"Combs, Mike" wrote:
>
> From: Steve Long [mailto:longsteven@...]
>
> > victoriatangoman wrote:
> > >
> > > Mars is a religion for a lot of these folks, and nothing will
> shake
> > > their faith.
> > >
> > I respectfully submit this question to the group: In
> > the most-recent series of exchanges, which responder
> > seems most religiously fervent about their beliefs?
>
> I won't address the issue of who is most "fervent", but I note that
> tangoman invited you to discuss what you saw as the specific
> advantages
> of Mars over orbital settlements, and you begged off, citing lack of
> information. These seems to make your position one based on faith.
>

I have no position re: Mars vs. space habitats. I've never been on
Mars, I've never visited a space habitat, so I have no basis but
daydreams and college physics upon which to base a choice. I believe
in getting some appreciable fraction of us off this planet, for the
future of the species. If it turns out the best way to do that is in
used refrigerators using a slingshot, then I'm all for it. If it
turns out that the most popular reason for space travel is that the
Best Little Whorehouse in Texas is in fact in stationary orbit above
it, I'll cheer. If you want to know what I think the perfect
end-point for all this should be, watch "Star Trek TNG" and "Deep
Space Nine." Whatever gets us to that point is All Right By Me.

Some others and I asked a few questions here, raised a point or two,
and it felt like we were attacked as infidels. I get that when I
express my political sentiments in the non-electronic world. I did
not expect to see that here, and I voiced my disappointment.

> I, too, have found in my debates with Mars advocates that after I
> list
> my (actually, Gerry's) detailed points regarding what I see as the
> advantages of orbital locations over planetary ones, and invite the
> inverse, the Mars advocate begs off. I've heard everything from, "I
> can
> but I won't," to "I don't have the time," to "I won't because you
> still
> won't believe me after I've put all that effort into it".
>

I'm not a Mars advocate. I'm not a platform advocate. I'm a "space
settlement advocate," and by space I mean everything above Earth's
atmosphere, whether solid or vacuum, whatever is most appropriate to
the needs of the people footing the bill and/or actually cinching up
their seat belts and going. I'm here out of curiosity, not to join a
movement, nor carry protest signs (or exploding vests) to meetings of
some perceived enemy. I will continue, for as long as I participate
in this group, to ask questions of all camps represented here. It's
what I do, and how I learn (and on rare occasions, teach.) As far as
your last three points, mine are "I can't so I won't," "I don't have
the interest," and "Be happy in your beliefs, just don't try to force
them on me."

Steve