Why is BushCo so interested in Mars?

[RBHam]

NASA Ames Center looks at problem of drilling on Mars


Kristen Nelson

PNA Editor-in-Chief


If there is life on Mars, it would probably be microorganisms in water deep below the surface of the planet. Dr. Geoffrey Briggs, director, Center for Mars Exploration at the NASA Ames Center, told “Meet Alaska” that NASA is looking at ways to drill on Mars to look for water — and the life it might contain.

Briggs said NASA has been working with Halliburton, Shell, Baker-Hughes and the Los Alamos National Laboratory to identify drilling technologies that might work on Mars.

more...

http://www.petroleumnews.com/pnarch/010228-49.html

[WindRavenX]

1. With each passing day...

...the world looks more and more like a friggin' James Bond movie.
Seriously folks, WTF??

[POed_Ex_Repub]

2. Great Article...

I'm forwarding to as many people as I can!

[Must_B_Free]

3. its a way to pander to progressives

while still wasting big money on pork.

[dobak]

4. come on...

The logistics of drilling for oil and transporting it are not even possible right now. This is early, almost science fiction fantasy type thinking.

Hell, Mars may contain a fuel source that burns clean or even produces oxygen when burned???

[stevedeshazer]

5. I'm speechless

I joked about this sort of thing just last week. Had no idea.

[Elwood P Dowd]

6. Free Trade

Bushit will make a major policy speech tomorrow annoncing
that FTAA has been expanded to include Mars, Venus, and Mercury.
Pat Robertson delivered a message from God today approving
the plan, and Rush Limbaugh will announce that Bushit has Trade
Authority On Loan From God Wednesday.

[corporatewhore]

15. exactly he is looking to outsource our jobs to mars because of the

cheap martian labor over there

[Hekate]

7. And I thought it was just Bread & Circuses...

to distract the masses. Halliburton et al's involvement sounds the warning klaxon, but I fear that too many of us who care are numb and exhausted by now. Sci fi? Reagan's Star Wars Initiative is total sf, and look how long that money-pit has lasted in the budget.
:argh: :argh: :argh: :argh: :argh:

Btw, does anyone know whether the remaining US astronauts ever got home from the space station? Last I heard, the Russian cosmonauts were still able to come and go, but our guys were remaining loyally in place until a shuttle could be sent. It's been an awful long time, and that part of the story has dropped out of sight.

~~~ Howard Dean for President 2004: Because politics is not a spectator sport. ~~~
~~~ The overarching goal is to get Bush-Cheney-Rove-Rumsfeld out of the White House. Not one of The Nine would ever have done to our country what they have done. I will not badmouth any Democratic candidate running against Bush. ~~~

[A HERETIC I AM]

8. Regarding Americans on the Space Station....

Hekate said;
Btw, does anyone know whether the remaining US astronauts ever got home from the space station? Last I heard, the Russian cosmonauts were still able to come and go, but our guys were remaining loyally in place until a shuttle could be sent.

If i am not mistaken, the Russians have pretty much taken over the supply and transport duties for the IST since the Shuttle breakup.

PS...Halliburton cant have ANY interest in Mars for oil exploration purposes. There is no point. How do you get a 1000 foot oil tanker to decelerate from 10,000 MPH to ZERO in 20 minutes and keep it intact? Answer? You cant. And since you cant, delivering found liquid energy reserves back to Earth is a pointless exercise until we learn to conquer the gravity well problem.

[radfringe]

9. this could be why

[bigwoody]

10. It's just an extension of the military/industrial complex. Same companies,

same contributors.:wtf:

[Crunchy Frog]

11. If there's life on Mars

he probably wants to conquer/liberate it, set up a puppet government, and make the lifeforms worship him as a God. There's gotta be something in it for Halliburton as well.

Oh, and not doubt, he'll want to share the gospel with them and convert them to the true faith.

[Lexingtonian]

12. Oh, c'mon

The only possible thing that is worth drilling for on Mars is: water for a manned colony there. Nothing else would be worth the expenses involved.

Not that anyone knows whether there is any water underground on that planet. (Personally, I hope not. It's just Greenland without the ice and ocean, imho.)

The real reason for the Mars colony is that we're running out of good corporate tax shelters.... :D

[GOPBasher]

13. Well of course. We're going to run out of resources here,

so let's look at other planets. It's not like we can possibly decrease our consumption use. :shrug:

[soothsayer]

14. It's a distraction. "Don't look at how I've loused up theUS, look at MARS"

while figuring out more ways to feed billions more to the greedy maw of halliburton

[donsu]

16. military dominance of space

that's why

[Hell Hath No Fury]

17. BINGO!

From my website:

In September of 2000, just months before George W. Bush was elected to the Presidency, The Project for a New American Century put out a report entitled "Rebuilding America's Defences: Strategies, Forces and Resources for a New American Century". (4) Their key findings concluded that, for the armed forces to carry out core missions in the new century, the United States would be required, among other things, to:

• Control the new "international commons" of space and "cyberspace", and pave the way for the creation of a new military service -- U.S. Space Forces -- with a mission of space control.

• Develop and deploy global missiles defenses to defend the American homeland and American allies, and to provide a secure basis for U.S. power projection around the world.


Paul Wolfowitz, the current Deputy Secretary of Defense, participated in the creation of that report.

When you read their report, you can see EXACTLY why Bush is pushing for this move at this time. It is spelled out clear as day. Every new technology, new craft, new launch capability will have a dual use -- one commercial and one military. In the report they go to great lengths to point out the NASA technological findings that have been used by the current armed forces.

Folks, they are calling for a new member of the armed forces, the Space Forces! They call for the US to have total control of space, including commercial use, and to have full say as to who has ACCESS to space.

To check out the full report on their plans, check out the report at:

http://www.newamericancentury.org/publicationsreports.htm

The space setion is around page 50 -- give or take a few.

[donsu]

18. yes, the gang spent decades infiltrating NASA

they want to control the world via space

[opihimoimoi]

19. Common Sense, Reality. and Sanity, with Logic thrown in, tells us

President Bush is WRONG for the JOB.

Only Emotion, disguised as Illusion, is considered and thus is accepted/

We are a foolish species. We elect people using emotion//// not really the way to go about acquirimg good leasders.

[RBHam]

20. bush wasn't elected...

other than that, I agree with you. It's all style over substance now, especially in the States...

[opihimoimoi]

34. Aloha, please indicate where I said the Shrub was "elected"

I did not infer in that direction.

Come, we plant coffee trees. we need a group effort in communicating to the masses.

[IkeWarnedUs]

41. From the PNAC blueprint (with link and page numbers)

First under Key Findings in the Introduction (page v of the document, page 12 of the online PDF version):

-------------
CONTROL THE NEW "INTERNATIONAL COMMONS" OF SPACE AND "CYBERSPACE," and pave the way for the creation of a new military service - U.S. Space Forces - with the mission of space control.
-------------

They elaborate in Chapter V, "CREATING TOMORROW'S DOMINANT FORCE" (starts on page 50 of the document, page 62 of the PDF version).

-------------
In general, to maintain American military preeminence that is consistent with the requirements of a strategy of American global leadership, tomorrow's U.S. armed forces must meet three new missions:

(Second mission)
Control of space and cyberspace. Much as control of the high seas - and the protection of international commerce - defined global powers in the past, so will control of the new "international commons" be a key to world power in the future. An American incapable of protecting its interests or that of its allies in space or the "infosphere" will find it difficult to exert global political leadership.
--------------

They go on to elaborate further on each of the three missions, with Space and Cyberspace beginning on page 54 of the document (page 66 of the PDF format).

Incidentally, this is the section where they say "the process of transformation, even if it brings revolutionary change, is likely to be a long one, absent some catastrophic and catalyzing event - like a new Pearl Harbor." (top of left column, page 51 of the document, page 53 of the PDF format)

http://www.newamericancentury.org/RebuildingAmericasDefenses.pdf

[Greyskye]

24. Take the high ground

Controlling the 'high ground' is part of military strategy 101. When you are at the top of a gravity well, as you are when you control space and the moon, you occupy the ultimate 'high ground'. You bet they want to control it! Anybody remember Heinlein's "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress", or any of dozens of similarly themed books?

[ewagner]

21. Posted this late

but still adds another insight to the sudden conversion:

Why would our beloved (mis)leader have a sudden epiphany over space exploration? The O'Neill book confirms everything we already thought about Bush*, namely:he doesn't give a rat's ass (no offense to Magic Rat)about anything but political power. So why space exploration?

Can you say?

Lockheed-Martin?
Boeing Aerospace?
Grumman-Northrup?
Teledyne?
McDonald-Douglas?

Talk about "bang-for-the buck"!. this is a great way to pay off political contributors with another thinly disguised corp bailout...

AND

Most of thos jobs will be in Cal-i-forn-ya

Just a little bonus to the gropanator and a sure-fire way to pick up the State's electoral votes.

I'm a little slow maybe but this is a perfect political ploy....

damn the deficits...full speed ahead

[RBHam]

23. You bet - it's all about power and control

The Golden Rule - them that gots the gold, them that makes the rules.

[kayell]

29. You've got it

My first thought about the mars bit was, bet they give a contract to Halliburton. This a great way to both "starve the beast" and channel the money to themselves.

[mmonk]

22. looking for

WMD's

[Maine-i-acs]

25. Wonder how Chimpy looks in an Astronaut Suit?

Photo op 2004 comin' up...

[area51]

26. "Why is BushCo so interested in Mars?"

Maybe Geo. W. Hoover wants a Kennedy-esque type of mention in the history books, that he instigated the US going to Mars. Or, more likely, it's to take people's minds off the sh*tty economy & lack of jobs.

[spindoctor]

27. I think NASA just pulled a quick one on BushCo

They found a perfect way to get approval (and extention) for their Mars budget.
They must still be laughing over there.

[9119495]

28. It has oil!!--according to the Daily Show (n/t)

[JHB]

30. NASA is not Bushco...

...although Halliburton is.

It's not about drilling for oil, it's about drilling.

From the science end, there's only so much that can be done from taking soil samples or putting a grinder to surface rocks. Any thorough investigation of Mars, whether about potential life or just a thorough geological survey of the place (especially for usable resources, like subsurface ice) will require digging or drilling down a ways, and Bushco, being in the oil biz, knows a lot about digging and drilling so they (or more accurately their engineers, but management are the gatekeepers) are the people to ask.

Bushco, on the other hand, are basically milking whatever publicity and popularity they can get from the Rover missions, shooting to leave a Keneddyesque vision-thing impression, and milk the contracts for whatever they can get.

[myomy]

31. Is it oil there, or does the Carlyle Group own exclusive landing rights?

.

[AP]

32. Because it's expensive and probably 90% of NASA $ goes to subcontractors

This isn't 1960.

This is all about giving government money to friends of the Bush administration.

[aeon flux]

33. Interested in Mars for ONE reason only

Oil on Mars? NAH! Even Cheney & Co. isn't stupid enough to think there is any way we could possibly make use of it if there was.

The pork barrel dollars will go straight into the pockets of Bush- Cheney & Co.

Another grandiose scheme to rip off the taxpayers.

[Piperay]

35. It's "the vision thing"

since his pop didn't have it he knows he needs it. Mars is a pretty poor "vision thing", he's a dumb ass. :freak:

[bigtree]

36. "Why is BushCo so interested in Mars?"

NASA's new mission claims to place a high priority on the search for life beyond Earth. NASA touts recent discoveries on Mars and the moons around Jupiter, which they say indicates that there may be or have been habitable environments on these worlds that supported the development of life.

That's the official story.

What's actually behind the White House's hawking of this space mission is their desire to promote and legitimize the industry's new nuclear propulsion technology needed to support such missions. These would be added to a long list of moneymaking boondoggles for the aerospace industry.

NASA, the Department of Defense and the Department of Energy are currently working together to develop the technology base for what they term, Space Nuclear Reactor Power.

This program will develop and demonstrate in ground tests the technology required for space reactor power systems from tens of kilowatts to hundreds of kilowatts. The SP-100 nuclear reactor system is to be launched ‘radioactively cold.' When the mission is done, the reactor is intended to be stored in space for hundreds of years.

The reactor would would utilize new blends of "recycled" uranium fuel.

The Jet Propulsion Laboratory, a division of the California Institute of Technology, manages the Mars Odyssey mission for NASA's Office of Space Science. Additional science partners are located at the Russian Aviation and Space Agency and at Los Alamos National Laboratory. Lockheed Martin Astronautics, Denver, is the prime contractor for the project to develop and build the orbiter. Mission operations are conducted jointly from Lockheed Martin and JPL.

Included in NASA plans for the nuclear rocket to Mars; a new generation of Radioisotope Thermoelectric Generators (RTGs) for interplanetary missions; nuclear-powered robotic Mars rovers to be launched in 2003 and 2009. NASA touts future mining colonies on the Moon, Mars, and asteroids that would be powered by nuclear reactors.

To develop and demonstrate these new nuclear power and propulsion technologies, President Bush's budget proposes $279 million; ($3 billion over five years) for Project Prometheus, which builds on the Nuclear Systems Initiative started last year.

Project Prometheus includes the development of the first nuclear-electric space mission, called the Jupiter Icy Moons Orbiter. This mission will conduct extensive, in-depth studies of the moons of Jupiter that may harbor subsurface oceans. Only advanced nuclear reactors could provide the hundreds of kilowatts of power the craft would need.

Here are the government links:

http://mars.jpl.nasa.gov/
http://spacescience.nasa.gov/missions/prometheus.htm

[mlawson]

37. bush thinks it's a BIG red state!!

Sorry, coudn't resist.

[Darranar]

38. OBL and the WMD have to be somewhere...

[JohnKleeb]

39. Do you actually think he wants to be here when we whip his ass this fall

and likely tried. No hes gonna get his ass kicked, and wants to flee to Mars, next case :).

[ElsewheresDaughter]

40. so he can clame jobs growth ....20,000 jobs for FL & 20,000 for Texas..

and some for CA too....it's bush*s pay back for the 04 selection again....only this time by BBV and gov's