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Space Editorial

Buzz Aldrin's Roadmap to Mars 59

Posted by ScuttleMonkey from the anything-to-get-me-outta-here dept.
FleaPlus writes "Former astronaut (and MIT astronautics grad) Buzz Aldrin has an article in last months Popular Mechanics in which he describes a plan for manned Mars missions. Aldrin's plan proposes using a Cycler spacecraft permanently orbiting between Earth and Mars. This would have a shielded habitat and rotation-induced gravity, and would take just 5 months to reach Mars. Smaller vehicles would take astronauts to and from the Cycler. Aldrin claims the plan is less costly and more sustainable than NASA's current plans."
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Buzz Aldrin's Roadmap to Mars More

Buzz Aldrin's Roadmap to Mars

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  • Cheaper? The space industry begs to differ... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward on Monday January 23, 2006 @06:15AM (#14537555)
    Buzz's plan may be cheaper than the NASA's current plan, but pass on his plan to NASA and the space industry and they'll inflate the price tag like he cannot believe.

    Still, the Congress might buy it.

    (sorry for a troll...)

  • MMMMM, orbital donut. (Score:5, Funny)

    by Panascooter ( 948131 ) on Monday January 23, 2006 @06:19AM (#14537573)
    Not only is he an MIT grad with a doctorate, he's got a moon crater named after him, and he has flown into space with Homer Simpson. With credentials like that I don't know how anyone could doubt his wisdom.
    • His last mission was a failure though, he never did find out if ants could be trained to sort tiny screws in space.
    • and he has flown into space with Homer Simpson.

      Yeah, and so did Inanimate Carbon Rod, who was the star of the mission. You don't hear people saying "In Buzz We Trust", do you?

    • This sounds familiar [bungie.org]...

      The CRIST Sol orbiters, or Cargo and Resources In-System Transports were huge ships shaped like a hollow potato and designed to be able to move huge amounts of material between Earth and Mars with low cost and, theoretically, low maintenance. The system was simple. The CRIST was put into orbit around SOL on the plane of the ecliptic. Built with a powerful solar sail, the CRIST could change its orbit easily to pass by the Earth or Mars. On a flyby, materials could be loaded or of

  • Is fucking better than you.

    This is true.

  • One hell of a guy. (Score:5, Informative)

    by Paperweight ( 865007 ) on Monday January 23, 2006 @06:23AM (#14537586)
    Has this guy lived or what? [buzzaldrin.com]

  • Research paper on Aldrin's work (Score:5, Informative)

    by FleaPlus ( 6935 ) on Monday January 23, 2006 @06:40AM (#14537662) Journal
    I dug around a little and found the following abstract detailing an older version of Buzz Aldrin's work. Unfortunately, I can't seem to find a free link to the actual paper...

    Evolutionary space transportation plan for Mars cycling concepts [csa.com]
    Aldrin, Buzz; Byrnes, Dennis; Jones, Ron; Davis, Hubert
    AIAA Space 2001 Conference and Exposition

    A promising new human Mars exploration approach based on the use of an Earth-Mars Cycling Interplanetary Transportation System is described. In this approach, a cycling vehicle acts as a permanently emplaced transportation element that continuously cycles between the Earth and Mars using gravity assist with minimal course adjustment on each cycle eliminating the need to repeat the large and expensive injection propellant requirement of traditionally conceived Mars vehicles and missions. With the implementation of a two Cycler system, one Cycler would always be going to Mars while the other is returning to Earth. When in the vicinity of the Earth or Mars, the Cyclers release or are intercepted by smaller aerobraking "taxis" that ferry people and supplies to and from the surface. Alternatively, in the Semi-Cycler Concept, the Cycler vehicles themselves would use aerobraking and gravity assist to orbit about the Earth or Mars for a period before returning. In this way, unmanned cargo flights to Mars could use the minimum energy, long trip time trajectories while crewed flights could use the shorter flight time, longer stay time options. Both concepts are addressed in the paper, and the results of preliminary flight mechanics analyses are presented. In addition, a transportation plan is presented based upon a logical extension of existing space assets augmented by new vehicles providing a reusable transportation capability.

  • So...... (Score:2, Funny)

    by mofomojo ( 810520 )
    .... when do we get to blow zombies' heads off from Hell?

    Soon, rite?

    >:D

  • Plans... (Score:4, Funny)

    by Elitist_Phoenix ( 808424 ) on Monday January 23, 2006 @07:16AM (#14537803)
    Seems like this guy came out up with his plans only after NASA released theirs. Story of his life, always second.

  • Think Big (Score:3, Interesting)

    by MichaelSmith ( 789609 ) on Monday January 23, 2006 @07:41AM (#14537902) Homepage Journal

    Without the ISS there would be no space tourism. You need to have a destination to sell before you get customers. A flight to Mars could be done with something like an extended apollo program, with similar non-reusable hardware, but you can't make money off that.

    If money is not being made the US taxpayers will have to pay for the whole thing and I really can't see that happening in this day and age.

    But wealthy people would pay for a cruise on the continous shuttle system Buzz is proposing. I think it is the right way to go.

    And good on him for punching Bart Sibrel [wikipedia.org]

    • Re:Think Big (Score:3, Interesting)

      by Oldsmobile ( 930596 )
      I think NASA should just cut all the manned missions and concentrate on space probes. Much more information for the buck.

      However, I do think going to mars would be worth doing, IF they got smart about it (and yes, I realize they need the ISS for learning how to go to mars, but the ISS isn't designed to be a precursor to a mars mission). The "one way" idea I thought was worth exploring, put some risk into it, that risk might be worth taking. You know, the one where they send one rocket a year with more and m

    • The Moon: A Ridiculous Liberal Myth (Score:1, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward
      It amazes me that so many allegedly "educated" people have fallen so quickly and so hard for a fraudulent fabrication of such laughable proportions. The very idea that a gigantic ball of rock happens to orbit our planet, showing itself in neat, four-week cycles -- with the same side facing us all the time -- is ludicrous. Furthermore, it is an insult to common sense and a damnable affront to intellectual honesty and integrity. That people actually believe it is evidence that the liberals have wrested the la
  • ... that this was going to be a sequel to Buzz Aldrin's Race into Space [the-underdogs.org]?

    Damn was that game ever hard. The intelligence agencies were bloody useless, as well... I once played a two-player game against myself, running both sides with equal incompetence, and the KGB were assuring me that the Americans were about to orbit a minishuttle - I'd barely even got Gemini spaceworthy :)

  • Yes but ... (Score:2, Insightful)

    by Anonymous Coward
    It only works if we find water on the moon and water on mars. Doesn't that mean this plan is science fiction? Or should billions be invested on a maybe?
    • Did the Columbus set out on a 'maybe' we'll find a shorter path to India by going around the other way? Sure, and look what he re-found: An island off a huge uncharted mainland continent chock full of resources and indigenous peoples to exploit!

      • Re:Yes but ... (Score:2, Insightful)

        by Mr. Slippery ( 47854 )

        Did the Columbus set out on a 'maybe' we'll find a shorter path to India by going around the other way?

        Columbus is quite possibly the luckiest fsck-up in history. He completely miscalculated the size of the Earth (never mind that the ancient Greeks had managed to get it right) and would have starved if he hadn't blundered into the Americas. And yet, despite this, and despite not being the first person to "find" this land mass (the American "Indians", the Vikings, and the Chinese all having been there fi

        • Ok, ok. How about Hotu Matua who lead (according to island legend) the Polynesian people to discover the lush ripe Easter Island. Err, wait no. They also exploited that land. In fact they did so so much they all but killed the ecosystem and near wiped themselves out. Hmm, maybe we'd be better off if we just stayed home... exploration doesn't seem to end well with us.
        • Nobody seems to have the courage of Columbus any more. In his time he put forth a half thought idea that sailing west he may end up in the east. Sold it got the ships and sailed off on little more than a hope that he was right.

          Today, we can see Mars. We can send probes there. We have it mapped. We calculate that we could get there by doing this, that, and the other, and we sould need $x to do it. Then decided that because we know we could do it there really is no reason.

          That is why Columbus is conside

          • Re:Yes but ... (Score:3, Informative)

            by Karma Farmer ( 595141 )
            Nobody seems to have the courage of Columbus any more. In his time he put forth a half thought idea that sailing west he may end up in the east.

            Well, everyone at the time was pretty much certain world was round, and that if you sailed west far enough you would end up in the east. That wasn't new or revolutionary, it was commonly accepted knowledge.

            The interesting thing Columbus did was convince some brain addled religous zealots to agree with his half-thought maths about the size of the world. There's pr
    • It only works if we find water on the moon and water on mars. Doesn't that mean this plan is science fiction? Or should billions be invested on a maybe?

      Clementine [nasa.gov] indicated that there may be water ice on the moon; however, this was not confirmed by the later impact of Lunar Prospector, so further investigation will be needed. Mars Express [esa.int] indicated that there is very probably water on Mars - in the polar icecaps, and in subsurface permafrost.

      Before constructing a manned infrastructure that relies on th

      • Re:Yes but ... (Score:3, Informative)

        by Billosaur ( 927319 ) *
        Clementine indicated that there may be water ice on the moon; however, this was not confirmed by the later impact of Lunar Prospector, so further investigation will be needed. Mars Express indicated that there is very probably water on Mars - in the polar icecaps, and in subsurface permafrost.

        And water is one of many simple, universal compounds. Even thought there are no great heaping pools of it on the Moon and Mars, it's bound up by chemical activity in the minerals there. It can be cracked out easily e

  • Buzz has accomplished 3 things in his life (Score:3, Funny)

    by Ellis D. Tripp ( 755736 ) on Monday January 23, 2006 @08:22AM (#14538080) Homepage
    that I always wanted to do:

    Fly into space.

    Walk on the Moon.

    Punch Bart Sibrel in the face. :)
  • This is a dangerous time for NASA. People are getting older there (as if they weren't before) But is the US education system producing enough people to fill the void and meet tomorrow's challenges? Will we make it to mars in less than 18 yrs as many are predicting or will the red planet be claimed by a rising red star?
    • Education is not given it is taken. If someone is smart and able to be the chronic over achiever that is typically hired by the NASA space program you'll be able to get all that is needed out of even the worst education system. Sure an education system may if it's good make a mediocre person better but it wont make a retard smart or if it's bad, a genius dumb. Of course 97% of the people in the US are mediocre and that is why a good school system and education is important.
      • Sure an education system may if it's good make a mediocre person better but it wont make a retard smart or if it's bad, a genius dumb.

        I have to disagree with you on this. There was just a thread on geniuses don't grow in a vaccum. It's very important that we have a good education system. Imagine if we had _NO_ education system whatsoever. We would be a lot like some of the poorer nations in Africa. How many geniuses do you know from Ethiopia? See my point?
        • A bad education system is still better than no education system. If you read the article it was about access to information and standing on the shoulders of others. It still showed people who were basically loaners but studied hard and set out to get the information they wanted. Few genius are given the information they need.
    • I honestly don't know about China's future in space. But if the quality of the young people at JPL are an indication, then I feel confidence and pride in our future space exploration capability. The only real limits are financial and political, NOT in talent or imagination. NASA may have its problems, but we can be proud of the fact that NASA has almost single-handedly expanded mankind's knowledge of the solar system to an incalculable degree.

  • Read TFA and... (Score:4, Interesting)

    by foniksonik ( 573572 ) on Monday January 23, 2006 @11:36AM (#14539346) Homepage Journal
    There seem to be a lot of 'extra' expenses that his plan depends upon.... like a permanent base on the moon, a permanent fuel depot and manufacturing plant on Mars (already in place) not to mention that he calls for two Cycler type ships not one... plus the multiple CEVs to actually realize the goal of sustainability. There's more but I'll let you read it yourself.

    It's a nice plan but do I see a plan that's cheaper? Hell no, If the goal is to GET to Mars.

    If the goal is to create an interplanetary transit system then sure, this is definitely the way to go.

  • I've always loved Buzz, he actually wrote about this stuff in his Sci-Fi book Encounter With Tiber. In it he also wrote about the "Big Can" method of building the space station, ie. build the Space Station out of the spent fuel tanks. I think he also had space stations at Lagrange points.
  • "Former astronaut (and MIT astronautics grad)"

    He's been to the fucking moon!, the second one to set foot on it! Who cares what school he's gone to? I mean, just as a ballpark estimate, I'd say 2-3 orders of magnitude more people have graduated MIT with said degree than ever walked on the moon. What is the submitter, an MIT alumn?
    • Who cares what school he's gone to?

      I think it's rather relevant that he has an astronautics doctorate from MIT when the submission is about a plan for spacecraft which exploit interplanetary transport orbits.

  • Mars missions (Score:2, Informative)

    by White Yeti ( 927387 )
    I saw this referred to in the Encyclopedia Astronautica [astronautix.com] (no images). There's also a section that lists the "leading" proposed manned Mars missions [astronautix.com].

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