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SvennoJ on 01 May 2022
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Leynos said:
SvennoJ said:

If we spend as many resources on space flight as on killing each other it would be entirely feasible. The costs to send a steady stream of supply ships to Mars is astronomical, but it's just allocation of resources in the end. It's not out technological limits, it's our limits to being able to work together as a global society. The industrial production and research capacity of 'Earth' is plenty capable of producing a capable 'star fleet'. Yet right now, and for the next 100 years, there are more pressing problems that need full attention.

For now space flight remains a hobby project, mostly for the super rich. Technology for putting a man on the moon was also directly useful for the military industrial complex. Long distance space flight far less, hence the stagnation since the moon landings. The smart thing to do is to establish a permanent moon base first, yet that doesn't sound as prestigious as putting a man on Mars. So for now it remains an ego project for the super rich.

3 day journey vs several months. That's the problem. It took 3 days to get to the moon. To get to mars it would be months. Supplying that much air water and food is a problem.

Yes, hence it's more a logistical puzzle instead of a technological one. We can get there, but the steady stream of supply ships needed to support the astronauts on the way and while there cost a lot of money and effort.

Also we should be building the ship to take people to Mars in orbit, not launch it from Earth. So 2030 is definitely out, way too soon to get a safe and capable interplanetary ship together. Then we need to send refuelling ships after it and have some already waiting at Mars. Robots to prepare a landing site and stock it in advance.

We have the tech, just not the will to work together on such a long term project. Billionaire egos might put some one on Mars, probably won't be able to bring them back safely if they even make it that far. For now the ISS seems to be a bastard forgotten project. There are currently 10 people up there, usually 7 crew for the past 22 years. It's not growing, still only one space station, still entirely dependent on supplies from Earth. There are some experiments with growing food (Veggie) but nothing to actually eat yet (The Veggie garden is about the size of a carry-on piece of luggage and typically holds six plants).

Still no plans to create artificial gravity for the ISS. Just some experiments with mice in small scale models. Maybe this will actually get off the ground
https://www.space.com/orbital-assembly-voyager-space-station-artificial-gravity-2025
Starting in 3 years, perhaps. We definitely didn't make 2001, Arthur C. Clarke sadly lived long enough to see space exploration going nowhere fast.