Zubrin & Dyson - ...Spaceflight Without NASA?

Palomar · 2003-12-09 10:06:24

*I just now found this at Space.com (a somewhat lengthy article). My apologies if it's been posted previously here; I don't recall that it has:

Space visionary Freeman Dyson, the acclaimed emeritus professor of physics at the Institute for Advanced Study in Princeton, New Jersey, recently had a conversation with Robert Zubrin, the world's biggest cheerleader for human missions to Mars.

"Your scheme of Mars missions is excellent," Dyson said, "but it has one fatal flaw, the fact that you are expecting NASA to do it."

"Ah, but when we give NASA a real challenge like this, it will be a different NASA," Zubrin replied.

"I think he is right," Dyson said last Thursday...

The ultimate goal of any return to human spaceflight, in the minds of many scientists, would be a multi-billion dollar crewed mission to Mars like the one proposed by Robert Zubrin, who leads the Mars Society. On Saturday, the advocacy group placed a plea on its web site for members to "get off your duff" and urge Bush on to Mars, lest NASA fall into a "pork-barrel cul-de-sac that will leave us stranded halfway to nowhere for decades." ...

"I cannot predict whether the public will support a Zubrin-style set of missions to Mars," Dyson said. "It depends on whether it really will be a different NASA doing the job. But I am sure the chances of public support are better for this than for continuing to go nowhere with the shuttle and space-station."

--Cindy

Gennaro · 2003-12-09 10:16:25

Of course, in a better world where, ehum... someone like me was in charge, a genius like Dr Zubrin could leave "Portugal" for Europe any day and immediately find himself employed by the Roman emperor.
:;):

Bill White · 2003-12-09 11:32:06

"Perhaps the pioneer settlers in space communities will live (and even die) in front of a worldwide audience -- the ultimate in commercial reality TV."
-- Sir Martin Rees, British author and cosmologist

Whether these media efforts are uplifting or merely exploitation (such as The Bachelor or Survivor) will depend on who is chosen as director and producer.

Palomar · 2003-12-09 11:46:48

"Perhaps the pioneer settlers in space communities will live (and even die) in front of a worldwide audience -- the ultimate in commercial reality TV."
-- Sir Martin Rees, British author and cosmologist
Whether these media efforts are uplifting or merely exploitation (such as The Bachelor or Survivor) will depend on who is chosen as director and producer.

*Yeah. And I have a lot of mixed feelings about it. Apollo missions carried some live video feedback to Earth, but that was controlled -- PR stuff showing them floating around, talking about upcoming checks on instruments, adjustments, etc. And it was temporary (10 minutes or thereabouts at a time) and scheduled.

I really would dislike seeing a mission to Mars, or even the first colonization efforts, devolve into a chance for people to grandstand (which would likely demoralize others when teamwork and a sense of united effort is most needed...having a "show-off" on board wouldn't be great then). I also cringe at the thought of Kelly H., colonist, using air time to whine and moan about Pat R. dumping him/her...petty bickering, petty ego battles and fights, etc. It'd turn space exploration into a coarse joke, and would likely devolve into mere hype.

I'd prefer quality video relay back to Earth, similar to the Apollo missions. Stick to the science, the goals being achieved, the data return, etc...and a dash of human-interest stuff will go a long way.

--Cindy

jadeheart · 2003-12-09 12:54:45

once again the corporate cheerleaders are hyping the business approach to space pioneering. i just don't buy it. (pardon the pun.) while i'm all for folks like "aerospace marverick" burt rutan doing their thing, i wouldn't trust a corporation with my life in space any further than i could sprout wings and fly there. i thought hartmann summed it up pretty well:

"Do we want to hand over this unique moment and all those resources to a bunch of deregulated CEO's with their short-term, self-serving accountant mentality?" asks Hartmann. "Or can we design a strategy that fosters a better global payoff for our grandchildren?"

and another thing. why is burt rutan ALWAYS referred to as "aerospace maverick" in the media? it's almost like the appellation is self-styled and he has decreed that he must be referred to in this way whenever his name is mentioned. it's just plain weird how this phrase gets parroted. every outlet i ever see that mentions him calls him a "maverick."

so i think Dr. Zubrin should henceforth be mentioned in the media as "Mars maverick Robert Zubrin."

Rxke · 2003-12-09 13:09:50

why is burt rutan ALWAYS referred to as "aerospace maverick" in the media?

Heh. Noticed that, too. I guess it's just a cool-sounding title that gets copied over and over again by lazy reporters. Like when you read Google news, any story on it has always somethig like"...And xyz related articles"

When you look at these articles, 90% are copies of eachother... word for word. They just get a Reuters fax or whatever and copy ad paste it. Sad.

Palomar · 2003-12-09 13:46:52

*I don't know if I should admit this or not, but I'd never heard of Burt Rutan before jadeheart mentioned him today.

--Cindy

Rxke · 2003-12-09 13:58:49

You're kidding? He's the guy that built SpaceShipOne, that arguably has the most chance to win the X-Prize.

Take a look at this

He's also the builder of the first plane that flew around the earth, non-stop. And many, many other designs

I like him. He says he hasn't worked a day the last 20 years, he's 'having fun,' designing and building the most original planes ever seen.

He basically wants to prove spaceflight is not as hard as NASA makes it look like. One of his 'rivals' Armadillo Aerospace are doing the same, posting all their experiments on the web, showing rocket-science really is not that hard anymore, compared with the '60s, with modern tech and a 'bit' of engineering experience, you go a long way....

Gennaro · 2003-12-09 17:20:26

*Yeah. And I have a lot of mixed feelings about it. Apollo missions carried some live video feedback to Earth, but that was controlled -- PR stuff showing them floating around, talking about upcoming checks on instruments, adjustments, etc. And it was temporary (10 minutes or thereabouts at a time) and scheduled.

- Above all, anything more than that would become mundane and boring.
Let's hope that space efforts will never deteriorate into private sector media hype, getting sucked out in about 15 minutes.

dicktice · 2003-12-29 13:28:10

*I don't know if I should admit this or not, but I'd never heard of Burt Rutan before jadeheart mentioned him today.
--Cindy

I'm shocked! Burt is a graduate of Cal Poly (San Luis Obispo, California) Aeronautics Department, and by strange coincidence, my own alma matre (Electronics Department). That was when you could still fly in and out of there in an Aeronca (those were the days). What a guy: look him up under Scaled Composites, Burt Rutan history. Great to be back talkin' wit ya, Cindy.

Palomar · 2003-12-29 18:11:10

*I don't know if I should admit this or not, but I'd never heard of Burt Rutan before jadeheart mentioned him today.
--Cindy
I'm shocked! Burt is a graduate of Cal Poly (San Luis Obispo, California) Aeronautics Department, and by strange coincidence, my own alma matre (Electronics Department). That was when you could still fly in and out of there in an Aeronca (those were the days). What a guy: look him up under Scaled Composites, Burt Rutan history. Great to be back talkin' wit ya, Cindy.

*Hey dicktice, likewise. Where have you been? You shouldn't be a stranger, you know.

As for Burt Rutan...I don't know how I've missed his name. I honestly never heard of it before (that I recall). For some reason, I think of the word "rutabaga" when I read his last name...ah well.

Stick around, dicktice. Talk with us!

--Cindy

New Mars Forums

Announcement

#1 2003-12-09 10:06:24

Re: Zubrin & Dyson - ...Spaceflight Without NASA?

#2 2003-12-09 10:16:25

Re: Zubrin & Dyson - ...Spaceflight Without NASA?

#3 2003-12-09 11:32:06

Re: Zubrin & Dyson - ...Spaceflight Without NASA?

#4 2003-12-09 11:46:48

Re: Zubrin & Dyson - ...Spaceflight Without NASA?

#5 2003-12-09 12:54:45

Re: Zubrin & Dyson - ...Spaceflight Without NASA?

#6 2003-12-09 13:09:50

Re: Zubrin & Dyson - ...Spaceflight Without NASA?

#7 2003-12-09 13:46:52

Re: Zubrin & Dyson - ...Spaceflight Without NASA?

#8 2003-12-09 13:58:49

Re: Zubrin & Dyson - ...Spaceflight Without NASA?

#9 2003-12-09 17:20:26

Re: Zubrin & Dyson - ...Spaceflight Without NASA?

#10 2003-12-29 13:28:10

Re: Zubrin & Dyson - ...Spaceflight Without NASA?

#11 2003-12-29 18:11:10

Re: Zubrin & Dyson - ...Spaceflight Without NASA?

Board footer