As I understand it:
Every 2 years or so (I think the actual time frame might be 26 months),
earth and mars are at the point in their
orbits where they are physically closest.
This creates excellent launch windows every 2 years. (The best time to
launch would be
during this closest approach, so you use minimal time in-transit...save
time, save fuel etc.).
So, for a manned mission to mars, you would likely launch during one of
these windows, take your 7 month
journal, stay on mars until the next close-approach (approximetly 2 years),
then take your 7 month
journey back.
This would mean a round-trip of approximetly 3 years.
I hope that all of the excitment that pathfinder is creating will get the
message accross to congress that
it's about time to take the next step and lets:
Get space station built, return to the moon on a permement basis, and let's
get people on their way to
mars!
It's time!
-boB
At 9:48 AM -0500 7/14/97, Larry Boyd wrote:
>Here is some interesting information that you might not know about the Mars
>mission.
>
>I had thought that the rocket was launched last December within some window
>that if they had missed it, they would have had to wait until sometime this
>summer to reschedule the launch. This corresponds to the 7 months
>mentioned in the attached. However, this does not correspond to the "3
>years" that was mentioned as the time it would take for an individual to
>make a round trip to Mars.
>
>I'm not a "rocket scientist" so I have no idea why a rocket with the lander
>and rover would only take 7 months and a rocket with a couple of
>individuals would take 18 months. Anyone have any insight on this?
>
>BTW, I would like to thank Wirt for the all the work on the pictures and
>information. While it may be "off topic" for the group, I am sure I am not
>the only one who appreciates the work and postings to the list... Thanks
>Wirt!
> ___
> / / Larry Boyd: Horizontal Growth Solution Manager
>HEWLETT/hp/PACKARD Commercial Systems Division (CSY)
> /__/ [log in to unmask] (408)447-4127
>
>All opinions are my own, and not necessarily those of Hewlett-Packard.
>
>
>-----Original Message-----
>
>
>
>ROLL, ROVER. Those of you following the exploits of the Sojourner
>rover as it rolls across the surface of Mars might be interested to
>know that Hewlett-Packard played a part in getting the 25-pound
>explorer to the Red Planet. The navigation applications for the
>Pathfinder lander were run exclusively on an HP platform,
>consisting of HP 9000 J-class and Series 700 Model 735
>workstations.
>
>Here are a pair of interesting tidbits regarding the mission: the
>Pathfinder traveled 312 million miles (500 million kilometers) on
>its 7-month journey to catch up with Mars. And the rover was named
>after a year-long, worldwide essay competition open to students
>under 18 years of age. It's namesake was Sojourner Truth, an
>African-American reformist who lived during the era of the U.S.
>Civil War in the 19th Century. Twelve-year-old Valerie Ambrose of
>Bridgeport, Connecticut, submitted the winning essay.
[log in to unmask] #### #### Bob Brown - KB9LFR
Harper Community College ## ## ## Systems Programmer
Palatine IL USA #### #### Saved by grace
http://ourworld.compuserve.com/homepages/kb9lfr
Hark for I have hurled my words to the far reaches of the earth!
What king of old could do thus??
I am Voltohm of Borg! Resistance is E/I, Power is EI, you will
be attenuated!
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