What are the chances humans reach Mars by 2050? Do we even have the technology to do so currently?
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answers:
quantumclaustrophobe say: Well.... Two things.
2050 is about 30 years away. YES, we could do it. If we were to put a program in place now, with 30 years to accomplish it, then it would be developing the machines and probably putting together an international program to fund the effort. At the moment, I don't think we have *all* the technology we need for a successful Mars landing, but I think it could be done.
And the second thing... Our government trades itself out every 4 to 8 years; I doubt you could put a 22-30 year program in place, and guarantee funding throughout it's lifespan for the landing. Not to mention, keep a tenuous agreement with several space agencies in place... it's a commitment that could potentially out-last governments themselves, with very little return-on-investment, at least initially, and, probably not within the lifetimes of the officials who *begin* the program.
The hardest part about getting to Mars? It's not the journey - it's the funding.
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Sharon say: 2050 should be easy; I would estimate first landing around ten years before that
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In say: We have the technology right now, but it would be a one way trip. Ideally we could set up refining and manufacturing facilities on the Moon and get the parts into orbit easier with the lower lunar gravity. Modules could be sent to Mars in advance of manned expeditions and be set up by robots. I was 8 when we landed on the Moon, and 2050 seems like a rather conservative estimate, but I would be willing to stick around to see us land on another world again.
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ReductioAdAstronomicus say: Alive? Zero.
No suitable technology except for the necessary social engineering to get the public brainwashed into accepting the idea of spending a trillion dollars on it exists at present.
A few people with more money than sense will probably bankrupt themselves on their little projects to get their asses onto Mars, and it's their money so who the f cares. It's just a pity that money wasn't put to some useful purpose such as the many projects in microbiology or medicine.
We should have learned the lessons of project Apollo by now. Fellas went to the moon from 1969 a few times. We never went back. Why reprise this useless exercise at Mars.
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bubba say: i have a ticket to leave in 2030 so i hope i get there quicker than 20yrs
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Acetek say: 2030's will be the first mission to Mars I believe
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CarolOklaNola say: The technology is in production since the middle of September 2011. Yes, unless the United States destroys itself, humanity probably will reach Mars by 2050, but it will be an international effort. Hopefully the current chaos in Washington D.C. and elsewhere and the pandemic willful ignorance will not send us into a new dark ages. I probably will not last that long.
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ioerr say: nobody knows, really. the future is pretty much impossible to predict that far out.
at the moment we probably do have the technology to do it, but the expense would be ridiculous, making it a completely pointless exercise, other than for the purpose of national prestige (which is probably the main reason it might be attempted), as well as incredibly dangerous for the people actually going
to make it a lot more certain to happen, there would have to be some really dramatic improvements, mainly in terms of what it costs just to boost stuff out into low earth orbit in the first place, not to mention in terms of the reliability of the vehicles used to accomplish that primary task. the rockets we use now, even the newest ones, are still really, miserably inadequate in both respects
and while big improvements in technology can happen, again, i'd say it's impossible to predict when, or if, they ever will actually happen
and then over here you've this thing called "the possibility of a major nuclear war," which, if you're the odds making kind of person, you probably have to realize is a pretty damn big possibility in that time frame, in its own right. the technology definitely exists for that to happen, and it would almost certainly preempt any "mars shots" for quite some time afterwards. it would probably cancel them completely, forever, really.
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