Indian Mars Satalite

[Vandalis]

India's Mars satalite has arrived and now were getting the first images.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-29357438

[Lunica]

I see 2 pyramids, 5 rocks and 3 other anomalies! 

Curious if the public will get some real images to work with.

[WarToad]

LOL!  At 10% of the cost of the US mission.   

[WarToad]

It should be noted the main objective was to see if they could capture Mars orbit.  Everything else is secondary.

[Wrabbit2000]

Given the amount of wreckage strewn across the Mars surface from previous "oops" events in man's effort to see the place? I'd say just getting orbit in a first time effort is a noble goal in itself.

Not bad for their first real time out the gate, as I understand their level of development here. Not too bad at all. Perhaps they can treat life willing to risk itself for the goal of exploration a little less precious than we do here. It's been a shame to see whole programs stop for a year or more over a tragic accident, and we'd still be watching propeller planes overhead if the same care had been taken to aircraft invention.

I just wonder now, who will be the first to put a human boot on that soil? What is it now? 3 or 4 nations with the potential if not current technology to 'technically' do it? its just likely to be the proverbial one way ticket at the moment. (where did someone hide that sign up sheet? lol)

[Pimander]

I just wonder now, who will be the first to put a human boot on that soil?

My money is on the Chinese at less that a 20th of what the US would have to spend.  If not the US will fake it as soon as computer generated animations are indistinguishable from real video.

[Wrabbit2000]

My money is on the Chinese at less that a 20th of what the US would have to spend.  If not the US will fake it as soon as computer generated animations are indistinguishable from real video.

I think I have to agree with the Chinese being the odds on favorite for a first successful manned mission to Mars. It's not that they are smarter, faster or better IMO. It is a simpler thing than that. They are not obsessed to the point of self defeat with the concept of helping everyone live beyond any illness, threat, injury or chance of one of the three at almost ANY cost. China will throw ships at Mars (once they start with purpose) until one gets there and lands to plant a flag, while making the others with dead people from the attempt, national heroes. What China won't do is slow their effort much beyond learning why one failed so the next one won't.

That's how man will eventually get beyond near space and lunar orbit, IMO. That is the only way man will ever get where the Voyagers have gone now. People will die. Many many people will die in the process of getting from here to there for the first or second time. Nations which can't accept that, may as well stay home and make spare parts for those who will.

[Senduko]

Talking about costs :

India's spacecraft orbits Mars successfully - and it cost less to send it there than Hollywood spent on making Gravity
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2767471/India-triumphs-maiden-Mars-mission.html

The Mangalyaan spacecraft successfully entered orbit around Mars this morning, making India the first Asian nation to reach the red planet.
The Mars Orbiter Mission cost £45 million ($74 million), or about three-quarters the amount to make the Oscar-winning movie Gravity about astronauts stranded in space.
It arrived in orbit around the red planet after a tense 300-day marathon travelling more than 420 million miles (670 million km).


Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2767471/India-triumphs-maiden-Mars-mission.html#ixzz3ERAdhw5V
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[Pimander]

How long before a nation decides to utilise induced coma and cooling of the body to allow deep space travel.  Yes, I know they did it in Aliens and other movies but it is medically possible.  It would dramatically reduce the cost of travel to Mars and further.

[VillageIdiot]

How long before a nation decides to utilise induced coma and cooling of the body to allow deep space travel.  Yes, I know they did it in Aliens and other movies but it is medically possible.  It would dramatically reduce the cost of travel to Mars and further.

I've always had an issue with the deep sleep angle in sci-fi. It doesn't allow for waste excretion. You can't tell me a comatose patient doesn't get rid of waste.

I guess the solution is a humongous diaper.