 2009; http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/pf/77492132.html; retrieved 28 July 2011]


Mutant hitchhikers may become a major hurdle in the quest to send humans deeper into the galaxy, scientists say.

That's because no matter how fit astronauts feel at liftoff, they're likely to be carrying disease-causing microbes such as toxic E. coli and Staphylococcus strains.

Charged particles zipping through space, known as cosmic rays, can mutate the otherwise manageable microbes, spurring the bugs to reproduce quicker and become more virulent, recent studies show.

At the same time, exposure to cosmic rays and the stresses of long-term weightlessness can dampen the human immune system, encouraging diseases to take hold.

Aboard spaceships without advanced medical care, illness could cripple human missions to Mars and beyond, according to a new report published this month in the Journal of Leukocyte Biology. (Get Mars exploration pictures, facts, and more.)

"What is the interest of having people on Mars if they cannot efficiently perform the analyses and studies scheduled during their mission?" said study co-author Jean-Pol Frippiat, an immunologist at Nancy University in France.




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