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The editorial by Bob Zubrin in a recent April 2004 issue of Space News was on the money. Using the analogy of "pulling a 10 m rope tight" for a targeted Mard mission, as opposed to making the rope longer than neccessary, i.e. much more expensive Mars mssion is what NASA, Bush administration, and Congress need to hear. Most non-engineers do tend to throw money at a problem, instead of using the right tool for the right job. Zubrin pronounced the Nuclear Rocket as not neccessary and under-powered to accomplish the job. The radiation risk to a crew of a Mars round trip is managable, especially if appropriate shielding is provided. If direct lift is used for the Mars mission, do we need a new launch pad and booster? Can we use an SDV instead or rebuilding the Saturn class boosters? Zubrin thinks so, and I tend to agree. We need to focus the vision of those politicians in charge of funding such endeavors.
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