Comments on: The Next Giant Leap For Mankind

60 Minutes Reports On NASA's Plans To Return Men To The Moon In Preparation For A Manned Flight To Mars

[godseyesore-2009]

I''m all for science and technology and space exploration, but given our level of skill, the political and financial debacles now settled over us, don''t be stupid NASA! Use robotics...DUH

[bgwinnett]

Think of all the technology spin offs that we would all benefit from.

[helloall34]

NASA is a bureaucratic mess. The organization should really exist today only as a museum. Nothing useful comes from NASA. NASA needs to be shutdown and a new smaller more goal-specific group started. There are several privately-funded groups doing more interesting working then NASA, money should go to support them.

[idnnsg]

g-marano says, "a possible solution to have a faster and more efficient Space Agency is its privatization selling it to big companies with lots of money"

While it''s definitely true that big companies have lots of money, it''s ridiculous to think that they will be faster or more efficient. We already have big companies running the war on Iraq (blackwater, etc.). Take a look at the miserable failure they''ve accomplished!

The problem with privitizing any government function is that ONLY goal of private companies is MAKING MONEY. Creating a beneficial endproduct is NOT their goal. If "cost overruns" keep the money flowing, that''s just fine with them. Actually doing the job is unimportant to them.

Think of privitizing government functions as taxing the poor and giving the money to the very, very wealthy.

[michellem99-2009]

I REMEMBER THE APOLLO FLIGHTS..I WAS A TEEN AGER..SURE GO BACK TO THE MOON.WE WILL HAVE FIND A NEW WORLD TO LIVE IN FUTURE AND WHEN HUMANS DO THEY BETTER TAKE PROPER OF IT..NO WARS THERE..HUMANS GET ALONG..

[pauljackson4]

I also think the U.S. should pursue this trip to Mars I can only imagine where we will be at when my 2 year
old is grown.
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[lewiston14]

Hooper: I would like to see the trip also but we are just not good enough yet to do it. Think of Peggy on the Iss. After 6 months when she gets back she is going to be a basket case for a couple of weeks learning about gravity all over again and I think she knows it. The moon to compare is easy. 4 days up and 4 days back. Few days on the moon and your back in two weeks. Far less then what she has endured. Until we can get to mars in a few weeks I dont see it happening but we can dream there will be a day.

[jwrhea]

There is a lot to overcome before we can really start space exploration and colonization on a for real scale. But we will never overcome those obstacles unless we face them.
Remember when it was said man would never fly, and after he flew it was said he could never exceed the speed of sound, And after doing that it is said we can never exceed the speed of light. someone someday will surpass that barrier as well. If the mind of man can dream it, he will achieve it. I just dont see where Bush bashing and the need for oil has anything to do with it cpaide.

[grey_eminence]

I wish I could share Griffin''s dream but in fact that is just what it is, an unrealistic dream.

How in the heck are we supposed to colonize Mars when astranauts have to spend a year and a half one way to
Mars.

What about radiation poisoning, food, being cooped up for a year and don''t even dream that we have figured out how to use statis.

The only real way is the throw the Constellation/Orion and other antique propulsion technology on the trash heap.

One propulsion technology just published talks about near light speed propulsion taking the soon to be moth balled shuttle to 63,000,000 million miles an hour and not 25,000 like Griffin''s Orion.

http://nlspropulsion.net

The one way trip would take 144 days !!!

The NLS technology is being presented with open arms all over the world.

Hello NASA, where''s the beef in Orion.

We need to save the thousands of shuttle jobs while using a new propulsion technology that will realisticly allow us to colonize space.

I have read and studied the over 200 propulsion systems NASA and a few others have proposed. Nothing
even comes close to this NLS propulsion.

[hoopersports]

cpaide Grow Up

I think the U.S. should pursue this trip to Mars. Nobody can say the trip is impossible, back when we thought of going to the moon people called us crazy and said it was impossible. Only time will tell, I hope we give it a shot.

[lewiston14]

Im all for the space program and NASA. It''s just to long to go to mars. The radation alone would kill them. I see people coming back after 12 days or 6 months and they cant walk for days what are they goint to do in 2.5 years. I watch every event on NASA tv and I enjoy it but even the ISS is coming to a close. I sometimes ask myself why but nothing last forever.

[jwrhea]

Space is our destiny. What does humanity have to really look forward to without it. A future with a growing population consuming dwindling resources. Pretty exciting future huh?
And i cringe at the stupidity of people that continually say that space exploration and colonization is a waste of money and resources. They would have us remain here with all our eggs in one basket untill some unforeseen natural disaster ends the human race alltogether. But you can bet in the days or hours before it happened they would be screaming the loudest about the incompetence of not moving humanity out into space and beyond.

[sgtrds]

When I was growing up I had models of the Mercury, Gemini and Apollo rockets on my desk in my room, along with a model of the LEM and stacks of science books about space travel. NASA was one of the main reasons I chose to join the Air Force as soon as I turned 17. Then came the shuttle program which in my mind was a complete waste of time and money. It''s nice to see that we''re finally going back to the Moon and then to Mars. It''s a trip that is long overdue.

[earlee5]

Too bad CBS did not investigate this space story the way they do other stories. They would find NASA working hard to go as slow as possible, spend the most money, and accomplish the least - while giving contracts to friends of NASA administrator Mike Griffin. The fastest way to get humans to the Moon and Mars is to cut NASA''s budget.

[olebd]

Sounds like great fun and all but, let us consider how the money spent on this adventure could be used for people her on earth. Besides, there''s very little chance of finding oil on mars.