Author: Generation Mars

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The perennial question: Moon or Mars?

We don’t need to go to the Moon in order to go to Mars. This doesn’t mean we shouldn’t go to the Moon. It’s just not a prerequisite.

I love this quote from John Grunsfeld, when asked about the radiation risk of a Mars trip: “How does that compare to the risk of blowing up on the launchpad or on ascent; getting hit by a meteor, asteroid, debris, some kind of space junk on the way there; burning up in the Mars atmosphere; burning up in the Earth’s atmosphere on the way back; or missing the Earth? You add up all those risks, and the [risk of radiation exposure] is kind of just another one.”

The Pros and Cons of a Lunar Pit Stop
The Pros and Cons of a Lunar Pit Stop

NASA definitely wants to go to Mars. But does it need the moon to get there?
The Atlantic The Atlantic
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Crew Dragon abort test tomorrow

SpaceX will conduct an inflight abort test of Crew Dragon tomorrow morning. As the Falcon 9 reaches max-Q, it will shut off its engines to simulate a worst case failure. This should trigger the Crew Dragon to separate from the rocket and fire its own Super Draco engines to get away from the failing rocket. Once clear, Crew Dragon will pop its parachutes and land gently in the Atlantic. This should be quite a show and is the last major milestone before an actual crewed launch.

SpaceX poised to take large step toward human space flight
SpaceX poised to take large step toward human space flight

SpaceX is ready to check off another box on the list of requirements that need to be completed before the company can send crewed missions to the International Space Station.
SpaceFlight Insider SpaceFlight Insider
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Curiosity’s path

This is incredibly cool. Sean Doran has used imagery from NASA’s Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter and ESA’s Mars Express to create a massive image of the landscape Curiosity has traveled through. The detail here is astonishing.

MSL Traverse map v1.0
1.8 billion pixels 09x HiRISE DTM’s
10x CTX
02x HRSC

 

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Astronaut training for cancer patients

A new study suggests that following the training regimen of astronauts may help cancer patients during treatment.

Astronaut Spaceflight Training May Help Cancer Patients During, After Treatment | Space
A new study found similarities in muscle and bone loss between astronauts experiencing spaceflight and cancer patients undergoing treatment, suggesting that patients should mimic astronauts’ spaceflight training to reduce the long-term effects of medical care.