Re: Kerry criticizes Bush's space vision

From: jacob navia (jacob_at_jacob.remcomp.fr)
Date: 06/16/04 

Date: Thu, 17 Jun 2004 00:35:18 +0200

"Paul" <none@none.com> a écrit dans le message de
news:40D0B019.9573E47D@none.com...
> As far as I'm concerned, Kerry is looking at low-earth orbital missions
and
> micro-gravity experiments and nothing more, nothing about long-duration
> lunar and martian MANNED explorations. What kind of policy is that? We've
> been stuck in LEO since 1973.

Paul:
1) The U.S. has sent machines to Jupiter, Mars, Saturn, Venus, Neptune,
   and I just stop there. I do not see that as being "stuck" by any
   reasonable interpretation of that word!

2) HUMANS haven't gotten any further than LEO. The principal reason is that
   after 6 months without gravity the body starts decaying. Some people
   resist better than others, but after more than 1 year they are quite
sick,
  and nobody knows at all what consequences has a two year trip. No
   human has ever stayed two years without gravity. And there is quite
   good reasons for that. Astronauts aren't suicide prone. The changes in
   the bones start getting out of hand after 8-9 months, and they could
   be irreversible, nobody knows. More LEO testing is obviously needed!

Let's clarify the points:

Human space travel needs a technology that just DOESN'T EXIST now.

We need to develop 100% reliable closed ecological systems able to
provide a crew of several people with food, oxygen, water, and waste
recycling for at least 3 years without any failure. Such a technology,
I repeat DOESN'T EXIST. Neither in Russia nor in the U.S., and it
will not exist until a LOT of money and effort is spent in LEO
DEVELOPING IT!!!

Just read the recent reports about the mythical space station walk,
(today it was postponed again to June 24th)
where we see that the workhorse of space travel: the spacesuit is
JUST NOT READY! Several U.S. suits failed, and in the last walk
the russian astronaut was forced to return because of a malfunctioning
suit.

And spacesuits are taken for granted. They are actually complex
systems, that can kill the user at the slightest failure.

This demonstrates the REAL state of current technology.

I am (of course) FOR human space travel, but I see that developing
such a technology will take something like 20-30 years of LEO testing
and developing before we can go anywhere.

The space station is our best demonstration of how things stand.
It needs to be supplied regularly after a few months. Many components
that look trivial but are vital (exercise machines for instance) are failing
at an alarming rate.

In a trip to Mars, the failure of ANY component means death for everyone.

There is nothing remotely similar to the required level of reliability.

Besides, the BIG issue of human survival after more than 1 year
in space is not even understood and there is NO REMEDY for it.

This *is* a show stopper, and we have to solve THAT before any human
can get into a spaceship bound to Mars.

Or, build a rotating spaceship with artificial gravity. But that
requires quite a lot of mass.

> Seems like he prefers robotic exploration of
> the solar system and the heck with manned exploration.

I am not an U.S. citizen and I will not get into for/against this
candidate. He represents a point of view that I find
reasonable, but I know too much politicians to forget that

"The promises of a politician engage only those that believe them".

:-)

jacob

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