I've been pretty sure I wouldn't live to see humans on Mars for the last ten or fifteen years. Most people don't seem to realize that human space exploration is still in it's infancy. Because many of us grew-up with highly optimistic science-fiction, we tend to expect more than current technology (and our wallets) can provide. We also desperately want to see certain things happen in our own lifetime, and each of us probably has different goals from that perspective. We still build "tinker-toy" spacecraft, both manned and unmanned. Every one of them is a roll of the dice whether it works or not. When spacecraft are the size of battleships, adequately shielded, and have practically unlimited endurance and power, either nuclear or otherwise, then we can consider ourselves a space-faring species. Debate about targets for robotic missions at this stage is just so much banter based on personal opinions of what is "important". If we don't kill ourselves off first, the entire solar system will eventually get explored in the next 100 to 300 years and I'm good with that timetable. It doesn't matter where we go next year, next decade. "Bang for the buck" is short-term, budget-limited thinking and not part of a long-term philosophy about space exploration. It's more about public perception than anything. Even a ten-year project is peanuts when considering humanity's long-term goals for space exploration. Let's set a grand goal that will span generations and actually make a difference in the long run. The sad part is, most taxpayers will never think like this. I sometimes think we need to take an evolutionary step ourselves, before our social dynamics will change enough to make a difference. "Homo Sapiens" may not be destined for space travel. It might be up to the next branch in the tree of evolution. My 3 cents. On Sun, Sep 22, 2013 at 2:26 PM, Joe Bauman <josephmbauman@yahoo.com> wrote:
Agreed, Jay. Mars is looking less and less attractive. This inhospitality is another reason that I think NASA should concentrate much of its effort in sending unmanned probes to Europa. Fresh material in the form of ice from the interior ocean is always spreading across the surface. If complex life evolved in the warm water beneath the ice, remnants should show up on the surface. We have focused on Mars because for many decades it was seen as the romantic planet next door, where canals stretched across deserts to keep cities alive. Today we know that's bunk, but the old drive to land astronauts on Mars persists. For scientific studies, Europa may be far richer than Mars. -- Joe