Zubrin?

By the way....

There's an interesting article on spaceflightnow (c.f.,
http://www.spaceflightnow.com/news/n0112/04marslumpy/) that boosts
Zubrin's cause:

"
New research from the University of Colorado at Boulder reveals that areas
of the surface of Mars may be protected from the full force of solar
radiation by areas of intensely magnetized crust.
"

Ron

rmenich@...
12/04/01 05:39 PM

This is all just speculation, but since you asked...

He's smart --- he realizes that the public is excited about Mars, and he's

riding that wave. I speculate that deep down inside he may know that Luna

and NEOs are better first targets for space development than Mars. After
all, he's a talented engineer. But I think that he realizes that the
public is
* Bored with Luna,
* Knows nothing of NEOs
* Is interested in ascertaining whether or not there is/was life on Mars;
and
* Has a mental block regarding people living in space (planetary
chauvinism)
Basically, I speculate that he's akin to a politician, in the sense that
he is playing to the popular demand.

Ron

"Zachary Ernst Sorenson" zsorenson@...
12/04/01 05:48 PM

Why is Zubrin so fanatic? I've identified four possibilities.

1) He is simply a man with a specific dream.
2) His true belief about the destiny of mankind simply differs from
mine.
3) He wishes to see a man on Mars or the existance of alien life
before his
death.
4) He wishes to go to Mars.

These are just possibilities, If I were being objective I'd go with
number
2. Any insights?