NASA Successfully Fires Rocket Engine Designed for Deep Space Missions

[IDemo]

Source: ABC News

NASA said it has cleared a milestone in the path to ushering in the next era of human space exploration after successfully firing one of its rocket engines intended for use in deep space missions.

The space agency fired an RS-25 rocket engine for 500 seconds on Thursday.

The engine is one of four powering NASA's Space Launch System, which will provide a combined 2 million pounds of thrust, eventually launching humans on long-haul missions to an asteroid and to Mars sometime in the 2030s, according to NASA.

"We have exciting days ahead with a return to deep space and a journey to Mars, and this test is a very big step in that direction," Rick Gilbrech, director of NASA's Stennis Space Center, said in a statement.

Read more: http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/nasa-successfully-fires-rocket-engine-designed-deep-space/story?id=37574808

[MidwestTech]

1. about time!

Yes, I'm NOT an earth-firster... I'm a humanity first!
We should have had a base on the moon decades ago. Think of it, a moon colony free from arbitrary ethnicity! A new race of humans all in space working together for survival and the betterment of the species! our best and brightest creating a better, more united and enlightened species!

What they will learn up there will help us poor ground pounders here.

Don't forget the vast majority of YOUR DAILY LIFE was made possible because of the space program.

[ffr]

2. Too much coffee this morning?

I think you are over simplifying the resources it takes to colonize the moon or another planet. Think about it, there is no historic base with which 'life' can be sustained, thus far, on any other world than our own. Everything that we take for granted here, including the level of gravitation force our bodies have been biologically accustomed to as a life form as we've evolved from other mammals will not be available on other worlds or in space. We don't even know yet how this lack of gravity will affect human birth.

So your human colonization might really be a death sentence to our species best and brightest. And wouldn't that be a shame for the rest of us here on Earth, leaving just the dumbest and dimmest left to carry on with building futuristic propulsion technologies.

[MidwestTech]

4. How will we know until we try?

Also think of the moon as the beta test for extra-earth survival.
The conditions are similar to the rest of the universe, and they are within 1-3 days of earth depending on propulsion technology.
You can park a returned space shuttle as an escape vehicle to at least get to the space station if not land back on earth if things go truly tits up.

but we will literally never know until we go!

Yes, people WILL DIE, that's the nature of exploration. I'm willing to bet my life on it, I always have been.

Don't you have dreams you're that committed to?

[ffr]

9. I appluad your enthusiasm

but what you're proposing isn't as simple as you think. People will die and they more than likely will all die quickly. There is a radiation hazard too. If we somehow figure that portion of the equation out, then there's the whole procreation issue and what evolved beings those offspring will be. You might not want to find that part out, simply b/c it could be too sad and gruesome.

[MidwestTech]

11. But we won't know until we do it!

How many people have died on earth because of radiation poisoning?
How many miracles have been brought back from space-based science?
NOTHING is perfect, NOTHING is without risk!

Space is a huge risk, but also the greatest reward possible!

[forest444]

3. That's the ideal, and it's a beautiful one.

Last edited Fri Mar 11, 2016, 04:12 PM - Edit history (1)

In all likelihood, unfortunately, such a base would only be used for nefarious military ends, and of course be restricted to only a select group of individuals (military and government personnel, and a few well-connected civilians).

Even the construction (if it ever were to happen) would be tragedy in itself, it since it would no doubt be parceled out to the same kind of people who brought us the B-2 stealth bomber, the $400 billion F-35 program, and other boondoggles of that nature.

Frankly, until humanity - or, rather, its leadership - truly grows up, it's just as well that these plans never come to anything.

[MidwestTech]

5. We can only know by trying

If we constantly sit on earth looking up we are guaranteeing our race will die out!
We need to at least try!

[William Seger]

6. Plan B: Let's keep THIS planet habitable for a few billion more years (n/t)

[ffr]

7. This ^^^

My wise science teacher explained it to us this way. What's the use in blasting off on a long voyage using yesterday's technology, when a future generation will zip past you after many years of space travel. They'll make you look like you're standing still. What a waste of resources to get you there too!

ISS and unmanned space drones are our best shot for now, until we have an idea of where we want to go and how to survive on another world...when we're having difficulty doing that on one that's given us everything for free.

[MidwestTech]

10. small minded thinking

consider this for a moment...
the world is saved for humanity to live on it... then it's hit with an asteroid we never saw coming.

the current tech level of humanity is gone.

humanity will never recover as long as we are only on this rock.

as far as a theoretical future generation... they won't have a reason to go if we don't go first!
We have got to stop thinking so small and limited!
Probes only tell us about the universe, but we humans have a built in NEED to EXPLORE!
Think about the good that could come from harvesting dead asteroids for minerals as opposed to continuing to drain the earth dry?
It only takes a couple months to get to mars! 3 days as MOST to get to the moon!
Once a base is set up, once a foot hold is made, the camel's nose under the tent!

think about it, we could AFFORD to make earth into a paradise again if we no longer had to dig her up to get the resources we want!

Space travel can be self sufficient if only we GO!

[MidwestTech]

8. EARTH will always be inhabitable... just not always for humans

we've had decades to NOT fuck this one up.
We have to cut our losses and leave.
and by that I mean abandon the majority of humanity. Take the intellectuals and peace makers. The dreamers and the do-ers... and leave the rest of humanity behind.
Earth will survive just fine after she shrugs humanity off.
IF we want to survive as a species we need to leave.

[markpkessinger]

14. Elitist, romantic clap-trap! n/t

[bananas]

12. Deep space? No. Deep Atlantic? Yes.

http://nasawatch.com/archives/2016/03/nasa-now-has-de.html

NASA Now Has "Deep Space" RS-25 Engines
By Keith Cowing on March 10, 2016 9:36 PM. 12 Comments

Successful test at @NASAStennis of the first deep space #RS25 flight engine for @NASA_SLS and our #JourneyToMars. pic.twitter.com/rWso6FOxnc
— NASA Marshall News (@NASA_Marshall) March 11, 2016

Huh @NASA? "first deep space #RS25 flight engine" ? It will be dropped in the Atlantic Ocean. Hardly "deep space". https://t.co/7iO98aoprP
— NASA Watch (@NASAWatch) March 11, 2016

Keith's note: These RS-25 engines will end up on the bottom of the Atlantic ocean. They will not go into "deep space" - or anywhere in space. At least Shuttle missions took them for a ride into low Earth orbit. Deep space? No. Deep Atlantic? Yes. More goofy exaggerated NASA hype on the #JourneyToMars

[warrprayer]

13. Perhaps extraterrestial civilizations

Are more "civilized" than we are, and don't want us doing to other worlds what we are doing to this one.
I personally feel the human race is far too immature for deep space travel.