July 27, 2008
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
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Play CBS Video Video A Bigger Leap For Mankind With the Space Shuttle program ending soon, NASA is planning to return astronauts to the moon in preparation for a future flight to Mars. Bob Simon reports.
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(CBS)
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In 2007, white dirt appeared in Mars exploration rover Spirit’s tracks. It was silica. The presence of water is required to produce such a high concentration. And inside what’s known as the Victoria Crater, rover Opportunity is finding proof that water once saturated the sub-surface of Mars. (AP / file)
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Photo Essay Mars Exploration Rovers NASA's Opportunity and Spirit rovers beam back images from Mars.
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Interactive Eye On Space Explore the mysteries of our solar system, galaxy and universe, and track the struggles and triumphs of human space exploration.
Mars is a tough place to do business; Steve Squyres should know. He is the principal investigator for the Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity. Squyres and everyone at NASA were greatly relieved when they landed safely on the red planet four years ago.
The rovers have been a huge success in exploring Mars and transmitting rare pictures from there. Prior to their landing, roughly two-thirds of all missions to the planet had failed. Squyres calls Mars a spacecraft graveyard.
"The accuracy with which you need to target a landing site on the surface is like throwing a basketball from New York to Los Angeles and having it go through without touching the rim," he explains.
If the astronauts make that shot - if they land on Mars - they will face a deadly environment: radiation from solar flares, dangerous dust, and temperatures that average 60 degrees below zero. And they’ll have to do it for up to 18 months. That’s how long it will take before the Earth and Mars align properly again for a faster return home. No astronauts have ever spent that amount of time on another world; Neil Armstrong was on the moon for less than a day.
"And I think it’s more responsible for us to go to the moon, check out these systems, make sure the life-support systems, the space suits, the little things we need for these long voyages, work properly," Gilbrech explains.
The new lunar missions will be about more than putting flags in the sand. This time, NASA wants its astronauts on the moon for weeks, even months, to work out any kinks.
"And going to the moon, staying for months, wearing the space suit all the time?" Simon asks.
"No," says Gilbrech. "We have planned to have habitats so that they’ll have short-sleeve environments." He says the goal is to have towns on the moon.
To help essentially colonize the moon, NASA is trying out a new generation of rovers.
During Apollo, the furthest the astronauts could ever venture out on their lunar rovers was six miles. NASA hopes the new rovers will let the astronauts explore 60 miles from their spacecraft. Technological advancements will help in another way. Think about this: there is more computing power in your average cell phone today than there was on any of the Apollo spacecraft that took the astronauts to the moon.
Another example of how the new missions might be different is the
robonaut, which looks like a cousin of C-3PO. It’s an early model of a robot that might assist the astronauts with mundane and sometimes dangerous tasks on the moon.
The astronauts who set up towns on the moon will need to learn to adapt. At the
Glenn Research Center near Cleveland, engineers are testing a machine that simulates one-sixth gravity.
"No matter how many times you see astronauts walking on the moon, you have no idea what it feels like," says Simon while walking on the vertical treadmill, a surreal machine that simulates the feel of walking on the moon.
Without exercise in space, the astronauts could lose significant bone mass and also see their muscles atrophy.
Produced by Draggan Mihailovich
© MMVIII, CBS Interactive Inc. All Rights Reserved.
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See all 75 CommentsThis is voice from the past. As you may remember, we worked together on the Lunar IR Radiometer on the Apollo 17 Command Module. I understand that you are managing a manned lunar mission as a way station to Mars exploration. I''m sorry, but I consider the proposed manned Mars exploration part a massive, trillion dollar waste that will never be funded by US taxpayers.
For over 28 years I have been proposing a lunar solar power station, which could transmit 5.3 trillion kilowatt-hours per year (equivalent to 3 billion barrels of oil) to the earth on a 24/7 basis indefinitely using microwaves, which pass through cloud cover. This was fully evaluated by NASA/DOE 1977-1980 studies. More importantly, I show how this can be paid for without any increase in US taxes, while at the same time stopping global warming and reducing US taxes, without any job layoffs, or change in life styles on anyone''s part, by re-directing a portion of the bloated defenst budget to this useful project, with the funds going to the same aerospace contractors receiving them under the current defense budget.
I firmly believe that this approach is the only realistic way to reduce or reverse global warming, which in 50 years will cause calamities that will make a trillion dollars look like pocket change!
I apologize for accidental multiple postings.
I''m so glad NASA is finally going to mean something more than Need Another Seven Astronauts. Joke aside, I actually was WATCHING LIVE when The Challenger exploded. I did not lose faith. If I''d had what it takes, I would have signed up to replace one of those astronauts the next morning!
Its pathetic that my average tax money going to NASA is 15c/day ... space exploration to my mind is part of the purpose of being a sentient being capable of toolmaking and abstract thought and writing etc.
Is fullfilling my purpose worth a measely $54 (less than ONE tank of gas?) a year? YES YES YES YES YES! Considering some of the really disgusting things our government spends many times $54/year on, DEFINITELY WORTH FIVE TIMES AS MUCH NOW.
Nothing beats GOING somewhere to explore and understand. And frankly, humans are doing a lousy job as shepherds of Planet Dirt. We need a backup!
WHICH BRINGS ME TO THE QUESTION: CBS: Why didn''t you asks about the "Space Elevator" ? Once built it would literally take a few thousand watts of electric energy to tow people and cargo into orbit several times a DAY! And no more riding a barely controlled explosion into orbit with all the pollution involved. That''s what we should be building, not a new Saturn 5, ver 2.0
I''m so glad NASA is finally going to mean something more than Need Another Seven Astronauts. Joke aside, I actually was WATCHING LIVE when The Challenger exploded. I did not lose faith. If I''d had what it takes, I would have signed up to replace one of those astronauts the next morning!
Its pathetic that my average tax money going to NASA is 15c/day ... space exploration to my mind is part of the purpose of being a sentient being capable of toolmaking and abstract thought and writing etc.
Is fullfilling my purpose worth a measely $54 (less than ONE tank of gas?) a year? YES YES YES YES YES! Considering some of the really disgusting things our government spends many times $54/year on, DEFINITELY WORTH FIVE TIMES AS MUCH NOW.
Nothing beats GOING somewhere to explore and understand. And frankly, humans are doing a lousy job as shepherds of Planet Dirt. We need a backup!
WHICH BRINGS ME TO THE QUESTION: CBS: Why didn''t you asks about the "Space Elevator" ? Once built it would literally take a few thousand watts of electric energy to tow people and cargo into orbit several times a DAY! And no more riding a barely controlled explosion into orbit with all the pollution involved. That''s what we should be building, not a new Saturn 5, ver 2.0
I''m so glad NASA is finally going to mean something more than Need Another Seven Astronauts. Joke aside, I actually was WATCHING LIVE when The Challenger exploded. I did not lose faith. If I''d had what it takes, I would have signed up to replace one of those astronauts the next morning!
Its pathetic that my average tax money going to NASA is 15c/day ... space exploration to my mind is part of the purpose of being a sentient being capable of toolmaking and abstract thought and writing etc.
Is fullfilling my purpose worth a measely $54 (less than ONE tank of gas?) a year? YES YES YES YES YES! Considering some of the really disgusting things our government spends many times $54/year on, DEFINITELY WORTH FIVE TIMES AS MUCH NOW.
Nothing beats GOING somewhere to explore and understand. And frankly, humans are doing a lousy job as shepherds of Planet Dirt. We need a backup!
WHICH BRINGS ME TO THE QUESTION: CBS: Why didn''t you asks about the "Space Elevator" ? Once built it would literally take a few thousand watts of electric energy to tow people and cargo into orbit several times a DAY! And no more riding a barely controlled explosion into orbit with all the pollution involved. That''s what we should be building, not a new Saturn 5, ver 2.0
I''m so glad NASA is finally going to mean something more than Need Another Seven Astronauts. Joke aside, I actually was WATCHING LIVE when The Challenger exploded. I did not lose faith. If I''d had what it takes, I would have signed up to replace one of those astronauts the next morning!
Its pathetic that my average tax money going to NASA is 15c/day ... space exploration to my mind is part of the purpose of being a sentient being capable of toolmaking and abstract thought and writing etc.
Is fullfilling my purpose worth a measely $54 (less than ONE tank of gas?) a year? YES YES YES YES YES! Considering some of the really disgusting things our government spends many times $54/year on, DEFINITELY WORTH FIVE TIMES AS MUCH NOW.
Nothing beats GOING somewhere to explore and understand. And frankly, humans are doing a lousy job as shepherds of Planet Dirt. We need a backup!
WHICH BRINGS ME TO THE QUESTION: CBS: Why didn''t you asks about the "Space Elevator" ? Once built it would literally take a few thousand watts of electric energy to tow people and cargo into orbit several times a DAY! And no more riding a barely controlled explosion into orbit with all the pollution involved. That''s what we should be building, not a new Saturn 5, ver 2.0
I''m so glad NASA is finally going to mean something more than Need Another Seven Astronauts. Joke aside, I actually was WATCHING LIVE when The Challenger exploded. I did not lose faith. If I''d had what it takes, I would have signed up to replace one of those astronauts the next morning!
Its pathetic that my average tax money going to NASA is 15c/day ... space exploration to my mind is part of the purpose of being a sentient being capable of toolmaking and abstract thought and writing etc.
Is fullfilling my purpose worth a measely $54 (less than ONE tank of gas?) a year? YES YES YES YES YES! Considering some of the really disgusting things our government spends many times $54/year on, DEFINITELY WORTH FIVE TIMES AS MUCH NOW.
Nothing beats GOING somewhere to explore and understand. And frankly, humans are doing a lousy job as shepherds of Planet Dirt. We need a backup!
WHICH BRINGS ME TO THE QUESTION: CBS: Why didn''t you asks about the "Space Elevator" ? Once built it would literally take a few thousand watts of electric energy to tow people and cargo into orbit several times a DAY! And no more riding a barely controlled explosion into orbit with all the pollution involved. That''s what we should be building, not a new Saturn 5, ver 2.0
I''m so glad NASA is finally going to mean something more than Need Another Seven Astronauts. Joke aside, I actually was WATCHING LIVE when The Challenger exploded. I did not lose faith. If I''d had what it takes, I would have signed up to replace one of those astronauts the next morning!
Its pathetic that my average tax money going to NASA is 15c/day ... space exploration to my mind is part of the purpose of being a sentient being capable of toolmaking and abstract thought and writing etc.
Is fullfilling my purpose worth a measely $54 (less than ONE tank of gas?) a year? YES YES YES YES YES! Considering some of the really disgusting things our government spends many times $54/year on, DEFINITELY WORTH FIVE TIMES AS MUCH NOW.
Nothing beats GOING somewhere to explore and understand. And frankly, humans are doing a lousy job as shepherds of Planet Dirt. We need a backup!
WHICH BRINGS ME TO THE QUESTION: CBS: Why didn''t you asks about the "Space Elevator" ? Once built it would literally take a few thousand watts of electric energy to tow people and cargo into orbit several times a DAY! And no more riding a barely controlled explosion into orbit with all the pollution involved. That''s what we should be building, not a new Saturn 5, ver 2.0
I''m so glad NASA is finally going to mean something more than Need Another Seven Astronauts. Joke aside, I actually was WATCHING LIVE when The Challenger exploded. I did not lose faith. If I''d had what it takes, I would have signed up to replace one of those astronauts the next morning!
Its pathetic that my average tax money going to NASA is 15c/day ... space exploration to my mind is part of the purpose of being a sentient being capable of toolmaking and abstract thought and writing etc.
Is fullfilling my purpose worth a measely $54 (less than ONE tank of gas?) a year? YES YES YES YES YES! Considering some of the really disgusting things our government spends many times $54/year on, DEFINITELY WORTH FIVE TIMES AS MUCH NOW.
Nothing beats GOING somewhere to explore and understand. And frankly, humans are doing a lousy job as shepherds of Planet Dirt. We need a backup!
WHICH BRINGS ME TO THE QUESTION: CBS: Why didn''t you asks about the "Space Elevator" ? Once built it would literally take a few thousand watts of electric energy to tow people and cargo into orbit several times a DAY! And no more riding a barely controlled explosion into orbit with all the pollution involved. That''s what we should be building, not a new Saturn 5, ver 2.0
I''m so glad NASA is finally going to mean something more than Need Another Seven Astronauts. Joke aside, I actually was WATCHING LIVE when The Challenger exploded. I did not lose faith. If I''d had what it takes, I would have signed up to replace one of those astronauts the next morning!
Its pathetic that my average tax money going to NASA is 15c/day ... space exploration to my mind is part of the purpose of being a sentient being capable of toolmaking and abstract thought and writing etc. Nothing beats GOING somewhere to explore and understand. And frankly, humans are doing a lousy job as shepherds of Planet Dirt. We need a backup!
WHICH BRINGS ME TO THE QUESTION: CBS: Why didn''t you asks about the "Space Elevator" ? Once built it would literally take a few thousand watts of electric energy to tow people and cargo into orbit several times a DAY! And no more riding a barely controlled explosion into orbit with all the pollution involved. That''s what we should be building, not a new Saturn 5, ver 2.0
I''m so glad NASA is finally going to mean something more than Need Another Seven Astronauts. Joke aside, I actually was WATCHING LIVE when The Challenger exploded. I did not lose faith. If I''d had what it takes, I would have signed up to replace one of those astronauts the next morning!
Its pathetic that my average tax money going to NASA is 15c/day ... space exploration to my mind is part of the purpose of being a sentient being capable of toolmaking and abstract thought and writing etc. Nothing beats GOING somewhere to explore and understand. And frankly, humans are doing a lousy job as shepherds of Planet Dirt. We need a backup!
WHICH BRINGS ME TO THE QUESTION: CBS: Why didn''t you asks about the "Space Elevator" ? Once built it would literally take a few thousand watts of electric energy to tow people and cargo into orbit several times a DAY! And no more riding a barely controlled explosion into orbit with all the pollution involved. That''s what we should be building, not a new Saturn 5, ver 2.0
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See all 75 Comments