Anyone watching Mars Rising on SCI channel? *spoilers possible*

terpfan1980 · 11-09-2007, 04:22 PM

Just curious of opinions of the shows in the Mars Rising series that has been airing on Discovery Science Channel and/or Science HD.

I recorded the first two episodes that aired this week, and watched a little of the first episode late last nite as I was getting ready to fall asleep. I want to sit and watch both episodes and might tonite.

I hope I'm not wasting my time in doing so, as the subject matter does appeal to me.

RGM1138 · 11-10-2007, 12:31 AM

I recorded the first 2 eps as well, but haven't watched yet. I had to dump them off to DVD to free up HD space.

Except now, I've also added Naked Science's "Birth of The Universe" to the DVD.

With all the new stuff this season, I don't when I'll be able to watch it all.

Bob

Kamakzie · 11-10-2007, 01:43 AM

Have the first 2 recorded, will get to them eventually.

alyssa · 11-10-2007, 08:46 AM

My 8 year old liked the first ep. It seemed interesting but I was cooking at the time...

wmcbrine · 11-10-2007, 06:53 PM

So far, so good. I wanna go.

"Spoilers possible"?

terpfan1980 · 11-11-2007, 04:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wmcbrine

So far, so good. I wanna go.

"Spoilers possible"?

Well, since we're quite a way off from actually going to Mars, it really shouldn't be an issue, but... some people are more sensitive to spoiler information than others, so the warning is there so that someone doesn't complain that they haven't seen an episode yet and didn't want to have someone tell them that we're going to use the super duper turbo charged hydrogenated solid chemical booster engines to get the space craft and other pieces loaded up and on the way.

I did get through the first two episodes and enjoyed them a lot. The propulsion issues (mostly discussed in the first episode) do have me very curious. Getting enough lift to get everything where it needs to be, along with having enough to get everything to Mars and back, is a very interesting science problem.

The second episode primarily seemed to relate to issues of how long the trip will take, how many people involved in the crew and such, and a lot of other issues like can people even handle a trip that will wind up being *very* long and doesn't really offer an opportunity to turn around and come back early.

There was also the obligatory reference and discussion about natural urges and what NASA's stance is about same. Over the type of time frames that are required, I would think such issues would definitely come up.

Thinking about it, about the longest time U.S. citizens spend in a similar environment might be submarine duty, and even then it doesn't come close to what would be involved in a trip to Mars (and back). More people in the submarine, plus the ability to surface whenever the captain/crew decided to, etc.

terpfan1980 · 11-18-2007, 02:40 PM

I watched what I think was the third episode of the show yesterday. Primarily on concerns about the effects of weightlessness but also about exposure to radiation. Fascinating stuff. Artificial gravity solutions they discussed were interesting, but there was definitely no perfect solution, or at least not a viable one currently.

The radiation concerns also very freaky. Protecting against same would definitely be something to worry about, and as discussed in the show, big concerns if you've got astronauts on board that are having their brain cells destroyed thanks to that radiation. Lose a few too many, make stupid decisions and wind up causing mission failure and potentially loss of ever crew member on the mission.

alyssa · 11-18-2007, 04:20 PM

bdowell,
You've made this sound so interesting I think I'll give in & let my son watch TV now instead of waiting for TV time. Thanks

terpfan1980 · 11-18-2007, 04:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by alyssa

bdowell,
You've made this sound so interesting I think I'll give in & let my son watch TV now instead of waiting for TV time. Thanks

The people that have done this series have done (to me at least) a great job of looking at all of the various things that are involved with a flight from Earth to Mars. They've compared against some of the science fiction (artificial gravity as an example, compared to say Battlestar Galactica, Star Trek, etc.) and some of the expectations that an average individual would have. I admit, it doesn't occur to me that in the time it would take to get from Earth to Mars a person would lose as much muscle mass and bone density as could be lost along the way, but once you watch the episodes of the series you learn a lot about these problems and more and have to be all the more awestruck at the idea that we will (hopefully) send people to Mars and bring them back.

terpfan1980 · 11-18-2007, 04:31 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wmcbrine

So far, so good. I wanna go.

following back up on this a bit - I've said to friends before that I'd take a ride on the space shuttle if ever offered one, and I stand by that statement. But, a trip to Mars - as I see more and more of this series, I'd have to say NO. Too many potential dangers, though I do think that the researchers will find ways to mitigate a lot of the problems.