Philosophy
A few astronomical questions.
Philo asks,
Carl Sagan decades ago famously discussed the possibility of planting dark vegetation on Mars to capture heat and hold water, create an atmosphere and biosphere to make it habitable for humans, but the the odds it would work are small and the need does not seem pressing to colonize another planet.
Mars came back up a few years ago because the Hubble's fate was uncertain. It required major repairs and the Bush administration was trying to avoid making them because young Earth creationists hate the Hubble and all of its evidence that the universe is more than four thousand years old. In a classic misdirection move, Bush proposed going to Mars with one hand to seem as bold as Kennedy, garnering lots of "look, he's pro-space" headlines, while using the other hand to kill one of NASA's most beloved projects. As soon as the possibility of Hubble's demise became public, the storm made abandoning it untenable and Mars-talk went away, too.
Brock asks,
C. Ewing asks,
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- Soon..."curiosity" Will Be "up, Up, And Away" Towards Mars...november 25th, 2011
"NASA: New Mars rover will look for the ingredients of life" November 10th, 2011 Los Angeles Times If you think that people who believe in the possibility of extraterrestrial life are kooks, you probably haven't talked to a NASA space scientist...
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- Mars Died Today...in 1999
Mars? Forrest Edward Mars, that is...the chocolate bar maker. American candy manufacturer who led Mars Inc., one of the world's largest confectionery companies. After helping to develop the Milky Way bar for his father's candy-making business,...
Philosophy
Space and Beer
A few astronomical questions.
Philo asks,
"What are the odds that we will send humans to Mars and eitherI say the odds are very slim that we'll ever send a human to Mars. Manned spaceflight is expensive in terms of time, money, and resources that could be dedicated to lots of real science that isn't getting done. Further, with robotics there isn't that much advantage given the excessive price.
1) return them safely to Earth, or
2) successfully colonize Mars
by 2057 (the Sputnik Centennial)?"
Carl Sagan decades ago famously discussed the possibility of planting dark vegetation on Mars to capture heat and hold water, create an atmosphere and biosphere to make it habitable for humans, but the the odds it would work are small and the need does not seem pressing to colonize another planet.
Mars came back up a few years ago because the Hubble's fate was uncertain. It required major repairs and the Bush administration was trying to avoid making them because young Earth creationists hate the Hubble and all of its evidence that the universe is more than four thousand years old. In a classic misdirection move, Bush proposed going to Mars with one hand to seem as bold as Kennedy, garnering lots of "look, he's pro-space" headlines, while using the other hand to kill one of NASA's most beloved projects. As soon as the possibility of Hubble's demise became public, the storm made abandoning it untenable and Mars-talk went away, too.
Brock asks,
"Will jokes about Uranus ever stop being funny?"No. But on a serious note, there are deep and interesting questions about the outer planets, so make sure to try hard to wrap your head around Uranus.
C. Ewing asks,
"Is there an important difference between a stout and a porter?"According to Michael Jackson, the term "Porter" for dark heavy beers came into being first, most likely to define a mixture of the three types of beer brewed at the the time -- ale, beer, and two-penny. It became popular around the time that mass transit first started and the name "Porter" became attached to it most likely because it was popular with manual laborers. As these became more widely appreciated, different approaches to Porter started to develop and those with a fuller, deeper body were termed stout porters. At this point, the names are generally used interchangeably.
- A Different Concept For The Colonization For Mars
Abstract... Humanity has the knowledge to solve its problems but lacks the moral insight to implement these ideas on a global scale. New moral insight can be obtained through transformative experiences that allow us to examine and refine our underlying...
- Indian Space Missions...up, Up, And Away--a Good Thing
"Mythbusting India's Mars Mission" by Morris Jones November 6th, 2013 SpaceDaily The successful launch of India's Mars Orbiter Mission is a major step forward for an advancing Asian space power. The global space community has applauded the flight,...
- Soon..."curiosity" Will Be "up, Up, And Away" Towards Mars...november 25th, 2011
"NASA: New Mars rover will look for the ingredients of life" November 10th, 2011 Los Angeles Times If you think that people who believe in the possibility of extraterrestrial life are kooks, you probably haven't talked to a NASA space scientist...
- Great Idea From Martin Rees On Space Exploration And Man
I have been advocating this for years. "No need for manned spaceflight, says astronomer royal Martin Rees" Martin Rees believes sending people into space is pointless and a waste of money'' by Cian O'Luanaigh July 26th, 2010 guardian.co.uk...
- Mars Died Today...in 1999
Mars? Forrest Edward Mars, that is...the chocolate bar maker. American candy manufacturer who led Mars Inc., one of the world's largest confectionery companies. After helping to develop the Milky Way bar for his father's candy-making business,...