Who will do the first Mars SRM/Poll

[xenomorph555]

This is like a secret space race no one is talking about, it would be a massive achievement and undertaking (possibly going down as one of the most famous missions ever! until manned Titan of course...).

Many competitors and only one can win!

EDIT: Should specify, SRM stands for Sample Return Mission, in laymans terms "bring rocks back".

Private company's represent their country's, not "Other" unless that country is under "Other.

Edited January 10, 2015 by xenomorph555

[Bill Phil]

China. Unless China's exploits in the near future inspire the US to do it.

[xenomorph555]

China. Unless China's exploits in the near future inspire the US to do it.

Important note is only China (CE-5), Russia (Phobos-Grunt) and Japan (Hayabusa probes) are working on SRM tech. It won't help Russia or Japan though due to P-G merely being a beefed up Luna SRM lander (not large enough for Mars), while H-1/2 aren't even landers. CE-5 however will pioneer separate probe SRM missions, with a larger ascent stage (with a 2nd) and launched on 2 LM-5's, I could conceivably carry out the mission.

[AngelLestat]

Argentina! With our Tronador Rocket.

200 tons to low polar orbit. I mean 200kg... And is not ready yet

But if we have 200 kg, then we can sent 50kg to mars, then we can go back with a grain of sand and win the race. muahaha..

[Drunken Hobo]

Argentina! With our Tronador Rocket.

200 tons to low polar orbit. I mean 200kg... And is not ready yet

But if we have 200 kg, then we can sent 50kg to mars, then we can go back with a grain of sand and win the race. muahaha..

Jeremy Clarkson has to weigh around 200kg...

[xenomorph555]

Argentina! With our Tronador Rocket.

200 tons to low polar orbit. I mean 200kg... And is not ready yet

But if we have 200 kg, then we can sent 50kg to mars, then we can go back with a grain of sand and win the race. muahaha..

Oh yeah I forgot you guys were building a SLV. Hopefully it goes better then last time...

[Voidryder]

^{^^} Nothing a little paint can't fix. And duct tape. Lots and lots of duct tape.

[SmartS=true]

SpaceX. It would be very good for promoting their launchers...

[Kryten]

It'll be a cooperative effort if it ever happens.

[xenomorph555]

It'll be a cooperative effort if it ever happens.

Maybe if manned, but for probes it could be done by a single nation.

- - - Updated - - -

Also I should note private company's represent their country.

[AngelLestat]

Oh yeah I forgot you guys were building a SLV. Hopefully it goes better then last time...

http://forum.nasaspaceflight.com/index.php?action=dlattach;topic=26645.0;attach=574152;image

Yeah, snif, I guess this happens when the real cause to finance this project, is to steal money.

Hey, you have 1 post more than me now :S

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tronador_%28rocket%29

Edited January 10, 2015 by AngelLestat

[Kryten]

Maybe if manned, but for probes it could be done by a single nation.

In theory yes, but in practice it's more than any nation is willing to spend on an uncrewed mission in the current climate.

[xenomorph555]

In theory yes, but in practice it's more than any nation is willing to spend on an uncrewed mission in the current climate.

The thing is these cooperative projects always turn out the same, over budget, late, massive quarrels between both sides. I even bet the mission would cost less then building 1 Orion. My point is it's not worth going to the trouble of cooperating.

[Kryten]

I'm not sure how you think that's in any way different from your average space mission.

[xenomorph555]

I'm not sure how you think that's in any way different from your average space mission.

It's on scale, yes some mission will be late or over budget, coop mission tend to magnify it to extremes.

[L3GO]

Im voting usa only because of SpaceX.

[Borklund]

The U.S. Every other nation is so far behind and have much less funding. I'd be surprised if the first crew on Mars was all American however.

[Rolanvorxariat]

A tie between us and chine.

us: SpaceX, red dragon

china: everything else

and I'm part Chinese, so...

[Nibb31]

It's on scale, yes some mission will be late or over budget, coop mission tend to magnify it to extremes.

Pretty much all space exploration missions are international cooperations. The single-nation ones are the exception, not the rule.

[Frida Space]

Pretty much all space exploration missions are international cooperations. The single-nation ones are the exception, not the rule.

If you refer to science then yes, but for everything else not really. Take for example the Cassini mission: on the science side, it is a cooperation between NASA, ESA and ASI, but on the engineering side (aka who built it and manages it), there's only NASA.

[Nibb31]

If you refer to science then yes, but for everything else not really. Take for example the Cassini mission: on the science side, it is a cooperation between NASA, ESA and ASI, but on the engineering side (aka who built it and manages it), there's only NASA.

Building and operating instruments is engineering too, and it's just as important, if not more, than the spacecraft bus.

US instruments get rides on other countrys' spacecraft too. US spacecraft get launched by other countrys' rockets. It typically works in both ways through a mish-mash of barter agreements.

International cooperation is made of barter agreements because national agencies don't want to send money to foreign corporations because their main purpose is to develop local jobs and national technology. They prefer to pay a domestic company to develop domestic technology that can be bartered against a service or a ride from another country.

Edited January 10, 2015 by Nibb31

[Yukon0009]

China, because NASA is severly underfunded (nothing about spacex, though) as well as Russia, India has the will but not the best of the tech yet as well as Japan, and EU will probably collobrate with the nation that does it.

For the record, i'm full chinese.

[xenomorph555]

China, because NASA is severly underfunded (nothing about spacex, though) as well as Russia, India has the will but not the best of the tech yet as well as Japan, and EU will probably collobrate with the nation that does it.

For the record, i'm full chinese.

While I'm not saying it won't be China, NASA is in no way underfunded they have over 20 billion while China only has 1.3 billion (civilian side anyway) so if any it is China who is underfunded

[Bill Phil]

NASA has somewhere around16 billion, and a lot of it is wasted due to Congress' involvement.

[xenomorph555]

NASA has somewhere around16 billion, and a lot of it is wasted due to Congress' involvement.

Still much more then everyone else.