White House Panel Seeks Input On Spaceflight Plans

Neil H. writes "The Augustine Commission, commissioned by the White House and NASA to provide an independent review of the current US human spaceflight program and potential new directions, is seeking public input on a document describing the preliminary beyond-LEO exploration scenarios they're analyzing. The destination-based scenarios, designed with NASA's current budget in mind, range from a Lunar Base (essentially NASA's current plan), to 'Mars First' (human exploration of Mars ASAP), to 'Flexible Path' (initially focused on several destinations in shallow gravity wells, such as Lagrange points, near-Earth asteroids, and the Martian moon Phobos). The Commission is also seeking input on the issues of engaging commercial spaceflight, in-space refueling, and coordinating human and robotic exploration."

Probes. Lots of Probes.

[eldavojohn]

So I figure we build a few thousand probe droids with solar sails and sling shot them around the sun and send them aimed at planets of all nearest solar systems [wikipedia.org]. I've got some basic plans drafted up [blueharvest.net]. Couple hundred years from now the first will be hitting Alpha Centauri and although we may all be dead, the footage they send back will make for some bitchin opening movie scenes.

Re:Generational Ship

[T Murphy]

send up a noah ark-esque mission to the nearest solar system and back.

You missed the memo: the whole point of space exploration is to find a way to permanently get rid of our lawyers*, politicians and telemarketers. Having the thing come back would defeat the entire purpose.

*NYCL would be out of a job in a world without lawyers, so he's exempt.

Re:Probes. Lots of Probes.

[Shakrai]

Couple hundred years from now the first will be hitting Alpha Centauri

Not if we play the game with 'bloodlust' turned on.

Mars: hell yea! Phobos: Hell (no!)

[Anonymous Coward]

I'd go to mars in a second! But I hear the demon population is a bit high on Phobos, and ammo for a BFG is just too expensive these days.

How about...

[cwiegmann24]

We create a huge solar array, big enough to cause a solar eclipse, and position it so it happens every other week or so. It would really freak India out...

Re:Generational Ship

[Capt.DrumkenBum]

"The bad ones just make it too easy to pick on the group as a whole."
As someone once said "98% of lawyers give the rest a bad name."