[Spaceships] [High-Tech] [Action] Cydonia Or Bust, TL8

[Langy]

Originally Posted by Polydamas

The military aspect makes it even more of a forlorn hope. I can't see any honourable officer signing off on a plan for a mission like that: too many things are certain to go wrong in unpredictable and lethal ways. For example, what if the soldiers arrive too sick from radiation, microgravity, dietary deficiencies or trace pollutants in the air to fight? I think at near-future tech they are stuck on Hohlman orbits, so what if the Martans respond during the year or two they have to spend on or near Mars waiting for the planets to align so they can return home?

I think Fred's timeframe is roughly right. It would be impossible to hide the plans for a manned mission to Mars, including the unmanned test runs.

True enough. That's why you don't hide them... at least, not completely. You run it as if it were a normal manned mission to Mars, but when it arrives the astronauts turn out to be military special forces and the ship turns out to be packing some serious guns.

Anyways, I think we could probably do it significantly faster than Fred suggests if it's an emergency situation and we're willing to cut corners or use technology like Orion drives. I'd put an upward bound of 10 years - again, if this were an emergency. Probably closer to five.