Visiting Our Red Space Neighbor

Enthusiasm for visiting our red space neighbor seems to be growing. m4dm4n writes "A study carried out by MIT's Aeronautics and Astronautics department has concluded that getting men to Mars in the 2020 timeframe is possible. The intelligent re-use of crew habitat modules, propulsion stages, and engines in various missions will enable NASA to significantly reduce their initial timeline which was well past 2030." Relatedly, ErikPeterson wrote to mention a Space.com article where Neil Armstrong says getting to Mars may be easier than getting to the Moon was back in the day, because of the hurdles they had to overcome. From the article: "It will be expensive, it will take a lot of energy and a complex spacecraft. But I suspect that even though the various questions are difficult and many, they are not as difficult and many as those we faced when we started the Apollo (space program) in 1961." We're starting to understand more about the red planet as well, as madstork2000 writes "The BBC is reporting on the possibility of active volcanoes on Mars. So now there is water, heat, and soon big business when 4Frontiers gets there. Hopefully we'll get a Google Mars soon to check it out up close."

Re:Getting men to Mars by 2020 ?

[geomon]

What about getting women there ?

Geeks can't get women here, so isn't that a rhetorical question?

Re:Business on Mars

[Anonymous Coward]

What will they make and who are they going to sell it too

Wasn't Pizza Hut interested in advertising on the moon at some point? If they also do it on mars, they have the pepperoni-cheese combo.

The all new Houston pizza with galactic cheese and deep space pepperoni*.


* There may be a small supplement for drinkable water.

Kuato

[jeffvoigt]

Does this mean that soon, I too could wake up next to Sharon Stone and lead a martian revolution [imdb.com]?

Red Space Neigbor?

[AaronStJ]

"Visiting our Red Space Neighbor?" What the hell? That's a terribly headline. What's wrong with saying "Mars?"

"Excuse me honey. I have to go to the big toilet room neighbor."

Re:Getting men to Mars by 2020 ?

[Eric604]

>> What about getting women there ?
> Geeks can't get women here, so isn't that a rhetorical question?
You shouldn't reply if you think it's a rhetorical question.

Re:Getting men to Mars by 2020 ?

[Anonymous Coward]

Good point - they will need someone to cook and clean during the trip and while the men do the science. Not to mention sex servants.

Re:Look, a blimp!

[flyingsquid]

Ever wonder is this fantastical stuff is an attempt to distract from their current manned mission problems?

You raise an interesting point, but- Hey, look! Bigfoot riding a unicorn!

Re:Kuato

[Anonymous Coward]

I doubt it, your frail geek body would snap after the first kick in the face.

Tourism

[Anonymous Coward]

Mars is where you'll go for the legal three-breasted prostitutes and monkey knife fights.

What happens on Mars stays on Mars.

Re:Business on Mars

[IWorkForMorons]

As for Velcro, "The hook and loop fastener was invented in 1948 by Georges de Mestral, a Swiss engineer. The idea came to him after he took a close look at the seed pod burrs which kept sticking to his dog on their daily walk in the Alps."

No it wasn't. It was sold to a businessman in a big city near Carbon Creek, Pennsylvania, by a strange woman with pointy ears [startrek.com] in the late 50's.

Yup, I know I'm going to get modded down for referencing that, but I've got karma to burn...

Re:Red Space Neigbor?

[Anonymous Coward]

"Visiting our Red Space Neighbor?" What the hell? That's a terribly headline. What's wrong with saying "Mars?"

Indeed. I thought they meant the Russians.

(And you have terribly grammar.)

Re:Business on Mars

[Tony Hoyle]

Yeah but think of the patenting opportunities!

Method for locking a door... IN SPACE!
Method for input of data... IN SPACE!
etc.

Then you have the meta-patents...

Method for input of data.. ON A COMPUTER! IN SPACE!

Re:Mars, shmars

[iwan-nl]

A million to one, he said.