New Thread: Kim Stanley Robinson's "Mars" Series

On 8/17/05, ANTIcarrot. wrote:
(...)
> It's the whole THE ONLY POSSIBLE THING THERE IS TO DO IN SPACE IS GO TO MARS
> AND FIND OUT IF THERE IS LIFE AND THEN COLONISE THE PLANET BECAUSE EVERYONE
> KNOWS THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NOWHERE ELSE IN THE ENTIRE SOLAR SYSTEM THAT COULD
> POSSIBLY SUSTAIN HUMAN LIFE thing.
(...)

I don't got that feeling from the books. Actually, AFAIR, in the first
book there was already some existing lunar infra-structure *before*
the Ares was sent to Mars. In the last book, there is a whole part
where (after the invention of nuclear pulse spaceships :-) one of the
characters travels through the Solar System and there are human
colonies *everywhere* from Mercury to Uranus - in particular, the
innumerable asteroid colonies are basically space habitats shaped out
of rocks.

> Mr Zubrin (for example) wrote a good book about how to get to Mars on the
> cheep. Unfortunately he has jealously guarded his low cost ideas from anyone
> else who thinks their might be *other* things to do in space besides Mars.
> There have in fact been accusations that his camp has engaged in political
> sabotage of other more worthy space efforts.
(...)

Now, if you are talking about that book, "The Nutcase for Mars", I
agree integrally.