A One-Way, One-Person Mission to Mars. Want to stay on top of all the space news?
Follow @universetoday on Twitter Will humans ever really go to Mars? Let’s face it, the obstacles are quite daunting. Not only are there numerous, difficult, technical issues to overcome, but the political will and perseverance of any one nation to undertake such an arduous task just can’t be counted on. However, one former NASA engineer believes a human mission to Mars is quite doable, and such an event would unify the world as never before. But McLane was still at NASA when he originally had an idea for a one-way, one-person mission to Mars.
McLane’s idea came from his acquaintance with a Russian cosmonaut. A return to the “get it done” attitude of the 1960′s and a goal of a manned landing within a short time frame, like Apollo, is the only way we’ll get to Mars, McLane believes. “When we eliminate the need to launch off Mars, we remove the mission’s most daunting obstacle,” said McLane. Image: Jim McLane during his career at NASA. What is the Biggest Star in the Universe? Want to stay on top of all the space news?
Follow @universetoday on Twitter This article was originally published in 2008, but I’ve updated it and added this cool video. My six-year old daughter is a question asking machine. We were driving home from school a couple of days ago, and she was grilling me about the nature of the Universe. One of her zingers was this, “What’s the Biggest Star in the Universe”? Before we jump straight to the answer, let’s take a look at our own Sun for a sense of scale.
Astronomers use the terms “solar radius” and “solar mass” to compare large and smaller stars, so we’ll do the same. One huge, famous star in our galaxy is the monster Eta Carinae, located approximately 7,500 light years away, and weighing in at 120 solar masses. So the best answer astronomers have right now is that Eta Carinae’s radius is 250 times the size of the Sun. But the most massive star in the Universe is thought to be R136a1, located in the Large Magellanic Cloud. But that’s nothing. Top 20 Logical Fallacies - The Skeptics' Guide to the Universe. Introduction to Argument Structure of a Logical Argument Whether we are consciously aware of it or not, our arguments all follow a certain basic structure.
They begin with one or more premises, which are facts that the argument takes for granted as the starting point. Then a principle of logic is applied in order to come to a conclusion. This structure is often illustrated symbolically with the following example: Premise1: If A = B, Premise2: and B = C Logical connection: Then (apply principle of equivalence) Conclusion: A = C In order for an argument to be considered valid the logical form of the argument must work – must be valid.
Also it is important to note that an argument may use wrong information, or faulty logic to reach a conclusion that happens to be true. Breaking down an argument into its components is a very useful exercise, for it enables us to examine both our own arguments and those of others and critically analyze them for validity.
Examine your Premises Ad hominem Straw Man.