NASA to build rocket that will take humans to Mars

[Mather]

NASA has unveiled a new design for a rocket that they hope will take humans to Mars and the asteroids. The Space Launch System (SLS) as it will be known, is part of NASA's post-Shuttle era programme for space exploration.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-14915725

[Q]

Interesting. How does the SLS compare to the Ares rockets in the cancelled Constellation Program?

[Mather]

Interesting. How does the SLS compare to the Ares rockets in the cancelled Constellation Program?


I have no idea, never heard of Ares or the Constellation programme.

Was it a former NASA programme?

[ВАЛТЕР]

Aren't the Russians ahead of the Americans on the whole "Mission to Mars" thing?

Idk, personally I think we need to handle things here on Earth before we decide to go about flying in space.

[Q]

I have no idea, never heard of Ares or the Constellation programme.

Was it a former NASA programme?

Yes, it was once the prime candidate for becoming the successor of the shuttle (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Constellation_program). It was cancelled last year which many here saw as a huge setback for NASA's ability to perform advanced scientific research.

[Tablo]

Aren't the Russians ahead of the Americans on the whole "Mission to Mars" thing?

Idk, personally I think we need to handle things here on Earth before we decide to go about flying in space.
I've always assumed Russia to be ahead, technologically, in space exploration as a whole. I hate how everyone focuses their hopes on NASA and ignores the existence of other space programs...

[Rufio]

Aren't the Russians ahead of the Americans on the whole "Mission to Mars" thing?

Idk, personally I think we need to handle things here on Earth before we decide to go about flying in space.
I think whenever humans push past their boundaires it results in (potential) improvements for people. I also don't think the (realtively) small amounts spent on space exploration are the answer to erath's problems.

Besides, haven't you read the Mars trilogy? :cool:

[Salyut]

I've always assumed Russia to be ahead, technologically, in space exploration as a whole. I hate how everyone focuses their hopes on NASA and ignores the existence of other space programs...

Thats because they tend to progress at a slower rate and have less funding.

SLS is basically a crew carrying Ares V. They just slimmed down the program so they only had to develop one launcher. Now see, I like heavy lift launch vehicles...but with the current track record of NASA I expect to see it canceled come the next presidency...and replaced by a program with the exact same goals and contractors.

You could stack all the design studies done since 1968 and have yourself a space elevator. This is the sad reality we face. :crying:

[Q]

I've always assumed Russia to be ahead, technologically, in space exploration as a whole. I hate how everyone focuses their hopes on NASA and ignores the existence of other space programs...

Forgive my apparent ignorance, but what innovations has the Russian space programme gone through since the fall of the USSR? The Soyuz is still the backbone of that spaceprogramme and the technology is from the 1960's (although I guess its onboard computers and such aresomewhat more modern these days). Even with the ancient shuttle programme of NASA, that still made the latter more modern. So, how is Russia ahead?

If anything, I think our bets should be on China for future developments. As Salyut commented, NASA is simply incapable of going ahead with anything due to its huge bureaucratic, military and political overhead.

[Tablo]

Forgive my apparent ignorance, but what innovations has the Russian space programme gone through since the fall of the USSR? The Soyuz is still the backbone of that spaceprogramme and the technology is from the 1960's (although I guess its onboard computers and such aresomewhat more modern these days). Even with the ancient shuttle programme of NASA, that still made the latter more modern. So, how is Russia ahead?

If anything, I think our bets should be on China for future developments. As Salyut commented, NASA is simply incapable of going ahead with anything due to its huge bureaucratic, military and political overhead.
I don't think the Russia has had any major innovations since the fall of the USSR, but from what I've seen, NASA hasn't made a whole lot of progress in manned missions in a long time either.

I agree with your thoughts on China. Their program has been becoming more and more ambitious and seem to be making better use of their funding. It just amazes me that NASA doesn't manage to accomplish more with its huge budget. I guess the money doesn't go so far when you're paying all the private contractors... also, my uncle actually had his graduate school payed for by NASA and when he graduated just told them he wasn't interested in working with them.

[ÑóẊîöʼn]

If anything, I think our bets should be on China for future developments. As Salyut commented, NASA is simply incapable of going ahead with anything due to its huge bureaucratic, military and political overhead.

I'm not sure that NASA's problem is "overhead" so much as it is near-constant political interference from pork-hungry politicians resulting in a schizophrenic array of projects with little overall unity. Which wouldn't be so bad if NASA's budget wasn't so ridiculously tiny.

[El Louton]

Great. Can't Russia or China get there first?

[ВАЛТЕР]

Forgive my apparent ignorance, but what innovations has the Russian space programme gone through since the fall of the USSR? The Soyuz is still the backbone of that spaceprogramme and the technology is from the 1960's (although I guess its onboard computers and such aresomewhat more modern these days). Even with the ancient shuttle programme of NASA, that still made the latter more modern. So, how is Russia ahead?

If anything, I think our bets should be on China for future developments. As Salyut commented, NASA is simply incapable of going ahead with anything due to its huge bureaucratic, military and political overhead.

The current Soyuz craft is not the same one as the one from the sixties, it is a quite modern design. They use the Soyuz because it is deemed safer than the space shuttle that they developed themselves. As for advancements in space technology, well they have been increasing the amount of studies they've been doing and are learning more about the cosmos. I don't know what sort of further development you'd like, since for the most part mankind has been shooting satellites into space and orbiting Earth doing studies for the past 40 or so years. They did have the recent experiment on how a crew would endure the long mission to Mars and have gathered much data about that. I'm not saying that they are super advanced, but they aren't too far behind NASA, because of recent economic growth in Russia the space program has been receiving more funding as well as more public interest from what I've heard.

You are right about China though, they are going to become a serious competitor in the space game in the next few years I'm sure. Imagine how far we would have come as a species if these space programs worked together and shared their knowledge. :)

[Tablo]

Imagine how far we would have come as a species if these space programs worked together and shared their knowledge. :)
Cooperation might be better, but I feel like government interest in funding would be better if there was the coldwar mentality of wanting to one up the other guys. NASA would have never gone to the moon if it wasn't to beat the Soviets there.