From: foo@bar.baz.invalid.retro.com   
      
   In sci.space.tech Kent Paul Dolan  wrote:   
      
   > The main advantages I can see is that it is already a   
   > known-to-be-functional long time habitat for humans,   
   > and that it is a huge amount of mass already much of   
   > the way out of the gravity Earth's well.   
      
   One that needs constant resupply from Earth and at the moment seems to   
   be in some small probability of having to be abandoned (albeit   
   temporarily - unless you want to spin some Capricorn One esque   
   conspiracy theory whereby the occupants leave and then "oops"   
   something happens to toast the whole thing - then NASA et al while   
   covered in some serious egg doesn't have to worry about flying the   
   Shuttle again or completing the station...assuming of course they   
   think of it as an albatross) because they will get below minimums on   
   food. And that is with just two humans on board.   
      
   I doubt the onboard comms gear was designed with Earth-Mars distances   
   in mind.   
      
   "Rescue" in the event of an emergency means a Soyuz to Earth which   
   wouldn't cut it out at Mars.   
      
   I suspect one might be able to reuse some components and thinking from   
   the ISS, but you probably cannot just slap a couple extra modules onto   
   the thing and send it as a slow boat to mars.   
      
   But then, I'm no rocket scientist :)   
      
   rick jones   
   --   
   The computing industry isn't as much a game of "Follow The Leader" as   
   it is one of "Ring Around the Rosy" or perhaps "Duck Duck Goose."   
                                                       - Rick Jones   
   these opinions are mine, all mine; HP might not want them anyway... :)   
   feel free to post, OR email to raj in cup.hp.com  but NOT BOTH...   
      
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