Re: With us to Mars

  E.Laureti wrote:

Only we can get to and from Mars with a human crew

I'd be satisfied with an automated return mission.
Think about it:
Humans can perform the work of a "Mars Rover" in a tiny fraction
of the time. Humans walk *Oodles* fast than those damn things
move. They cover a disappointingly small amount of ground. But...
They'd be stuck on their feet. They're not going to have a cart
to drive around on, a 4-wheeler or anything. If that were possible
why note just send a lander that size, with that speed and those
capabilities? It would be infinitely easier and cheaper.
No food.
No water.
No humans.
Think of how much LESS weight, size & cost you'd need eliminating
all that, and going with a robotic version!
Buzz around HUNDREDS of miles, maybe THOUSANDS instead of the 20
that Curiosity managed over an entire DECADE!
Yes:  20 miles per decade!
A little less, actually. It took it just over 12 years to go less
than 20.5 miles.
So humans can walk about 4 mph, call it 2 mph with all that gear,
so two humans can cover the same ground in five hour.
Five hours compared to 12 years!
So you're not wrong. But the proverbial "Quantum Leap" could be
achieved with a larger, faster, more capable rover.
We can build a vehicle that can cover 10 or 100 times the
distance in a fraction of the time. And THAT is likely a far
simpler and cheaper and safer than sending humans, AND it would
be another step (more lessons) towards a really successful
manned mission.
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