privately owned space companies that have plans sending people to Mars

[nec207]

Are there any privately owned space companies that have plans sending people to Mars?

Would it be to stay there and live there or visit? I guess you would have to be super rich and cost millions of million of dollars!!

I hear there are some privately space companies planing of sending people to Mars. But they have no space craft or unless they are going to pay NASA to send people to Mars.

I hear some of the privately owned space companies that have plans sending people to Mars are fraud. They have no space craft and no technology being developed to send people to Mars. That is only talk and fraud.

I know it sounds really crazy   The technology level we have today just does not allow for it to be done with out it being cost prohibitive.

Sending astronauts to Mars is one thing backed by the government that can spend billions of dollars. Well people living on Mars or to visit Mars is other thing. That I believe the technology level we have today is just not there.

That we should be spending billions of dollars of finding new technology to lower the space cost than spending billions of dollars on a failed project.

But are these privately owned space companies that have plans sending people to Mars fraud that some people say? Or are they very interested in doing it?

[Coastal Ron]

Are there any privately owned space companies that have plans sending people to Mars?

Have you heard of SpaceX, or Mars One?

Would it be to stay there and live there or visit? I guess you would have to be super rich and cost millions of million of dollars!!

I suggest you do some research on this topic if you really are interested in it, THEN start a forum topic to answer the questions you were not able to research or understand.

I hear there are some privately space companies planing of sending people to Mars. But they have no space craft or unless they are going to pay NASA to send people to Mars.

Not to be blunt, but isn't that obvious?  I mean, in the whole history of spaceflight we've only gone to the Moon, and you would think if there were spacecraft capable of going to Mars we probably would have used them by now.

I hear some of the privately owned space companies that have plans sending people to Mars are fraud. They have no space craft and no technology being developed to send people to Mars. That is only talk and fraud.

Maybe you can tell by now that I'm disappointed that you haven't done more research on this before starting a forum topic.

As far as "fraud", go look up the definition and understand what it means.  Essentially you have to have intent to deceive to have fraud.

The question of fraud has been raised about Mars One, and no doubt many don't think Musk is likely to make it to Mars either.  But it is certainly clear that many people are intrigued with the idea, and many people have indicated that they would go.

And that is no different than situations that are here on Earth, where people have an desire to do something, and someone says they can help them to achieve their goal.  Let the buyer beware.

But the bottom line is that unless you are putting up cash, so what if people spend their own money to try and accomplish something that many would consider "crazy".  People throw money away on cigarettes and gambling, and no one seems to care.  Spending it on getting to Mars?  That's less crazy to me than cigarettes and gambling.

My $0.02

[kch]

I hear some of the privately owned space companies that have plans sending people to Mars are fraud. They have no space craft and no technology being developed to send people to Mars. That is only talk and fraud.

Maybe you can tell by now that I'm disappointed that you haven't done more research on this before starting a forum topic.

As far as "fraud", go look up the definition and understand what it means.  Essentially you have to have intent to deceive to have fraud.

... and as regards making accusations (in print or verbally), this link might also be of interest:

http://www.wisegeek.org/what-is-the-difference-between-slander-and-libel.htm

[nec207]

I haven't heard that SpaceX has concrete plans going to Mars, but they have made it known that they intend to manufacture such hardware should there be a market for it.


Mars One was just a scam and is a scam. They never had any plans to actually send anyone anywhere.The chances that they will ever launch people into low Earth orbit are slim to none, never mind get them to Mars.

Also Mars One the selection process for volunteers was heavily influenced by donations they did not invest money.  not unlike SpaceX that was funded by a billionaire not the case with Mars One.


There is no way they would just stay there forever, it would cost trillions of dollars.Not even the government could pull this off with money that grows on trees.People will protest such cost.

Not even the richest 1% could pull this off. Even they don't have trillions of dollars to live on Mars for 10 years or more.



 

[QuantumG]

Mars One was just a scam and is a scam. They never had any plans to actually send anyone anywhere.The chances that they will ever launch people into low Earth orbit are slim to none, never mind get them to Mars.

So, which is it?

[Patchouli]

I think Spacex can send people to Mars esp if they work with other entities that can fill in expertise and technology where they may be lacking.
Such as Bigelow and Ad Astra would make good partners in such an endeavor as one has habitats and the other deals in high ISP electric propulsion which can help with logistics.
A thorium reactor could be a life saver for a colonization effort.
If you have megawatts of reliable energy you can do stuff like mine ice ,produce methane oxygen via ISRU in a timely fashion and wait out dust storms.
In fact with nuclear power you can pretty much continue with business as usual during a dust storm vs having to ration power and go into survival mode or even abandon the base.
As for the technology it's mostly the need for good low cost LVs you probably could do a Mars mission with 1970s technology if you could afford the mass.

NASA will probably be the first or have involvement with the first entity to send humans to Mars and land them safely.

[The Amazing Catstronaut]

SpaceX is the most prominent, the most focused and the most likely to succeed, but there are quite a few private entities out there which feature mars colonisation as the core of their mission statement. As the poster above writes, it's highly likely that any serious effort will be executed in conjunction with NASA.

SpaceX has (comparitively) concrete plans, engineering experience and finance to back up their CGI. Also, most of the movers and shakers in private space at the moment - barring ExAlmz and the like, but they barely move and certainly don't shake - are not  in the industry because they see an oppertunity for fraudulence, they're in there because they're pretty nerdy guys (like you or me) who want to do something they see a niche for.

[philw1776]

I haven't heard that SpaceX has concrete plans going to Mars, but they have made it known that they intend to manufacture such hardware should there be a market for it.

Not really.

Google can sometimes be helpful.

SpaceX's mission statement is to enable the space flight capabilities necessary to make human life multiplanetary - or more specifically enable a self sustaining human civilization on Mars.

Their concrete plans are not yet concrete as their founder said they are working on their Mars Colonial Transport architecture with an announcement of some details due late 2015.

[Owlon]

Reading some articles on this very site will tell you that SpaceX is actively developing the Raptor engine for the gigantic new rocket they intend to build for the express purpose of Mars colonization. So they are working on actual hardware for Mars missions, they're just self-admittedly at least a decade from their first manned flight to Mars.

[QuantumG]

Reading some articles on this very site will tell you that SpaceX is actively developing the Raptor engine for the gigantic new rocket they intend to build for the express purpose of Mars colonization. So they are working on actual hardware for Mars missions, they're just self-admittedly at least a decade from their first manned flight to Mars.

Last I heard, they plan to pay for flights to Mars by selling services on an internet satellite constellation which won't reach full capacity for 12 to 15 years. Then they plan to go public to raise the capital to do Mars flights - which Elon estimates is about 20 years away. So yeah, if "at least a decade" means two decades, then sure, but it's just as much vaporware as anyone else right now.

[Owlon]

Reading some articles on this very site will tell you that SpaceX is actively developing the Raptor engine for the gigantic new rocket they intend to build for the express purpose of Mars colonization. So they are working on actual hardware for Mars missions, they're just self-admittedly at least a decade from their first manned flight to Mars.

Last I heard, they plan to pay for flights to Mars by selling services on an internet satellite constellation which won't reach full capacity for 12 to 15 years. Then they plan to go public to raise the capital to do Mars flights - which Elon estimates is about 20 years away. So yeah, if "at least a decade" means two decades, then sure, but it's just as much vaporware as anyone else right now.

Right, but Elon Musk has tended to say they hope to put a man on Mars in 10-15 years--so, self-admittedly at least ten years. And the IPO is supposed to happen after they're launching regular flights to Mars. Yes, 20ish years is probably a more realistic NET timeframe, but my main point was just that they are doing some very early hardware work.

[guckyfan]

Last I heard, they plan to pay for flights to Mars by selling services on an internet satellite constellation which won't reach full capacity for 12 to 15 years. Then they plan to go public to raise the capital to do Mars flights - which Elon estimates is about 20 years away. So yeah, if "at least a decade" means two decades, then sure, but it's just as much vaporware as anyone else right now.

That satellite constellation will start earning money long before that. And they won't go public before flights go to Mars regularly. So that's not in the way for early flights. I still expect that the schedule for manned flights will slip to near 2030. With equipment going before that.

That will give them time for in flight tests.

[QuantumG]

That satellite constellation will start earning money long before that.

How? It won't be competitive with terrestrial alternatives for at least a decade according to Elon.

[R7]

Haven't heard much of Inspiration Mars, is it still on?

[QuantumG]

Haven't heard much of Inspiration Mars, is it still on?

Nah, they found out that you can't raise money for something people see as NASA's job, and then if you go in front of Congress and try to tell them what NASA's job is they just ignore you.

[guckyfan]

That satellite constellation will start earning money long before that.

How? It won't be competitive with terrestrial alternatives for at least a decade according to Elon.

Citation please. It is not what he stated in his Seattle speach.

[QuantumG]

Citation please. It is not what he stated in his Seattle speach.

Yeah it is.

Timing.. yeah. In the past I've been a little optimistic on schedule. So, I'm trying to recalibrate, but I'm thinking we should be able to get version one active in about five years. That wouldn't be the full half of long distance and 10% of all Earth's connectivity, but a useful version one that has global coverage, except at the poles - we're aiming for about five years. Then there would be successive versions every two or three years after that. To get to where the system is really at full capability, I think it's probably 12 to 15 years. - source

[guckyfan]

Timing.. yeah. In the past I've been a little optimistic on schedule. So, I'm trying to recalibrate, but I'm thinking we should be able to get version one active in about five years. That wouldn't be the full half of long distance and 10% of all Earth's connectivity, but a useful version one that has global coverage, except at the poles - we're aiming for about five years. Then there would be successive versions every two or three years after that. To get to where the system is really at full capability, I think it's probably 12 to 15 years. - source

That is what I remember and it contradicts your statement. They are aming for global coverage except the poles in 5 years.

[QuantumG]

That is what I remember and it contradicts your statement. They are aming for global coverage except the poles in 5 years.

Really? And how does a barely functional system translate into billions of dollars to spend on Mars exploration? I think Elon is making it perfectly clear that they don't expect to make money off this system for a couple of decades, which is pretty standard for a satellite constellation (huge upfront investment, slow payoff.)

[guckyfan]

That is what I remember and it contradicts your statement. They are aming for global coverage except the poles in 5 years.

Really? And how does a barely functional system translate into billions of dollars to spend on Mars exploration? I think Elon is making it perfectly clear that they don't expect to make money off this system for a couple of decades, which is pretty standard for a satellite constellation (huge upfront investment, slow payoff.)

I think the statements by Elon Musk were quite clear. And how is a satellite network that even when in its infancy with 400 or 800 satellites is already larger than any other planned network barely functional?

But I think its best we agree to disagree.

[QuantumG]

I think the statements by Elon Musk were quite clear.

I do too.. which is why I'm asking how you came to your strange conclusion that somehow 5 years from now SpaceX is going to be rolling in money when they've only just got their network going.

And how is a satellite network that even when in its infancy with 400 or 800 satellites is already larger than any other planned network barely functional?

That's what he said. Can you read?

But I think its best we agree to disagree.

I think it would be best if you just admit you were wrong.

[JasonAW3]

I think the statements by Elon Musk were quite clear.

I do too.. which is why I'm asking how you came to your strange conclusion that somehow 5 years from now SpaceX is going to be rolling in money when they've only just got their network going.

And how is a satellite network that even when in its infancy with 400 or 800 satellites is already larger than any other planned network barely functional?

That's what he said. Can you read?

But I think its best we agree to disagree.

I think it would be best if you just admit you were wrong.

You're pretty much dead on about your initial statement, a 400 to 800 sat network is going to require a HUGE outlay of cash, however, as the system becomes more and more co,plete, and more and more users come online with it, the costs should start recooping themselves fairly quickly, as major corporate investments go. 

     Mind you, this is assuming the use of more advanced telecommunication devices that can take full advantage of a nearly unlimited broadband capibility, be it Phones, streaming video, computer access, etc. One could expect an ROI within ten to fifteen years or less, depending on how quickly products using the new system can be rolled out, and what pricing structure is established for access to this network.

     As to the network being in it's infancy, that, to an extent, is also true.  While computer simulations can give initial estimates as to how well this network will work, it's really no substitute for actual hardware in place.  As I understand it, the initial hardware, while advanced as it may be, will be only Phase 1 equipment, which, as technologies advance, will be replaced by Phase 2 and Phase 3 equipment, which will be upgrades that will be established on the sats as technology improves and more is learned about the implementation of this network. 

     This too will require substantile funding, but as this will improve coverage, reliability and bandwidth, my initial estimate styill stands, so long as the combined final consumer costs are, on an individual basis, less than or equal to most people's current cell phone bills.  Again, we are talking about a system that could compete favorably with current broadband carriers, phone companies, cable TV and Satillite TV companies, with a fairly low outlay of money on an individual basis.

[guckyfan]

I think the statements by Elon Musk were quite clear.

I do too.. which is why I'm asking how you came to your strange conclusion that somehow 5 years from now SpaceX is going to be rolling in money when they've only just got their network going.

Of course the money will be rolling in as soon as they have their initial network running. They won't recoup their investment by that time. But the discussion was never about when they recoup the investment.

[Lar]

SpaceX satellite network discussion has other threads already. And is off topic for this one. Which seems fairly limited in scope anyway.