Ripley's Believe It or Not by Ripley’s Believe It or Not! for February 11, 2012

Dick Cheney explained!

A very valid point. I also wonder what the psychological effect on the astronauts would be when the Earth becomes just another dot of light in the cosmos. I’m also amazed that given all the meteorites etc out there that the deep space craft like Pioneer seem to never have been hit by anything so far. I fear that the trip to Mars will indeed be a one way trip.

Let’s not forget all the money this administration spent on the 2 wars they started. Oh yeah, that wasn’t this administration.

You have much to learn, Grasshopper Roach………………..

There are a LOT of people that would sign up in a heartbeat. And not going to Mars isn’t going to cure anything here first. But going to Mars could do a lot for Earth. Most people simply don’t realize the benefits we receive from the space program. There have been incredible advances in medicine, food, electronics etc… all from going just to the moon in the 60’s Possum, in case you hadn’t noticed, what this administration, FAR outstrips anything any previous administration has done. You DO know wer’er at a $1.6 TRILLION deficit right now right? And that has NOTHING to do with any previous administration. Nice try, but that old line just doesn’t hold water.

ID GO TO MARS EVEN IF IT WAS A ONE WAY TRIP. AN ADVENTURE OF THAT MAGNITUDE WOULD BE AN ADVENTURE OF A LIFE TIME.

I’ve seen “cockhoppers” like that in southern Ohio, too.

And at the worst possible time.

And how many space flights have been called off due to all earth’s astronauts being afraid they wouldn’t make it home?

You have to “have the right stuff” just to be an astronaut in the first place. Guys like that don’t back down just because there’s a chance they might not come back. Seriously, every space mission carries the risk of never coming back alive, the only question really is how much risk and what can we do to minimize the risk. If we decide to send men to Mars, there will be volunteers— who have the “right stuff”.

When I read “Mars 500,” I thought of the 300 Club from earlier this week. Not quite as crazy.

I don’t think it would be hard at all to find volunteers for a one way mission, if there were some reason to believe that they could stay there for a while with a little luck. Even without that reason, still there would be those willing to sacrifice their lives to be in space, the first people on Mars and a permanent place in the history books, and you wouldn’t have only terminally ill volunteers.

I can just see those astronauts… “This is MY ice cream bar! I’ve been saving it since I was a child! People, always trying to take it from me! Why won’t they leave me ALONE!!!”

I have been enamored by space since I was a kid, but I do not think the government should be the ones funding and directing the space efforts. It is past time that space exploration should be made a matter of private enterprise. And using the alleged benefits of the space race for all of us is IMO outdated. Yes, miniaturization was initially driven by the needs of keeping weight down on rockets, but that whole area of development has taken on a life of its own, as indeed it should.

I never want to meet a grasshopper roach.