Europa is an interesting pick because of the existence of water, but his suggestion to use a radioactive ball to melt through the ice was new to me. Is this a common answer for "how" to go about getting to the water or is Tyson just improving? I think a manned mission to #mars would be my pick. Seeing humans step foot on another planet and return safely, even if over a 5-10 year span, would do wonders for our space program and for the world at larges appetite for funding such projects. Also, if you are interested in hearing some of the Hubski community talk about their passions for space, check out the tngpodcast/Hubski podcast/videocast on space
thenewgreen How much of an importance is the completion of the James Webb Telescope in advancing frontiers of science? I would agree a manned mission to Mars and studying the largest volcano in our solar system would capture our imagination here.
That's a good question for theadvancedapes as I seem to recall him writing a price about the JW Telescope. Or am I mistaken?
Yes, I've written about the James Webb Space Telescope before. With the JWST we will be able to see exoplanets within 25 light years of Earth. We will also be able to study the very first stars and galaxies that ever existed. Computer models suggest that these stars and galaxies existed 200 million years after the Big Bang. At the moment the oldest stars and galaxies we can observe existed between 500 million - 1 billion years post Big Bang. Understanding how these earliest of large structures developed will be key to verifying Big Bang cosmology. I just wrote a piece on Big Bang cosmology today if you want to check it out. To your question, there are so many awesome projects we could accomplish with a properly funded space program. I am a massive supporter of a man-manned flight to Mars and going to Europa. I think Europa is the best bet for life in our solar system.
My vote as well. I want to see this before I die. I missed the moon landings. Right now, we are still figuring out exactly how to get people to Mars and back. Many thing we could "do it tomorrow" and money is the only issue, but it's not. People forget how complicated it was just to land Curiosity there not too long ago. It was a multi-stage landing process that had atmo breaking, parachutes deployed at the fastest speeds ever, then a flying robotic jetpack hover, which then dropped the rover with a crane onto the surface... now imagine getting just one person and the oxygen, tools, and supplies he needs on the surface. It's a very complicated process. Plus, we'd have to stay there for roughly a year on the surface due to how the planets line up for the travel to Mars, waiting for the proper alignment for a return journey (which is entirely different than traveling there), and then the return trip. It's like 38 months I believe total round trip time.... that's A LOT of supplies. I think we'll still make it happen though, hopefully sooner than later. Would love to see humans walk on another planet. More so, would love to see humans walk on a planet outside of our solar system, but I'm guessing that's something not even my kids will see... but who knows. Things are changing so rapidly.I think a manned mission to #mars would be my pick.