Orion Capsule to carry crews to Mars - eek!

[Cath]

Could you sit in this small capsule all the way to Mars?

That's what they seem to be talking about doing from what I can tell (I cold be wrong though). Surely they'd be no hope what so ever for anyone trying this would reach Mars with even the slightest bit of sanity left?

http://www.nasa.gov/multimedia/videogallery/index.html?media_id=158530701

http://www.nasa.gov/pdf/617409main_orion_overview_fs_33012.pdf

[russ.will]

From reading your links, I don't think that's quite what NASA are suggesting. However, I agree on the basis the technology only seems to supply the potential for a one way trip...

Russell

[K3ny0n]

One way trip..

I want to come back!

Rob.

[Catweazel]

Yep, thus the small capsule; you would need to be insane by the time you got there

[zakkhogan]

This is the abandoned moon mission that the obama administration canceled because of the recession isnt it?

[Cath]

This is the abandoned moon mission that the obama administration canceled because of the recession isnt it?

Yes Zak, but I don't think that abandoned it, just put it off for a while.

It's the smallness of the capsule I was thinking about - being stuck in that for how ever long it would take them to reach Mars. I can't see how anyone could deal with that and come out of it in any kind of OK state.

[cantab]

NASA will find people who can. They'll have all the applicants they could ever want for a manned Mars mission after all.

It occurs to me that from a psychological perspective a solo flight might be better, though I doubt NASA would go with it. I think more people will cope with having no contact with others except by email for six months than will cope with being inescapably cooped up with one or two other people for the same length of time. Plus it avoids the risk of whoever's not picked to take the first step feeling resentful. (Though you could also do that by designing the spacecraft to allow all occupants to jump out onto Mars at once.)

[rockettsue]

This on utube getting ready for any missions to Mars.

[spurius]

How would they go about dropping one? I have to wonder if theres a whole lot of astronaut excrement in orbit.

Will the craft have some sort of extraction because they would end up breathing in their own farts over and over.