Human mission to Mars by 2024 ?

[Elckerlyc]

Clearly, if only you had let Elon Musk do the development and management of the HS2...

 

[paranoid marvin]

Or those 'just a bit less down south' to many of us.

Of course, those North of the border get the usual variation of the caveat ' except for viewers in Scotland'.

Is that still a thing these days?

 

[paranoid marvin]

One good thing that came out of the budget cuts in England was tbe Stone Henge. Did anyone tell the fools who proposed it once it's gone, it's gone forever?

I'd rather see a bypass through the Houses of Parliament.

 

[Robert Zwilling]

India is attempting to launch a crewed mission into low Earth orbit in 2026, using its own Gaganyaan crew vehicle and rocket. It is supposed to have 1 or 2 crew members. The space capsule apparently features solar panels and can carry a crew of 3. They are going to do extensive uncrewed tests, the first in December 2024. There will be more tests in 2025 using robots instead of humans. The proposed date for a crewed test will be sometime in 2026. This is 4 years behind schedule but they want to make sure they don't run into problems while in flight as experienced by the Boeing Skyliner.

ISRO intends to incorporate International Docking System Standard (IDSS) compatibility on its capsule so it can eventually dock with the space station. India has been unable to get other countries with space experience to partner in its space capsule development so it has been developing everything itself needed to make the space capsule work. If successful, this would make India the 4th country to put people in space, following the US, Russia, and China.

 

[Toby Frost]

This is why "hard" SF and "soft" SF need to work together. What use is a trip to Mars if you just end up in a forced labour camp once you get there? Metaphorically, I think that's what the future holds: gee-whiz super-science technology put to evil ends.

 

[Robert Zwilling]

The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, 1964, by P K Dick