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Originally Posted by Emspak
Um, am I missing somehting, or do I detect a certain bias in both BigJim and Kizarvexis towards their respective favorite vacation destinations? 8)
BigJim-- it makes sense to me that if the Moon is a tougher environment, that is a good place to test equipment, at least some of it. The environment you described sounds to me like one that I could say "Hey, if this thing works on the Moon, Mars is easy!"
Kizarvexis -- one of the differences with equipment on the Moon is that, for instance, vacuum-welding of moving parts is an issue where on Mars it isn't, at least not in the same way. (It is harder to make lubricants that work in a vacuum because they tend to sublimate, and that's just one example). So there are some things that are better tested in Antarctica. In fact, in Northern Canada there wre people testing out hab technology now. (Anyone know if that project is still active?)
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Yep, you wouldn't necessarily test all equipment on a Moon mission, but I bet there is a lot you could test. And I just like the idea of walking before running.
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Originally Posted by Emspak
Something about medical treatment, by the way-- you would expect a mission to have a doctor, and basic surgical equipment on board, no? Not enough for brain surgery, but enough to be like the mobile hospital units in the military or a trauma center.
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Well, in the article I read, the missions that were discussed only had a few people, so no doctor would be expected to be along for the ride. So development of autodocs and the like was presented as a need for long term missions.
Kizarvexis