NASA simulates Mars missions in the Johnson Space Center. The last one, HERA XIII, lasted 45 days. As far I can see from photos, the 4 crew members are all male. Does this means that NASA is not planning to send women on a Mars mission? This is a rather a controversial subject.
Tullio

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Hawaii Space Exploration Analog and Simulation, HI-SEAS also simulate Mars missions.
4 male and 2 women :)
The Hawaii researchers say one of the chief advantages of their project is the area's rugged, Mars-like landscape, on a rocky, red plain below the summit of Mauna Loa.
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/science/ct-hawaii-mars-simulation-20170917-story.html
Maybe they should test this in the Antarctic as well where the average temperature is about the same as Mars.
And trying to adjust to breathing oxygen in your backpack for many hours walking around Mars.

I rather stay on earth for now.

Mauna Kea will have its 30 meters telescope, it has been allowed. It will compete with the European Southern Observatory Extremely Large Telescope on the Atacama high plain in Chile for the role of biggest optical telescope, while the James Webb launch has been postponed to 2019.
Tullio

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Musk said that they need to generate methane and O2 from CO2 and ice at Mars, in order to have a ship return to Earth.

The speech yesterday didn't give much new information. The design of his ship and booster had some changes, compared to last year's speech, but it's pretty much the same overall idea. The big changes I heard was that Musk is interested in the Moon now, previously he was not. Maybe he hopes to generate revenue from Moon missions to help fund his R&D. And he eventually wants to switch most of his factory/workforce to this new rocket, and only have the Falcon 9 and the yet unflown Falcon Heavy as backups.

He wants to do a Mars mission in 2022 as a test and to deliver cargo. Also to search for sites with plenty of water for generating fuel, and test the fuel equipment. Then 2024 he wants a manned mission to build permanent facilities for the fuel generation. This also isn't new information. I think SpaceX will eventually carry out their goals, but I doubt they can do this so soon.

At the end of yesterday's speech, he mentioned and showed an animation of using this new rocket/ship for suborbital flights on Earth, the go anywhere in less than 1 hours. But it seemed like a thought exercise.

You cannot launch a manned mission to Mars in the hope it finds enough fuel to get back. You must be sure it has fuel to get back and this can be done, IMHO, with a nuclear propulsion system.
Tullio

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US Vicepresident Mike Pence, who chairs the National Space Council, said at NASA that US should continue sending astronauts in low Earth orbits and to the Moon, with the purpose of establishing a manned base there. He made no mention of a manned mission to Mars.
Tullio

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nessuno che parla in italiano... auff che fatica!

Io parlo anche in italiano in Italian cafe ma il solo che mi risponde in italiano e' uno svedese. Gli italiani che scrivono sui blog di Le Scienze, edizione italiana di Scientific American, non si degnano mai di visitare il mio Cafe.
Tullio

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US Vicepresident Mike Pence, who chairs the National Space Council, said at NASA that US should continue sending astronauts in low Earth orbits and to the Moon, with the purpose of establishing a manned base there. He made no mention of a manned mission to Mars.
Tullio

I think that is the smart thing to do.

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Bob DeWoody

My motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow as it may not be required. This no longer applies in light of current events.

OK. First we have to send a Space Station in orbit around the Moon. Then it would launch exploratory missions on the Moon surface to hunt for ice. If found, a nuclear reactor should be sent on the Moon surface to provide electricity and get water and oxygen from that ice. From this, a build up stage could start. Nuclear power is essential.
Tullio

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OK. First we have to send a Space Station in orbit around the Moon. Then it would launch exploratory missions on the Moon surface to hunt for ice. If found, a nuclear reactor should be sent on the Moon surface to provide electricity and get water and oxygen from that ice. From this, a build up stage could start. Nuclear power is essential.
Tullio

Granted, but setting up house on the moon is still an order of magnitude easier than doing it at Mars. And we know that the moon (earth's) is lifeless and therefore can't be contaminated by our presence. Also since the moon's gravity well is much easier to escape from the amount of fuel needed to get anywhere in the solar system would be reduced.

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Bob DeWoody

My motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow as it may not be required. This no longer applies in light of current events.

All this can be calculated. There is a thing we cannot calculate, because we don't know. Is there any ice on the Moon? We have to go here and find it. If there is not, all the rest is just speculation.
Tullio

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The Antares rocket built by Orbital Sciences Corporation has been launched from the NASA Wallops island base carrying the Cygnus spacecraft with a load of food, oxygen, water and scientific instruments for the International Space Station where it should arrive on next Tuesday. It is another launch by a commercial supplier of the ISS. Only crew members are still launched aboard Soyuz rockets, but the Dream Chaser vehicle has been tested in a free flight approach without crew at Cape Canaveral. This was built by one of the contractors for ferrying crews to and from the ISS, Sierra Nevada Corp..
Tullio

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Elon Musk’s private space exploration firm, SpaceX, is planning to launch a secretive US government satellite known as Zuma into space Thursday night.
https://spaceflightnow.com/2017/11/15/falcon-9-zuma-mission-status-center/

SpaceX CRS-13 has launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station bound to the ISS. The first stage has returned. Both the first stage of Falcon 9 rocket and the Dragon spacecraft are being reused, having been already launched. The second stage has separated from the Dragon spacecraft. Arrival at the ISS is scheduled on Sunday 17.
Tullio

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SpaceX's rate of progress is impressive. NASA seems to be OK with reused rockets for space station resupply. Not sure about manned missions, yet. But I'm sure they will be by the time SpaceX is ready for the Dragon 2 demonstration flight.

Blue Origin is also making progress, although at a slower pace. They released some footage of their most recent flight just a few days ago.

I think that just maybe Musk and Bigelow will build the first space station big enough to rotate and have artificial gravity

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Bob DeWoody

My motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow as it may not be required. This no longer applies in light of current events.

Meanwhile the old Soyuz workhorse is on its way to the ISS carrying Expedition 54 with a Russian, an American and a Japanese. Only China has not sent a Taikonaut to the ISS. I believe China would be needed in any project for a bigger station.
Tullio

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I think Elon Musk, or at least his engineers qualifies as more than an amatuer.

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Bob DeWoody

My motto: Never do today what you can put off until tomorrow as it may not be required. This no longer applies in light of current events.

The Dragon cargo spacecraft of SpaceX has been installed on the ISS, is delivering its cargo and, when empty, will be loaded with completed experiments and garbage and will detach from the ISS to splash in the Pacific Ocean. Garbage handling is a problem also in space. I have separate garbage containers for solid waste, glass, plastics, cans and humid food garbage, mostly burned coffee
Tullio

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