Tau Zero's Journal: Misconceptions about going to Mars

In one skirmish in the War on Ignorance, I threw this grenade. It has my research, calculations and thoughts on:

1. Required throw-weight to Mars and approximate mass requirements for doing so.
2. Delta-V requirements for trans-Mars injection and atmospheric entry at both ends.
3. Engine production rates compared to historic levels.
4. Design for mission failure tolerance.
5. Comparison against NASA mission assumptions.
6. Some elementary chemistry.
7. Reasons for building a space elevator.

Must be a small community...

[sillypixie]

Hi Tau,

Not counting all the people who think they know all the answers, how many people are you aware of, who could intelligently converse with you on this subject? My guess would be not that many, but since I'm nowhere near a member of that select group, I could be wrong...

Pixie

Not that small, but probably a small intersection

[Tau Zero]

how many people are you aware of, who could intelligently converse with you on this subject? My guess would be not that many...

At one time, that community probably included 90% of the posting membership of sci.space (measured by posting volume).

'Tain't all that hard, all you have to do is go looking for facts and think about them. When most of the facts are easily accessible on-line with relatively obvious Google search terms I don't think there's much in the way of excuses for failing to do it. It's a

Re:Not that small, but probably a small intersecti

[sillypixie]

You are a patient man.

I think that many people look at Slashdot like an ascii-transcripted conversation. They don't really want to have a factually correct discussion, they want to hear of and spread gossip. Except on /. there is more of an emphasis on the spreading part. The thing is, the likelihood of being shown up as not having done your homework is much, much more likely when (a)potentially tens of thousands of people are reading your words (see, a perfect example - I just made up that number. I c

space elevator

[WhiteDragon]

I have to agree with sunspot42 about the reasons to build the Space Elevator. A space elevator would make all future launching costs drastically reduced. This includes LEO, geosynchronous, and interplanetary missions. I guess it is like Field of Dreams... If you build it, they will come.

But who's going to build a space elevator?

[Tau Zero]

Now, I'm no economist. I have never taken a course in economics. But there are still some things that are pretty obvious after you've watched how things work for a while. Let's start with your cliche:

If you build it, they will come.

Who's this "you" you're talking about here? Who's "they"? It makes all the difference.

Even when the carbon nanotube tape is developed and such an elevator becomes physically possible for the first time, it is still going to be an enormous project. It is going to be a projec

Re:But who's going to build a space elevator?

[sillypixie]

Jeez you guys, isn't this obvious?

The technology will be invented by a crippled bzillionaire genius who wants to live in a zero-g home in orbit around Mars, partially because it improves his health, and partly because the world is out to get him.

Good thing I'm here to keep y'all on track...

*grin*

Pixie

You are fortunate indeed...

[Tau Zero]

... that you are only within range of my smirk, and unreachable by my other harmless weapons.

<smirk>

Re:You are fortunate indeed...

[sillypixie]

Well now there's a challenge, some time I'll have to be twice as impertinent in person, just to see what your harmless weapons don't do to me...