Quote:
Originally Posted by HypothesisTesting
Maybe,
but I would not be so quick to compare sailing ship (or even sub) voyages with a long Mars voyage. The point is that you might be comparing two completely different things. I'm not at all convinced that people will be able to psychologically handle long months of interplanetary flight, has it really ever been tested? (a) yes, Mir , people were in space maybe a year, but earth was right out the window (b) what about that simulated space colony in Arizona a few years ago, that didn't work so well.
The Mars missions have to make a decision (a) go to Mars in several months, (b) design much faster rockets and get there in weeks. My vote goes to (b).
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Technologically yes, a major oh duh yes, psychologically I am sure we could handle it. No, it hasn't being tested. Maybe if we did ISS mission where we blacked out the windows, and made an equivalent communications gap artificially. I agree, being the farthest you or anyone else has ever ben is a strain, but I believe the human mind can take it. Imagine the loneliness of a sailor on the
Pinta would feel. He was also farther from home then anyone had been known to go. I agree that advanced rockets would make the journey faster, and make it more commonplace, but for the first journeys, I do think that we would be able to handle such a trip just fine.
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