New Mars Forums

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.