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

(CBS)  NASA isn’t using the moon just to train for Mars. Next year, it will launch orbiters around the moon and then essentially blast the lunar surface. In the midst of the debris field, NASA hopes to find evidence of hydrogen, which could one day help fuel trips home for the astronauts. But will there be any missions for the astronauts at all?

The biggest obstacle NASA faces is money. One critic has called the Constellation program "Apollo on food stamps." During the 1960s, four percent of the entire national budget was spent on space; today one-sixth of one percent goes to NASA.

"The average American’s bill, if you will, for the space program, is 15 cents per person, per day," says Griffin. "I don’t know about you, but I spend more than that on bubble gum."

And there are worries there could be further cuts. Constellation is a tempting target in a difficult economy. The money squeeze is the main reason why the U.S. won’t set foot on the moon until 2020. A Mars landing won’t take place until about 2030. To defray costs for the trip to Mars, NASA may need an international partner. If it's up to Congressman Barney Frank, D-Mass., who tried to halt the Mars program, Americans won’t be part of any human missions to the planet. So what does he have against Mars?

"I don’t have anything against a lot of things I don’t wanna spend hundreds of billions of dollars on," says Rep. Frank. "Sending human beings there for the sole purpose of proving that we can do it and bringing them back requires an enormous amount of money at a time when we have a serious deficit, when we are not adequately funding a lot of very important needs right here at home."

Others wonder why NASA doesn’t simply continue to send rovers like Spirit and Opportunity to Mars. Miraculously, they not only survived the landing, they have survived for four years on the Martian surface. The rovers were originally supposed to last only three months. The rovers are cheaper and don’t put humans at risk. But what rovers can do in a day, humans could do in a minute. And manned missions to Mars could intensify a very important search, according to Squyres, the lead scientist for the rovers.

"We’re exploring Mars, fundamentally, because it may once have harbored life," he says. "So, by going to Mars we can address basic questions like, 'How did life first come to be? Is life common or rare throughout the universe?' These are big questions."

Discoveries by the rovers have given hints to the possibilities of life on Mars. Perfect, blueberry-like spheres on the surface are made of a mineral that is often formed in water on Earth. Last year, white dirt appeared in 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, Opportunity is finding proof that water once saturated the sub-surface of Mars. Water is the essential ingredient for life.

"This is a big if," Squyres says, "but if you could show that life arose independently on two different planets just in this one solar system, when you consider the multitudes of solar systems that there are out there, it takes no great leap of logic or faith or anything else to believe that life might actually be commonplace throughout the universe."

And if that isn’t enough to think about, the real issue may not be whether there was or is life on Mars, but whether there will be life on Mars.

Griffin says, "I think Mars will figure prominently in the future of the human race. Well, I think Mars is in, in the distant future, is another home for human beings."

Human settlements on Mars: is it all just a dream? Will the American public even support traveling to places humans can barely imagine? That may be the biggest question of all.

[gfalbel]

In response to your sector on the manned mission to Mars, the following portions of an email I sent to DR. WENDELL MENDELL, DIRECTOR OF MANNED LUNAR PROGRAMS AT NASA HOUSTON IS APPLICABLE:

This 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!

[mobythedog1]

NASA is the world''s largest PR organization. This space thing is merely a sideline. Why travel across the lake to go fishing? Stay here and focus on the many oceans and seas. Doing that will give a far greater return on our investment for many generations.

[mobythedog1]

NASA is the world''s largest PR organization. This space thing is merely a sideline. Why travel across the lake to go fishing? Stay here and focus on the many oceans and seas. Doing that will give a far greater return on our investment for many generations.

[mobythedog1]

NASA is the world''s largest PR organization. This space thing is merely a sideline. Why travel across the lake to go fishing? Stay here and focus on the many oceans and seas. Doing that will give a far greater return on our investment for many generations.

[debbiepvb]

The government is certainly setting a fine example for its citizens, spend even if you can''t afford it. Our country lacks affordable health care, lack of mental health care for returning vets, and many more programs too numerous to count. After your segment on: "A Bigger Leap for Mankind," I read an article in the St. Petersburg Times about Dallas Carter who chose death over poverty and hunger . . . tell that to the politicians voting for a Mars walk! Just because we are capable of sending humans to Mars doesn''t mean we should.

[bobdennis55]

please scroll from radiOrat, re "awesome", and "oops" to read my comment, as I only have 1 posted comment. thank you

[radi0rat]

oops - I apologize. I kept getting this idiot message "The Publish button will be enabled shortly. We have temporarily disabled it so everyone has an opportunity to comment."

I apologize for accidental multiple postings.

[radi0rat]

AWESOME!
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

[radi0rat]

AWESOME!
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

[radi0rat]

AWESOME!
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

[radi0rat]

AWESOME!
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

[radi0rat]

AWESOME!
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

[homegrown35]

It is pretty good we can put men on the moon and now we''re targeting Mars and yet we haven''t eliminated or curtailed the use of fossil fuels. 50 mpg would be nice. Where are our priorities?

[radi0rat]

AWESOME!
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

[bobdennis55]

yeah, let''s send another person to the moon! and send 2000 boys and girls to iraq, send billions of AMERICAN dollars to other countries (some of which HATE us), AND FORGET the AMERICAN PEOPLE, THIS DEVASTATING ECONOMY..RECESSION???, (not us...) FOOD, GAS, HEATING, CRIME, CLOSING SCHOOLS, "MEDICARE", LAY-OFFS, SENDING AMERICAN JOBS OVERSEAS, ETC., ETC., ETC. YEAH, LET''S SPEND MORE BILLIONS ON SPACE, and SENDING MOON VACATIONS, and FORGET US!!!!! THANKS, PREZ, and OUR CONCERNED RULERS, FOR DESTROYING EVERYTHING, while FILLING YOUR RICH POCKETS. GOD HELP US, AND GOD, (PLEASE) BLESS AMERICA.

[radi0rat]

AWESOME!
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

[ae4kk]

I have, for the last 50 years, been interested in and supported the exploration of space. Today, however, I had the thought that we ought to park the damned rocket ships and retarget NASA. New target: Make us energy independent. Spend their 20 billion dollar budget on converting our gas guzzling cars to some other energy source. Their choice. I''m not a GRADUUATE engineer. They have thousands. Put that brain power to a practical use.

[radi0rat]

AWESOME!
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

[cpajimohio]

one guest asked how life was created.. The Bible teaches that God created life. In fact, all members of the Trinity were part of creation. God The Father, God The Son (Jesus Christ) and The Holy Spirit.

[radi0rat]

AWESOME!
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