After listening to the Space Station talk at the last BVARC meeting, I am convinced that we should stop piddling around in near earth projects. We need to make the next big leap and set the goal to go to Mars “within the decade,” to paraphrase JFK.
If we keep our eyes on the goal, all the intermediate issues get solved along the way. We would likely find ourselves in a race with nations who may wish us ill. Let them bring it on. Americans have always triumphed in a competition for a great objective. Competition breeds innovation and enterprise, employment, education, Science, Technology; all things we lag in today. See you on Mars! 73, Ron, K5HM <mailto:[email protected]> [email protected] <http://www.qrz.com/db/k5hm> www.qrz.com/db/k5hm Excelsior! From: BVARC [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of Jon Livingston kb0mnm via BVARC Sent: Sunday, July 17, 2016 3:21 PM To: BRAZOS VALLEY AMATEUR RADIO CLUB <[email protected]> Cc: [email protected]; DAVID M GRAY JR <[email protected]> Subject: Re: [BVARC] Slightly Off Topic - SHTF - Water Budget - source of inexpensive jugs on a separate note, only related to a recent repeater conversation: Why are we not sending folks to Mars? The answer is pretty simple: propulsion and life support. Visit the NASA educational facility nearby and they will tell you about both. Propulsion: They are working on ways to avoid previously used and inefficient systems. Ion-propulsion will probably be a candidate. The fuels previously used would have to be available in quantities greater than what the earth could hold ( let alone provide ) if used in the way done before. The big problem is that the weight of the fuel carried gets greater and greater for larger 'payloads', problematic -particularly when breaking the earth's gravity. Life Support: While we can support 'rebreathing' ( re-use of oxygen by recycling carbon dioxide chemically ), the process would have to be much more reliable before any one person would consider risking the use of re-breathing for a number of years. Our rockets ( now) are fast, yet Mars is far away. Same for water and food. 73 de KB0MNM- Jon- back to looking for work.... I want to survive also... _____ From: "DAVID M GRAY JR via BVARC" <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > To: "BRAZOS VALLEY AMATEUR RADIO CLUB" <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > Cc: "DAVID M GRAY JR" <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > Sent: Sunday, July 17, 2016 11:55:17 AM Subject: Re: [BVARC] Slightly Off Topic - SHTF - Water Budget - source of inexpensive barrels Tractor Supply has a nice 500 gal poly tank for water. I explored the idea of keeping kerosene for cooking but charcoal smells a lot better. Canned goods go out of date pretty fast; dry beans,rice last a long time if you can keep bugs and critters away. David, K5HEC Sent from my iPad On Jul 17, 2016, at 11:20 AM, Bill Crowell, N4HPG via BVARC <[email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> > wrote: All, When we do our disaster planning, we’re pretty good about having a power budget for radios. We might have a food budget, but few have a reasonable water budget. How many days can you go without municipal water? If your SHTF plan involves a lot of dried rice and beans, you need even MORE water. The municipal water for our neighborhood is supplied by a pumping station on FM518 with a ground-mounted electric pump. If that pump fails or loses power, we don’t have water. I’ve recently acquired a couple of 55-gallon, food-grade barrels from a very nice seller on eBay. His website is houstonbarrels.com <http://houstonbarrels.com> . Mine were used to transport vinegar. I’ve just cleaned them and sanitized with bleach and will be adding taps so that gravity can do the pouring. Having 110 gallons of water is a really good thing. NOW a couple of things: 1. It is unlawful for Mike to sell you food barrels for potable water. But, he won’t follow you home to see what you’re going to use them for. I just said I want them for “fluid storage”. 2. If you do intend to store potable water, it is imperative that you do so properly as bad water can make you very ill. I use some bleach. 73 Bill Crowell, N4HPG Pearland, TX [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> I prefer to live a life of galvanic isolation. _______________________________________________ BVARC mailing list [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> http://mail.bvarc.org/mailman/listinfo/bvarc_bvarc.org _______________________________________________ BVARC mailing list [email protected] <mailto:[email protected]> http://mail.bvarc.org/mailman/listinfo/bvarc_bvarc.org
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