Author Topic: LIVE: Dennis Tito's Inspiration Mars Foundation Announcement and Reaction Thread (Read 402553 times)

rcoppola · « **Reply #100 on:** 02/27/2013 06:05 pm »

It's not investment based funding. It's charity based funding. And as such, the human, kids, inspiration angle is the correct way to go.

simonbp · « **Reply #101 on:** 02/27/2013 06:05 pm »

Quote from: Chris Bergin on 02/27/2013 06:04 pm

Seth asking questions about test flights etc....and the schedule. He's not pulling punches.

And kinda being a dick about it. You can ask hard questions without being so hostile.

grakenverb · « **Reply #102 on:** 02/27/2013 06:05 pm »

Wow, no softballs from Seth!

Ben the Space Brit · « **Reply #103 on:** 02/27/2013 06:06 pm »

Quote from: Drkskywxlt on 02/27/2013 06:03 pm

[snark] I wonder if the kids will be inspired when a married couple thinks of innovative ways to murder each other after being locked together in a closet for 500 days [/snark]

That is why you need a two-module spacecraft... with a lockable hatch in between, just in case one or both need a time-out.

Oh, and a remote time-lock on the 'jettison' control on the CRV.

Chris Bergin · « **Reply #104 on:** 02/27/2013 06:07 pm »

Tito says we have to ask the hard questions to be realist.

Notes Saturn V's first launch and their schedule to the first crewed mission, Apollo 8. Notes Columbia's first launch, never been launched before, was a crewed mission. Notes Delta IV and Atlas V existing, we'll have SLS in 2017....a lot more hardware than before.

(Didn't Apollo cost mega billions??)

MarkWhittington · « **Reply #105 on:** 02/27/2013 06:07 pm »

Quote from: JimO on 02/27/2013 06:04 pm

Quote from: MarkWhittington on 02/27/2013 06:00 pm
Jim, with only two crew members there is no way to satisfy the diversity Nazis. So one should not try and if they start belly aching, hold them up to well deserved ridicule.

Mark, I'll hold your coat and stand over here, OK?

My list of mockery targets is already pretty full, just google my name on UFO blogs [grin].

Jim, I know what you mean. My list of enemies is almost endless.

Chris Bergin · « **Reply #106 on:** 02/27/2013 06:07 pm »

"I'm not worried about getting this done. The vehicles are there. I'm more concerned about the technical critical path of Life Support, radiation and reentry."

R7 · « **Reply #107 on:** 02/27/2013 06:09 pm »

Did Tito just hint SLS as a launcher option

Chris Bergin · « **Reply #108 on:** 02/27/2013 06:10 pm »

Dr Clark notes radiation data from MSL. Notes a 3 percent risk of cancer related death (I missed part of that if someone wants to expand). The crew would know the cancer risk. Notes the risk is operational. If they come back with cancer, we can deal with it then.

(Noting some report to mods flying in. Will clean the thread up after the event).

Ben the Space Brit · « **Reply #109 on:** 02/27/2013 06:12 pm »

Quote from: MarkWhittington on 02/27/2013 06:10 pm

Quote from: R7 on 02/27/2013 06:09 pm
Did Tito just hint SLS as a launcher option

That will make certain people I know very angry.

They would be stupid to rule anything out at this stage (including a total bail-out by NASA). However, in practice, I doubt SLS would be available before 2018.

The Interim Cryogenic Propulsion Stage (iCPS), on the other hand...? Convince NASA to let them use that and it could solve a lot of problems.

aquanaut99 · « **Reply #110 on:** 02/27/2013 06:15 pm »

Sorry, but I am very unhappy with this whole proposal and announcement. I just can't take this seriously.

I think this will fail inevitably, but before doing so, it will serve to ridiculize the entire concept of a manned Mars mission. The talking heads will have a field day with this. And the goofy cartoony graphics only serves to hand them more ammo.

Chris Bergin · « **Reply #111 on:** 02/27/2013 06:17 pm »

Question about milestones and crew selection.

"Dennis will fund the first two years. We just need to go get it done. Life Support is funded work. Flight config needs to be down as the main strategic element. Industry is tremendously excited."

Will use NASA's experience of picking crews. Will be a large health screening process.

Nickolai · « **Reply #112 on:** 02/27/2013 06:18 pm »

Quote from: aquanaut99 on 02/27/2013 06:15 pm

Sorry, but I am very unhappy with this whole proposal and announcement.

This will invariably fail, but before doing so, it will serve to ridiculize the entire concept of a manned Mars mission. The talking heads will have a field day with this. And the goofy cartoony graphics only serves to hand them more ammo.

What specifically makes you unhappy with it? Even if they can't find any funding after breaking Tito's bank account they will have done significant amounts of research in a number of technologies, re-entry, life support, medicine, that will have tangible benefits for all of humanity.

Chris Bergin · « **Reply #113 on:** 02/27/2013 06:18 pm »

Crew will be Americans.

Some international elements. The inflatable is Canadian.

mr. mark · « **Reply #114 on:** 02/27/2013 06:19 pm »

I'm not counting this out especially if SpaceX gets involved. I can't see SLS as an option and Boeing doesn't seem to be anywhere near taking this on in this timeline. I see this as SpaceX or nothing.

mduncan36 · « **Reply #115 on:** 02/27/2013 06:19 pm »

Quote from: aquanaut99 on 02/27/2013 06:15 pm

Sorry, but I am very unhappy with this whole proposal and announcement.

This will invariably fail, but before doing so, it will serve to ridiculize the entire concept of a manned Mars mission. The talking heads will have a field day with this. And the goofy cartoony graphics only serves to hand them more ammo.

Agreed. Mr. Tito adds some weight but it still strikes me as more concept than anything. I'd love to be wrong but I don't see it going too far.

jongoff · « **Reply #116 on:** 02/27/2013 06:20 pm »

Quote from: Chris Bergin on 02/27/2013 06:18 pm

Some international elements. The inflatable is Canadian.

That's probably a reference to Thin Red Line Aerospace (who did a lot of the soft goods for Bigelow's two Genesis capsules).

http://www.thin-red-line.com/ in case you were wondering.

~Jon

aquanaut99 · « **Reply #117 on:** 02/27/2013 06:21 pm »

Quote from: Nickolai on 02/27/2013 06:18 pm

What specifically makes you unhappy with it? Even if they can't find any funding after breaking Tito's bank account they will have done significant amounts of research in a number of technologies, re-entry, life support, medicine, that will have tangible benefits for all of humanity.

Like I said, the fact that their failure will most likely discredit (even more) a manned Mars effort in the eyes of the public, but also politicians. This will make future efforts, be they gov't or privately funded even harder.

apace · « **Reply #118 on:** 02/27/2013 06:22 pm »

Quote from: aquanaut99 on 02/27/2013 06:21 pm

Like I said, the fact that their failure will most likely discredit (even more) a manned Mars effort in the eyes of the public, but also politicians. This will make future efforts, be they gov't or privately funded even harder.

How a failure in 2018 makes a Mars mission in 2035 impossible?

Chris Bergin · « **Reply #119 on:** 02/27/2013 06:24 pm »

One journalist picks them up on their examples where it was a blank check for NASA. Question is about funding.

"No expectation of funding from NASA, but we'll sell them data, and we'll charge them as much as we can get away with" - Tito.

Another reference to public fundraising, citing Endeavour's display in California.

Other revenue streams: Media rights. Sponsorship. Industry. "This is a one shot deal".