For many years I've admired Zubrin's ingenius idea to not take fuel to Mars that you need to getyourself back to Earth, but to generate it on on Mars. It's a shame that someone who came up with such an innovative idea can not get his head out of the antiquated notion that you need a super BMFR (Big M___ F___ Rocket) to do interplanetary flight!
Agreed. It seems as if the idea that space will always be expensive to reach has been solidified in every ones mind. Even the innovative ideas for reaching orbit are just more of the same big business rocketry.
I have heard this comment mentioned before, even at ISDC, but here's what I don't understand: the physics have not changed. Sure, we know more now, but it still takes a lot of energy to reach orbit which means lots of fuel. The most innovative vehicles I have seen are the Virgin WK2 and SS2 ideas, but they can only go sub-orbital, the payload would be pretty small and frankly it is not enough. Is there a vehicle or idea (other than mastering anti-gravity) that would work?
Your argument is a non sequitur. In none of my posts about this issue to your blog (starting in December) have I mentioned Virgin or any of the other suborbital companies doing this. I have always talked about Delta IV, Atlas and Falcon IX. It is estimated that either Ares V or Direct operational costs will be 2 to 4 billion dollars per launch. If you had to use five Falcon IX heavy launches to do in-orbit assembly of an interplanetary ship at $78 million per launch (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falcon_9), that would only total to $390 million!
This guy just sounds like such a nut. I understand and appreciate that things can not always be done the NASA way and expected to succeed, but I don't think Zubrin has the answer. Talking about yourself as a fictional character, in the third person, does not help at all. A full hour book plug, with some ranting thrown in for good measure. Of course, he does have some valid points in there too.
Zubrin is a space talk circuit pioneer, and he has the arrows in his backside to prove it. Too bad his plan wasn't implemented ten years ago when it first came out by the Bushes. Obama is too concerned about turning America into a communist nation with universal health care (that will kill millions) to actually save America with a real stimulus program like sending Americans to Mars. Zubrin also knows the American energy independence would save 700 billion a year and end our current depression. Too bad niether Obama or Zubrin seem to have their priorities straight. Save America first thru energy independence, then worry about turning America communist with national health care. I don't carry health care because they refuse to cover the health care I need, like laser eye correction. They also don't cover the latest innovations in wheelchairs like the ibot from Dean Kamen. Reagan was right, more government is not the answer, it is the problem. If you want health care like Cuba, England, and Canada where people die waiting nine months for life saving operations, then by all means go ahead push your Malthusian communist health care program, it will kill millions.
I just wanted to point out, that a) health care has not really a lot to do with communism (or can you point out a communist country with good health care?!) b) only because there are countries with very poor health care systems does not mean that universal health care is an inherently bad thing.
We do have universal health care in Austria without thousands of people dying in wait of life saving operations...
I don't say, that the Austrian system is perfect but it more or less works like such a system should work imho.
I am an author that has written three books about Mars. These books take place in the mid 21st century, so we all ready have long term habitats. My books start out with the construction of three tented city's, "Bio-domes" The discoveries on mars haven produced much money, so they make Mars into a vacation destination. In my books we have discovered a new power source, because I think the big thing that's stopping us from getting to mars is the power that is needed. I don't have worp power, it's a real idea I had, but by the second book the total travel time is less than eight hours. I would like to cut things out and refine these books and then republish them. Please go to my web site for more information about these books.
For many years I've admired Zubrin's ingenius idea to not take fuel to Mars that you need to getyourself back to Earth, but to generate it on on Mars. It's a shame that someone who came up with such an innovative idea can not get his head out of the antiquated notion that you need a super BMFR (Big M___ F___ Rocket) to do interplanetary flight!
Agreed. It seems as if the idea that space will always be expensive to reach has been solidified in every ones mind. Even the innovative ideas for reaching orbit are just more of the same big business rocketry.
I have heard this comment mentioned before, even at ISDC, but here's what I don't understand: the physics have not changed. Sure, we know more now, but it still takes a lot of energy to reach orbit which means lots of fuel. The most innovative vehicles I have seen are the Virgin WK2 and SS2 ideas, but they can only go sub-orbital, the payload would be pretty small and frankly it is not enough. Is there a vehicle or idea (other than mastering anti-gravity) that would work?
Ben,
Your argument is a non sequitur. In none of my posts about this issue to your blog (starting in December) have I mentioned Virgin or any of the other suborbital companies doing this. I have always talked about Delta IV, Atlas and Falcon IX. It is estimated that either Ares V or Direct operational costs will be 2 to 4 billion dollars per launch. If you had to use five Falcon IX heavy launches to do in-orbit assembly of an interplanetary ship at $78 million per launch (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Falcon_9), that would only total to $390 million!
This guy just sounds like such a nut. I understand and appreciate that things can not always be done the NASA way and expected to succeed, but I don't think Zubrin has the answer. Talking about yourself as a fictional character, in the third person, does not help at all.
A full hour book plug, with some ranting thrown in for good measure. Of course, he does have some valid points in there too.
Zubrin is a space talk circuit pioneer, and he has the arrows in his backside to prove it. Too bad his plan wasn't implemented ten years ago when it first came out by the Bushes. Obama is too concerned about turning America into a communist nation with universal health care (that will kill millions) to actually save America with a real stimulus program like sending Americans to Mars. Zubrin also knows the American energy independence would save 700 billion a year and end our current depression. Too bad niether Obama or Zubrin seem to have their priorities straight. Save America first thru energy independence, then worry about turning America communist with national health care. I don't carry health care because they refuse to cover the health care I need, like laser eye correction. They also don't cover the latest innovations in wheelchairs like the ibot from Dean Kamen. Reagan was right, more government is not the answer, it is the problem. If you want health care like Cuba, England, and Canada where people die waiting nine months for life saving operations, then by all means go ahead push your Malthusian communist health care program, it will kill millions.
I just wanted to point out, that
a) health care has not really a lot to do with communism (or can you point out a communist country with good health care?!)
b) only because there are countries with very poor health care systems does not mean that universal health care is an inherently bad thing.
We do have universal health care in Austria without thousands of people dying in wait of life saving operations...
I don't say, that the Austrian system is perfect but it more or less works like such a system should work imho.
I am an author that has written three books about Mars. These books take place in the mid 21st century, so we all ready have long term habitats. My books start out with the construction of three tented city's, "Bio-domes" The discoveries on mars haven produced much money, so they make Mars into a vacation destination. In my books we have discovered a new power source, because I think the big thing that's stopping us from getting to mars is the power that is needed. I don't have worp power, it's a real idea I had, but by the second book the total travel time is less than eight hours. I would like to cut things out and refine these books and then republish them. Please go to my web site for more information about these books.