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May 24, 2012
Jeff Jacoby: The peace process battered Israel's reputation
Michael Muskal: 'Pro-choice' position hits record low, according to poll
Chris Farrell: Are We in a Tech Bubble?
The Kosher Gourmet by Penelope Wall: PHILLY CHEESE STEAKS --- hold the steak!
May 23, 2012
Tony Pugh: More private colleges offering tuition discounts
Mary Beth Franklin: How to Choose the Right Annuity for You
Tina Susman: The wig wasn't enough: Man gets 13 years for posing as his dead mom
The Kosher Gourmet by Emma Christensen:A simple way to do fish right
May 22, 2012
Warren Richey: Can US group challenge overseas surveillance act? Supreme Court to decide
Thomas M. Anderson: Walking Away From a Mortgage
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: Enjoy a celebration of the most rich and layered flavors: Black bean, sweet potato and quinoa chili
May 21, 2012
Mark Clayton: Cybersecurity: How US utilities passed up chance to protect their networks
Howard LaFranchi: NATO summit: Who will foot the bill for long-term Afghanistan security?
Chris Farrell : Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Stephen Whiteside, Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: Social anxiety disorder --- or just shy?
Guy Jackson : Victim's father regrets death of Lockerbie bomber
The Kosher Gourmet by Mario Batali: Famed chef's veal shoulder farsumagru: A festive meat course for late spring
May 18, 2012
Rabbi Berel Wein: Striving: The People of the Book's Book for (All of) the People
Steven Goldberg: 5 Great Stock Picks and the Exchange-Traded Fund that Owns Them
Mary Pickett, M.D.: Ask the Harvard Experts: Don't be forced into gluten-free lifestyle based merely on a doctor's false-positive test
The Kosher Gourmet by Carolyn Malcoun: DIY healthy lunchbox treats: HOMEMADE FRUIT BARS for kids and brown-bagging adults alike
May 17, 2012
Warren Richey: Teacher fired for being unwed and pregnant can sue religious school, court rules
Josh Mitnick: Netanyahu's 'centrist' coalition is already proving it's anything but
Steven Goldberg: Earn Dividends in Emerging Markets with This WisdomTree ETF
Amina Khan: Research links coffee to lower death rates
The Kosher Gourmet by Faith Duran : Cheesy Potato Breakfast Casserole with Cheddar and Sun-Dried Tomatoes
May 16, 2012
Carmen Terzic, M.D., Ph.D. : Mayo Clinic Medical Edge: A variety of exercises can help improve balance
Melissa Healy: National strategy on Alzheimer's disease aims to halt it by 2025
The Kosher Gourmet by Joyce White : GOODNESS GRACIOUS: GREENS! 4 winning recipes that are no longer just for down-home folks (Includes expert tips & techniques)
May 15, 2012
Kristen Chick: Obama administration resumes arms sales to Bahrain despite serious unresolved human rights issues. Activists feel abandoned
Pat Mertz Esswein: Homes are now affordable again and mortgage rates are low. What you need to know before you buy
Kathy Kristof: Our Practical Investor Fights Inflation with These 6 Investments
Sue Hubbard, M.D.: The Kid's Doctor: Lactose intolerant young child? Check again
The Kosher Gourmet by Kathy Hunt: Spread a Little Excitement with EXOTIC CONDIMENTS (4 RECIPES)
May 14, 2012
Lisa Gerstner: How to Protect Your Identity, Finances If You Lose Your Phone
Harvard Health Letters: Heart disease and dementia
The Kosher Gourmet by Megan Gordon: MANGO COCONUT OAT MORNING MUFFINS are a bright but hearty delight
May 11, 2012
Jessica L. Anderson: Get the Best Deal on a Used Car
Jett Stone: Forget face-lifts and fake knees. Scientists have seen the fountain of youth --- and it's broccoli
The Kosher Gourmet by Chef Mario Batali: The famed chef's vegetable dish that tastes true to the season: FAVAS AND SUGAR SNAP PEAS WITH POTATOES AND TARRAGON
May 10, 2012
Sergei L. Loiko: Putin sends warning to U.S., NATO in Victory Day speech at Red Square
Mary Rourke: How being a 'mentch' got Vidal Sasoon his start and fighting in Israel's War of Independence provided him with confidence and a strong sense of his own identity
Jeff Bertolucci: Get Home Phone Service for Less Than $10 a Month
The Kosher Gourmet by Betty Rosbottom: Gleaming with its golden, crimson, and snowy white hues, this silken smooth and creamy STRAWBERRY ORANGE TRIFLE looks impressive, but is easy to prepare
May 9, 2012
Sharon Palmer, R.D. How you can reduce your risk -- or delay -- chronic diseases associated with aging
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Jewish World Review
How Stuff Works: How a manned mission to Mars works
By
Marshall Brain
http://www.JewishWorldReview.com | (MCT)
As we celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing, it brings up an obvious and tantalizing question — will America, or anyone else for that matter, ever land human beings on Mars? And if not, what prevents us from getting there?
Human kind will have to overcome a number of technical challenges in order to get people anywhere near Mars. One of the most interesting, and most easily studied, is the human psychology problem. Getting to Mars takes a long time because Mars is so far away. The minimum time is about seven months with current technology. With better technology, using plasma engines and nuclear reactors, we might cut the time to four months. In either case, it's a long time.
The time would be spent by a crew of three to six people living together in something the size of a small RV. That's where the weird psychology comes in. Once the astronauts get into this little vehicle, they can't get out to stretch their legs, and there is no way to turn around and come home. A recent Russian simulation locked a crew in an earth-based simulator for 105 days just to see what would happen. They did surprisingly well.
The second thing to worry about are the effects of space flight on the passengers. That includes two things: 1) Cosmic rays and 2) weightlessness. We know from the space station that weightlessness is hard on people. Gravity provides strain that keeps bones and muscles in shape. Lack of gravity, especially for long periods of time, weakens bones and muscles. It might be possible to create artificial gravity, but we've never actually tried it in space so we don't know how well it would really work.
Cosmic rays are a bigger concern because they cause permanent damage, normally in the form of cancer. On earth we are protected from cosmic rays by the air we breathe (cosmic rays collide with the molecules of air and disintegrate) and the magnetic field (which deflects cosmic rays). A long trip to Mars leaves the astronauts as easy targets for cosmic rays unless there is a lot of shielding in their ship.
The next problem is supplies. Sending a person to Mars and back could take two years or more. That means the person needs to carry tons of food and water along for the trip.
You can see another problem developing as we are discussing these problems. Between the need for artificial gravity, the tons of food, the cosmic ray shielding and all the fuel to get to Mars and back, we are talking about a gigantic ship. And we haven't even mentioned the lander, its fuel, the habitat and supplies that have to ride on the lander, any vehicles (like a car) that might be desirable, and the ability to generate necessities like power. All of these weighty problems have caused researchers and futurists to consider possible alternatives. One alternative is the idea of leaving the astronauts on Mars. We would send them there, and they would live there for the rest of their lives in some sort of self-sustaining ecosystem.
Stranding people on Mars sounds a little drastic. Plus, we have no idea if an ecosystem would work. So there is another possibility. In this approach, the return vehicle is sent in one mission. It lands on Mars and starts manufacturing its own fuel (from ice it finds in the crust) for the return trip. The habitat and its supplies are sent in another mission. Then perhaps there is a third mission to handle things like vehicles and power generation. Once everything is ready, the astronauts take off. When they land on Mars, it is like arriving at a vacation condo. They immediately start on exploration. Hopefully all these pre-delivered pieces make their arrival ship small enough to be imaginable.
All those missions to Mars, however, start to add up in terms of cost. Estimates on the cost of going to Mars are all over the map, but range as high as a trillion dollars. That price tag may, ultimately, be the thing that keeps human beings away from Mars. We may never allocate the money we need to get there.
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Previously:
How gold works
How bad breath works
How the ultimate sunglasses work
Any rocket is easily converted to a missile
How to have a great staycation
How a black box works
How a solar roof works
How nuclear bombs work
How the Hubble Space Telescope works
How hay fever works
How to know when to rent vs. buy
How swine flu works
How a kidney dialysis machine works
How children die in hot cars
How a trillion dollars works
How electronic cigarettes work
How chimpanzees work
How in vitro fertilization works
How supertankers work
How poisons work
How corn works
How dog ID chips work
How President Obama's limousine works
How emergency power works
How aircraft carriers work
How antibiotics and vaccines work
How mucus works
How iron and steel work
How aspirin works
How igloos work
How the Predator UAV works
How retention ponds work
How water absorbers work
How melamine works
How digital music works
How coal mining works
How an economic depression works
How the liver works
How 3D movies work
How oil pipelines work
How jet packs work
How seismographs work
How Olympic technology works
How Personal Rapid Transit works
How 3G works
How the Global Position System (GPS) works
How octane works
How cruise missiles work
How submarines work
How miles work
How octane works
How food preservation works
How beer works
How holding your breath works
How smoke detectors work
How heat pumps work
How your night vision works
How concentrating solar collectors work
How your key fob works
How the common cold works
How the Large Hadron Collider Works
How making a TV show works
How dry cleaning works
How exoskeletons work
How an oil refinery works
How landfills work
How the Orion spacecraft works
The cutting edge in HDTV
Redefining the CD
How the HDMI cable scam works
How glow-in-the-dark toys work
How the subprime mortgage crisis works
How gift cards work
How Tasers work
How giant TV screens work
How foreclosure works
How Air Force One works
How wildfire fighting works
How vitamins work
How ejection seats work
How reattaching limbs works
How hot air balloons work
How paparazzi work
How counterfeiting works
How CDs work
How the Edsel worked
How Stinger missiles work
How hybrid cars work
How sharks work
How mosquitoes work
How diesel engines work
How water towers work
How the Dawn mission works
How Kassam rockets work
How the North American Eagle works
Why aren't we flying to work?
How tofu and soy milk work
How Colony Collapse Disorder works
How airbags work
How the U.S. income tax works
How gum works
How caffeine works
How Daylight Saving Time works
How a cruise missile works
How snow making works
© 2007, How Stuff Works Inc. Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.
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