New Member

--- In spacesettlers@yahoogroups.com, "Darren Brown" wrote:

> I have seen this very
> discussion played out many times and I think Tango has as well and
> in his defence I have to say that nobody has ever come up with a way
> that a large scale population could make a living on Mars.

Yeah, a number of us on this list have seen this play out, step by
step, in the same fashion. I plead guilty to arguing against the
Zubrinite faction than against the specifics of Rick and Steve.

> Does that mean we should abandon all Mars exploration? Not for a
> second and I think that Tango would agree with me (You're welcome to
> tell me to pull my head in if you don't Tango).

No, you're right. Jeez, most of us on this list probably already now
each other's positions quite well by this time. LOL.

> A few stories will make it into the news and, no doubt, Zubrin and
> his cult following (and before you get cut about me calling them a
> cult, I am NOT referring to everybody in the Mar Society, just a
> hard core group that will not listen to anything that don't result
> in them and the Great Leader going to Mars NOW!)

Yup, they're the most frustrating of the bunch.

> will beat their
> chests and demand that we stop funding every other bit of science to
> put them on Mars and keep suppling them for the foreseeable future
> (because they have near zero chance of becoming self sufficient in
> the less than a few centuries).

I see that you've come across them as well.

As for the rest of your post, I'm with you. You seem to have a more
diplomatic tone though, :)

TangoMan