The Martian Express

• Christophe
  April 10th, 2008 at 9:36 pm

  26 months trip? I hope they brought some books…

• su.wei
  April 10th, 2008 at 9:55 pm

  only 26 months! that doesnt seem to bad

• Charles
  April 10th, 2008 at 11:12 pm

  Mars Direct and it’s champion Robert Zubrin have already encountered Nasa’s absolute lack of vision on manned Mars missions: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_Direct

• XuYu
  April 11th, 2008 at 12:03 am

  Let’s all work together to make President Bush’s vinision a reality!

• Alannah
  April 11th, 2008 at 12:16 am

  You know, I really admire people you can think like this. The whole idea seems almost magical to me. I guess the old adage that the more science progress the more it
  seems like magic is true.

• TT
  April 11th, 2008 at 12:27 am

  NUH-UH………………………………………………………………………..!

  Will not work.

  So you get to double the speed by sling shooting -

  since there is no friction in space, it will also take double the energy to SLOW down and STOP safely!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!  !

  Same difference. You’re going to be slowing down so far in advance to make it slow down - it’s not like opening up the flaps against the wind to slow it down, ya know.

  Plus, I wouldn’t think that the human body could be strong enough to use that much energy to make such a G-force on a forced-brake slow-down, with that energy expenditure being tremendous to blow the reverse thrusters.

• TT
  April 11th, 2008 at 12:29 am

  That’s why I keep telling you, the dude’s never been to the moon - cos he’s never experienced what it’s like to feel that power of space without friction. Damned stage in New Mexico must have had some wicked air-conditioners.

• Tim Giachetti
  April 11th, 2008 at 4:42 am

  TT The method works and has for the past 30 years. Please read something other than Star Trek graphic novels before opening the yap. And what does him not being to the moon have to do with anything? It’s a mathematical equation and has nothing to do with whether he’s been to the moon. As far as slowing, that’s what several orbits of mars will be for.
  According to you we have never been to the moon. Get to an observatory that will let you see the items left behind, I have.
  Again, close the yap and learn something other than conspiracy theories.

• tabest
  April 11th, 2008 at 10:00 am

  It worked in Star Trek all the time

• Xinavera
  April 11th, 2008 at 11:49 am

  This is, as advertised, damned interesting, and not just a set of standard Hohmann Transfer orbits either. I can’t believe that in all my years as a professional space person I haven’t encountered this before.

  Unfortunately, like Space Elevators, Pinwheels, and other elegant solutions, the initial outlay is way too big and thus it won’t happen in our lifetimes. Once we find a compelling financial reason to go to Mars, maybe, but even then…

• Xinavera
  April 11th, 2008 at 11:51 am

  And TT, you’re an idiot if you believe that whole moon hoax conspiracy crap. The Soviets had the technology to tell whether or not we’d actually been there and were undoubtedly tracking the Apollo missions the entire time. You’d better believe they would have called us on it if it were faked.

• Miss Cellania
  April 11th, 2008 at 12:07 pm

  I recommend checking out comment #45 at the DI article. Adults only.

• CheeseDuck
  April 11th, 2008 at 2:46 pm

  Its not brain surgery.

• Thomas
  April 12th, 2008 at 1:15 am

  Just don’t use that slingshot maneuver to go around the sun. You’ll go back in time to 1970’s San Francisco, where you’ll have to get a hold of a couple of whales.

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