After the moon is Mars

The US economy weakened, NASA was forced to choose the least expensive solutions to make flights to the moon and Mars.

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The reason the moon was chosen is the destination in the next 10 years because the US currently has many heavy competitors such as Russia, China, India and Japan. NASA (US Space Agency) is embarrassed because the Constellation project to bring people back to their moon was rejected by the government and Congress because it was too expensive.

Centaur 2 and other robots in a US experiment.Photo: NASA

Sagittarius on Mars

Some Space Center Johnson (JSC) engineers and scientists devoted themselves to NASA have proposed a cheap plan (costing only $ 450 million) to bring R2 - robonaut astronaut - to face moon within 1,000 days. However, this proposal is still " researched ".

In parallel with the plan to return to the moon, NASA is nurturing projects to send people to Mars to find life and materials for the future. Once again, the criteria for maximum savings that are still effective are set.

In the current situation, there are two issues that NASA needs to address to be able to reach Mars. One is to build new missiles and spacecraft. This, within the next 10 years, NASA can solve because America is the country with the best technology and experience in making vehicles in space space.

The second problem is to bring people or robots to Mars? The most considered solution is to bring all kinds of robots - including robonaut - because it doesn't need food, water or oxygen to breathe. Moreover, the US has experience with robots landing on Mars.

In 1976, the United States used to fly two robots (Viking 1 and Viking 2 probes) to Mars to find life and remained there until 1982. Earlier, in 1971, the Soviet Union launched two Mars probes. 2 and Mars 3 to Mars. From then on, only 6 Soviet and US robot exploration ships successfully landed on Mars in the number of dozens launched. That's why robots are the preferred choice because the journey is 800 million km long. It took 11 months for the Viking 1 to land on Mars on July 20, 1976.

In all kinds of robots (including 4-wheel, 6-wheel robots), robonaut R2 version is about to be released to ISS International Space Station early next month is considered the most advanced. After the ISS, the moon will be the second test to complete R2's skills if the JSC's M plan is approved by NASA. After the moon will be Mars. R2 is transformed into Centaur 2 with the lower body fitted with 4 wheels to adapt to the rugged and rugged terrain.

Centaur 2 has been tested since autumn 2006 along with other robots in the Arizona desert. In the future, as Space.com said, the planets will flood the robots, including increasingly complete robonaut.

Paul Davies, Ph.D. (Photo: AP)

Sacrifice your father's life

In the policy of " raw rice sauce " of the US government, robonaut is a trendy choice. But there is another daring solution to take astronauts to Mars in a " no return " way.

On October 28, Simon Worden , director of NASA's Ames Research Center in California, unknowingly or intentionally disclosed during a meeting in San Francisco that DARPA, a top secret project research unit. of the US Department of Defense and NASA, is developing a project called " 100-year inter-galactic spacecraft ". Both agencies have invested $ 1.1 million to develop a new engine-powered spacecraft that does not run on traditional fuel and does not have to carry stored fuel to Mars and further planets.

Since the purpose of the project is to colonize planets, flights may be made one way. Astronauts will leave with the mind of " sacrificing their father's life ". Obviously this is a very sensitive project because it poses many ethical issues.

While the new project was revealed in general, last week, in the journal of the cosmology journal Journal of Cosmology , two American scientists presented a similar idea. Professor Dirk Schulze-Makuch of the University of Washington and University of Arizona professor Paul Davies argues that humanity needs to take over other planets as colonies because the earth may be at risk by a meteorite disaster. .

According to the two men, Mars will be our colony in the near future. And colonization needs to be fast and cheap, so it will be a one-way flight from Mars by voluntary astronauts aged 60 or older.

Mars will start with a spacecraft carrying 2 astronauts. After that, many other flights brought new settlers and goods to feed them.

Explain why astronauts must be 60 years or older, Professor Schulze-Makuch said during the flight, astronauts will be exposed to radiation that damages the genitals, so do not use people young.

Knowing his idea was difficult to convince NASA for safety issues, the two professors hoped to be sponsored by a giant. There are British billionaire Richard Branson, Elon Musk - founder of PayPal Company and Jeff Besos, CEO of Amazon.com Company, who are very interested in private astronaut projects. It is unclear whether the ideas of the two scientists have just convinced them or not.