SW-User Best Comment
It's actually much easier to land on the Earth than Mars. Mars has enough atmosphere to be a problem, but not enough to be very helpful. The parachutes have to be deployed while it's still supersonic, where they tend to behave somewhat unpredictably (I think they've solved this problem now). They can't slow the lander down enough to make a safe landing on their own, so they have to use rockets at the end, which are always a bit sketchy, which is why they did the bouncy ball thing for a while. That skyhook thing for MSL was just crazy.
Come to think about it, Mars has to be the most difficult planet with a solid surface to land on.
Buttocks clenched here, I really want this to work.
Come to think about it, Mars has to be the most difficult planet with a solid surface to land on.
Buttocks clenched here, I really want this to work.
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UndeadPrivateer · 31-35, M
@SW-User Venus is tricky what with the highly corrosive atmosphere and intense electrical storms, but we shall see. I saw some interesting proposals for Venusian manned laboratories using balloon suspended observation areas. I'd think one could do that for gas giants as well(though may also be quite tricky due to the intense weather patterns.)
BigbangFACTS · M
@UndeadPrivateer I’m for the balloon labs but not to colonize the Venus atmosphere. It’s best just to study until we can really change the atmosphere significantly.
I remember Carl Sagan said something seeding to change it, although that would take a very long time to see any considerable difference.
Mars is the bet in my view, and maybe Titan afterwards.
I remember Carl Sagan said something seeding to change it, although that would take a very long time to see any considerable difference.
Mars is the bet in my view, and maybe Titan afterwards.
UndeadPrivateer · 31-35, M
@BigbangFACTS Titan and Venus both have such thick and toxic atmospheres that any terraforming is going to take centuries to even have very basic habitability. Mars still ain't easy, by any means, but it would be on the scale of decades rather than centuries to get things to basic habitable status, where you could go outside without a pressure suit. Though it would still be nearly a century or more to get it to the point of not needing oxygen support for colonists. Next stop after Mars, in my opinion, should probably be Enceladus.
For me the order to make this whole transition the easiest would be Lunar colonies(for space manufacturing and deep space launches)->Mars colonies->Outer Moons. Again just my opinion though.
For me the order to make this whole transition the easiest would be Lunar colonies(for space manufacturing and deep space launches)->Mars colonies->Outer Moons. Again just my opinion though.
UndeadPrivateer · 31-35, M
JoyfulSilence · 46-50, M
@UndeadPrivateer I read about it. I hope it detects lots of Marsquakes!
UndeadPrivateer · 31-35, M
@JoyfulSilence So much to be learned from it, quite interested in seeing the first major results back from it.
JoyfulSilence · 46-50, M
@UndeadPrivateer We may have to wait a whole Earth year, though!
UndeadPrivateer · 31-35, M
JoyfulSilence · 46-50, M
BigbangFACTS · M
UndeadPrivateer · 31-35, M
@BigbangFACTS I'm kind of sad that it's not the Big Fuckin' Rocket anymore. lol
BigbangFACTS · M
@UndeadPrivateer yea me too 😆 but hey, I guess they had to get a little PC these days.
It was way better than the Boring Company.
It was way better than the Boring Company.
JoyfulSilence · 46-50, M
UndeadPrivateer · 31-35, M
@AbbySvenz Indeed. Six in this case, I think, because of the current positions of Earth and Mars.