NASA plans a manned mission to Mars to land in 2019 (source: A Mars Timeline: 1960 to the Present - Explore the Cosmos | The Planetary Society). Do you think they will make it (give or take a few years)? Or does anyone think it is going to take a private enterprise to get humans to Mars?

I am generally of the opinion that private industry can do almost anything more efficiently than the government. Having said that, I can't see any real incentive for private industry to attempt a mars mission any sooner than the government's timeline. Orbital flights are a potential money maker, so you see activity there. Unless someone finds gold on Mars, the greed factor just isn't there to push this forward.

I am a HUGE proponent of the space program but, frankly, I can't see any point in a Mars mission right now. There are too many problems to fix in our own back yard. It does no good to learn how the universe was formed while simultaneously destroying your little corner of it.

So exploring will never be done without hope of financial return? (I agree past exploration was usually seeking streets paved with gold--or was supported by someone seeking financial benefits.) Is this really what we boil down to?

We will probably always have social, economic, environmental, problems, etc. We always have, but humans still explored the globe. The results of centuries of exploration have had some good results.

Someone's got to want to see new worlds (or leave this one) bad enough they find a way to make it happen, eventually. We still have some pioneers left don't we?

Platinum might be a posibility, If we screw this Earth up so bad, We may try to Live on Mars as a last resort. After we destroy that one, We have 6 planets left, and hopefully the Technology we learn on Mars will help with dealing with the Extremes of the other Planets,
First thing we need to do on mars is have a lot of Babies, It will mean more tax dollars.
It will also mean more waste. I think I am starting to see a pattern here.

Private industry needs to make a profit in order to exist. They, therefore can't proceed without at least the expectation they will not lose money.

A government does not have that restriction. If they take an action that loses money, they have the option to sink more money in. They have deep pockets, unfortunately, they are our pockets.

Eventually, we will devise a way to make it more cost effective to travel in space. One way to save on costs would be to devise a way to not have to accelerate the fuel. A rail launcher would be one approach.

And I also agree that private industry is always more efficient than government.

Burt Rutan and Scaled Composites is one of the private leaders in field, they headed up SpaceShipOne. SpaceShipOne made History with First Manned Private Spaceflight back in 2004... Private Industry will get into it on a larger scale soon enough, but everyone above is right, there has to be $$$ in the bank at the end of the day!

CMM_KALEIDO - IF they need someone to go , I'd go in a split second,Ever since I was knee high to a grass hopper I'V dreamed of going to other plantes, flying in space, yes I guess I am one of them pioneers, Wondering what's just over that next mountain, then the next then the next. Hay STRATMANDO ,youer a pilot to ,want to come along? I Will even in my grave envy those that get to go. Some of you really hit the nails on the heads on some of your answers . Lets see ,need a crew of 7 or8 , three pilots should be enough, that's ,STRATMANDO< Flying blue Eagle, EXCON , I'll have to finish this latter.::: GOOD DAY & GODBLESS GENTS :::: F.B.E.

FBE, that would be too cool, I would for sure go. Don't get me wrong, there are plenty of volunteers, The Explorers and Adventures don't have the Money. Money people don't have the Desire or the balls. Except for Branson, He could do some serious stuff, as well as the Ratan's. The Big companies want guaranteed profit. A person with a dream will spend excessive time and money to create some of the coolest machines or craft, Business wise it could be considered a loss.

Thanks for the great input--even if it is a little depressing.

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Originally Posted by Sand Daddy

Burt Rutan and Scaled Composites is one of the private leaders in field, they headed up SpaceShipOne. SpaceShipOne made History with First Manned Private Spaceflight back in 2004..... Private Industry will get into it on a larger scale soon enough, but everyone above is right, there has to be $$$ in the bank at the end of the day!

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Quote from the X-Prize Foundation web site

"The cause of the tremendous growth in aviation experienced after 1927 was not due to a technology breakthrough. Lindbergh employed technology that was available years earlier. The growth was a direct result of a monumental change in the public's expectation about flight. Lindbergh's flight created the expectation that anyone could fly.

The X PRIZE Foundation was founded to create a similar change in the public's
expectation of space flight, and now exists to create similar shifts in the public's perception in future X PRIZE areas."
from Our Story | X PRIZE Foundation

Okay, on the private side, can the X-Prize Foundation accomplish their goal of recreating the effects of Lindbergh's flight on aviation with regard to spaceflight? Does the trickle-down effect of this approach beat the "no money in it for us now" card?

The X prize winner got 10 Million, I think it cost more than 10 Million? To accomplish. In this Case the Challenge Made it desirable. The first to accomplish. There is another challenge, Think it is still going on Think it was the "Sikorsky Challenge" where a human powered vertical flight had to be able to hover and move around with control for maybe 30 seconds within a small circle. This was a few years ago. Anyone familiar?

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Originally Posted by Stratmando

There is another challenge, Think it is still going on Think it was the "Sikorsky Challenge" where a human powered vertical flight had to be able to hover and move around with control for maybe 30 seconds within a small circle. This was a few years ago. Anyone familar?

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The American Helicopter Society is offering this, the Sikorsky Human Powered Helicopter Prize, $20,000). Does seem to be still available.

Human Powered Helicopter Contest Rules

X-prize foundation is currently offering four prizes. Rough summary: one for a lunar lander, one for green-minded automotives, one for genomics, and one to send a robot to the moon.

CMM, Thanks That was it, I had tried to find recently, but no luck. Take Care