There's not really a topic for discussion about space travel, so I thought I would volunteer to answer questions. My areas are the US and Russian space programs, commercial space, no UFO stuff, please.

 

If you ever had a question, this is the place to ask.

 

I have had my payloads flown on the Space Shuttle, I once rented a Russian space station, I now have big stuff up at ISS, and a bunch of US patents in a closet somewhere.

 

I spent an afternoon in a Russian jail with the head of the Ukrainian design bureau Yushnoye, not intentionally.

 

I used to read NASA Space Station Program Interface Control Program doxuments for fun. Disgorging the contents back to NASA as System Requirements Review documents, not so much fun.

 

I once ran the same spacecraft configuration through  Russian and NASA technical reviews simultaneously. I don't think anyone has ever done that.

 

I've been to a launch at Baikonur.

 

Yes, I knew Elon, back in the day.

 

So, feel free to ask, if you have any questions.

Wait till/G/G comes along and ask you how to clean a space toilet.

2 hours ago, still kicking said:

Wait till/G/G comes along and ask you how to clean a space toilet.

I spent some time at the Zvezda factory, where they make the space toilets.

 

Pro tip: if offered the 40 watt or 100 watt models, always go with the 100 watt model.

5 hours ago, Danderman123 said:

So, feel free to ask, if you have any questions.

Why do you do it? What part of the space stuff is interesting for you?

 

Personally, I read a little about the technologies, and I found that interesting.

But when I see now articles and videos about missions to mars, then I just skip them. Who wants to live there? What is on mars that is more exciting than exploring earth? And how long will it take before anybody will be able to travel there and live there?

 

Which aspects are exiting for you?

24 minutes ago, OneMoreFarang said:

Why do you do it? What part of the space stuff is interesting for you?

 

Personally, I read a little about the technologies, and I found that interesting.

But when I see now articles and videos about missions to mars, then I just skip them. Who wants to live there? What is on mars that is more exciting than exploring earth? And how long will it take before anybody will be able to travel there and live there?

 

Which aspects are exiting for you?

It's my job. I founded a couple of space companies that became very large.

 

Along the way, I had a lot of adventures, and learned a lot.

 

You're asking questions about Mars that Elon routinely answers, because he wants to live there.

 

For me, one interesting facet of space is that humans can clone their organs in microgravity. A lot more work needs to be done on this.

Is it possible to travel to Mars, isn’t there a lot of radiation out there that’d scramble the astronauts’ DNA ?

So, with all you've done, how is it you ended up on a bragging about banging bargirls and being obsessed with Trump? 

13 minutes ago, lemonjelly said:

Is it possible to travel to Mars, isn’t there a lot of radiation out there that’d scramble the astronauts’ DNA ?

The heavy radiation is in the Van Allen belts, starting about 1400 km up, and extending to about 40,000 km. To attain Trans Mars Injection, spaceship velocity has to be sufficient to pass through the Van Allen belts within an hour, not long enough for serious damage from radiation.

 

Once past the Van Allen belts, radiation levels drop a lot.

 

If radiation is a problem, what is usually done is to store drinking water in such a way to protect the crew.

Please help settle a bet. My friends say we can't travel to the sun because it's too hot. I say if we go at night it won't be a problem. Who's correct?

9 minutes ago, ColeBOzbourne said:

Please help settle a bet. My friends say we can't travel to the sun because it's too hot. I say if we go at night it won't be a problem. Who's correct?

You’d have to get there before morning, it’s too far.

On 1/23/2024 at 2:02 PM, Danderman123 said:

You're asking questions about Mars that Elon routinely answers, because he wants to live there.

IMO Elon is an idiot. A very rich idiot but still an idiot.

 

Rather than Mars, why doesn't he try to fix the problems on Planet Earth and do some good?

 

Actually, if he went and lived on Mars, Planet Earth might be better for it, so carry on Elon!

On 1/23/2024 at 2:26 PM, lemonjelly said:

Is it possible to travel to Mars, isn’t there a lot of radiation out there that’d scramble the astronauts’ DNA ?

Perhaps the Galactic Council put the radiation belts there to prevent humans escaping and destroying the universe.

3 hours ago, thaibeachlovers said:

IMO Elon is an idiot. A very rich idiot but still an idiot.

 

Rather than Mars, why doesn't he try to fix the problems on Planet Earth and do some good?

 

Actually, if he went and lived on Mars, Planet Earth might be better for it, so carry on Elon!

It's a business.

 

 

3 hours ago, Yellowtail said:

It's a business.

 

 

That's correct. Elon started SpaceX to enable his dream of travel to Mars. Along the way, SpaceX became a multi billion dollar company.

Elon got Mars fever from Dr. Robert Zubrin, the author of the "Mars Direct" concept. It happens that I saw Dr. Zubrin give the initial presentation of Mars Direct, back in the day, and it was a strangely electrifying moment. However, because Mars Direct has become widely accepted, it doesn't seem so amazing now.

 

 

On 1/23/2024 at 1:52 AM, Danderman123 said:

So, feel free to ask, if you have any questions.

lol. Not to knock you (interesting experience), but if one wanted to garner solid info in this area, they’d be better served looking at dedicated fora/news sites like nasa space flight, space.com etc, even Stack or, gawd forbid, Wiki and certain Reddit channels. 

1 hour ago, daveAustin said:

lol. Not to knock you (interesting experience), but if one wanted to garner solid info in this area, they’d be better served looking at dedicated fora/news sites like nasa space flight, space.com etc, even Stack or, gawd forbid, Wiki and certain Reddit channels. 

 

There are plenty of places to ask questions about space stuff, you are correct.

On 1/23/2024 at 2:01 PM, lemonjelly said:

You’d have to get there before morning, it’s too far.

For cheap Charlie's yes , but if you pay the expressway toll can make it OK. Petrol bill a bit heavy though.

I heard Elon talking and he claim people on the Moon inside five years and on Mars in ten. 

 

Self sufficient colony on Mars in forty years. 

16 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

I heard Elon talking and he claim people on the Moon inside five years and on Mars in ten. 

 

Self sufficient colony on Mars in forty years. 

Yeah, Elon was saying that years ago.

 

He's got to get Super Heavy to work. Next launch is Real Soon Now.

19 minutes ago, Danderman123 said:

Yeah, Elon was saying that years ago.

Do you have anything that supports this? 

19 minutes ago, Danderman123 said:

He's got to get Super Heavy to work. Next launch is Real Soon Now.

 

10 hours ago, Yellowtail said:

Do you have anything that supports this? 

 

https://web.archive.org/web/20160928040332if_/http://www.spacex.com/sites/spacex/files/mars_presentation.pdf

 

Any time Elon talks in public, he talks about going to Mars Real Soon Now.

 

Back in the day, before he was famous, he gave very optimistic predictions about flights to Mars.

On 1/27/2024 at 11:14 AM, thaibeachlovers said:

IMO Elon is an idiot. A very rich idiot but still an idiot.

 

Rather than Mars, why doesn't he try to fix the problems on Planet Earth and do some good?

 

Actually, if he went and lived on Mars, Planet Earth might be better for it, so carry on Elon!

It's the much bigger picture, plenty on Earth trying to fix things here, if our species is to survive we must get off the planet at some point. Have to start somewhere

 

8 minutes ago, Seppius said:

It's the much bigger picture, plenty on Earth trying to fix things here, if our species is to survive we must get off the planet at some point. Have to start somewhere

 

The question is if Elon will ever really try.

1 hour ago, Danderman123 said:

https://web.archive.org/web/20160928040332if_/http://www.spacex.com/sites/spacex/files/mars_presentation.pdf

 

Any time Elon talks in public, he talks about going to Mars Real Soon Now.

 

Back in the day, before he was famous, he gave very optimistic predictions about flights to Mars.

You claimed that years ago, Elon claimed he'd have people on the Moon inside five years, people on Mars in ten years, and a self-sufficient colony on Mars in forty years. 

 

Your link does not support that. 

 

Do you have anything that does support it or were you just making it up like most everything else you post? 

On 1/23/2024 at 1:52 AM, Danderman123 said:

I have had my payloads flown on the Space Shuttle, I once rented a Russian space station, I now have big stuff up at ISS, and a bunch of US patents in a closet somewhere

What size is your apartment up at the ISS?

23 minutes ago, novacova said:

What size is your apartment up at the ISS?

The company I founded has a module at ISS that is 4 cubic meters.

29 minutes ago, Yellowtail said:

You claimed that years ago, Elon claimed he'd have people on the Moon inside five years, people on Mars in ten years, and a self-sufficient colony on Mars in forty years. 

 

Your link does not support that. 

 

Do you have anything that does support it or were you just making it up like most everything else you post? 

Elon has been talking about going to Mars Real Soon Now for many years.

 

Sorry, I never recorded him.

33 minutes ago, Danderman123 said:

Elon has been talking about going to Mars Real Soon Now for many years.

I’ll be heading there in a couple days for some peace and quiet.

On 1/27/2024 at 6:35 PM, Danderman123 said:

Elon got Mars fever from Dr. Robert Zubrin, the author of the "Mars Direct" concept. It happens that I saw Dr. Zubrin give the initial presentation of Mars Direct, back in the day, and it was a strangely electrifying moment. However, because Mars Direct has become widely accepted, it doesn't seem so amazing now.

 

 

 

Is Dr. Robert Zubrin related to to Dr. Hans Zarkov?