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Title: The CASE FOR MARS by Robert Zubrin ISBN: 0-684-83550-9 Publisher: Free Press Pub. Date: 03 November, 1997 Format: Paperback Volumes: 1 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
Average Customer Rating: 4.55 (62 reviews)
Rating: 2
Summary: A good read, but the ideas are not his
Comment: I'm a strong proponent of Mars travel, and the U.S. really needed a book like this one. The book is well written and brings the audience in. I could only dream of writing such a coherent book on this subject.
But, here's a big issue that I have with the book. Many people have come to believe that Mr. Zubrin came up with these ideas for ISRU, and other Mars propulsion related topics. In actuality, these great ideas came from a series of conferences called "the case for Mars" ('80's) and published work prior to that ('70's); all of which came about without his input.
All of the engineering and scientific ideas detailed within the book are not his by any means. He's simply an Engineer with charisma that voiced the ideas of others and tried to apply them. I thank Zubrin's predecessors for their ingenuity.
On another note, I must mention my admiration for NASA. NASA ended up receiving harsh criticism from Zubrin, but they later supported his proposals because it was important to their overall goal. It's tough for any organization to do that, but NASA would never let it's mission be stopped by criticism. Go NASA!
Rating: 5
Summary: Beautiful and Inspiring
Comment: I have been interested in the space program for years, and after several years of wondering if Mars would ever be within human reach, I am thoroughly convinced. Contrary to readers who apparently skimmed the book, Zubrin does indicate a variety of launch vehicles, including the Saturn V but also a number of Russian and recent American developments. He also calculates the costs of restarting the Saturn V program and figures them into his equations. He gives weight to monetary concerns that NASA officials seem to have neglected, concerns that deter some politicians and solutions that could make believers of them.
His reasons for going to Mars also make sense. One element, found in five times the abundance on Mars as on Earth, sells on the free market at thousands of US dollars to the kilo. Scientific research is also a benefit, and the discovery of possible Martian life would provide insights into what genetic elements are universal to all life, and which are native to Terra Prima. The medical implications for the global community are staggering.
And contrary to belief, the discovery of life off of the Earth does not discount religion, it is simply a blow to certain, and then only some, Creationists. As a religious person, a born-again Christian, in fact, I would not find the implications of alien life deterring, but exciting, and possibly, should there be intelligent life, an opportunity for evangelism. The religious argument is without merit.
The book is wholly inspiring, and the Mars Direct and Mars Semi-Direct programs needs to be heard in the halls of Congress. An excellent read.
Rating: 3
Summary: Burns Out Fast.
Comment: It's easy to get caught up in Zubrin's excitement as he describes a way to send humans to Mars within 10 years, leapfrogging NASA projects and cutting NASA cost estimates by 90%. But then you start seeing the holes in his Mars Direct plan. The launch vehicle we would need (the Saturn V) hasn't existed for 30 years. Restarting production would be difficult and expensive. Alternatives are little more than conceptual art. If we were to get the first stage to Mars, it would have to land on its own (something we haven't had much luck with lately) and then set up an atmospheric distillery that would operate perfectly for months without any maintenance. While Zubrin has proven the distillery is technically possible, his model looks like something you would see at a high school science fair. If we get this far, we would send 4 astronauts on a 6-month journey in a tin can with space limitations so severe the inhabitants will envy maximum-security inmates. If the astronauts are able to land successfully, they have a 6-month stay ahead of them followed by a 6-month return journey. Zubrin doesn't want any doctors on the trip so these people will need to be perfectly healthy for 18 months in some of the most severe environments mankind has ever tested.
But why go to Mars? Zubrin tries to tie going to Mars to man's need for exploration and future economic benefit. It's an intriguing argument, but it fails. The only real reason to go to Mars now is to determine if there is or has been life there. Actually, finding no life will make the most people happy. If no life is found in a particular spot, that doesn't mean it doesn't exist somewhere on the planet and another mission is justified. Not finding life also allows religions to still claim that life only exists on Earth. Actually finding past or present life would throw humanity into a quandary it probably isn't ready for.
Latter chapters of the book deal with setting up colonies and terraforming the planet. Surprisingly, Zubrin doesn't address native life on Mars at all. If life is found, do we have the right to set up colonies or take steps that may wipe out Martian life only for our own good? Did we not learn anything from the American west and Native Americans? While it may not be Zubrin's place as a scientist to worry about such problems, if he can speculate on selling Martian land without anyone being on the planet he certainly has the responsibility to address issues related to actual Martians.
When we do decide to go to Mars, let's make sure it's for the right reasons. Those reasons are lacking in this book.
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Title: Entering Space: Creating a Spacefaring Civilization by Robert Zubrin ISBN: 1585420360 Publisher: J. P. Tarcher Pub. Date: 03 August, 2000 List Price(USD): $13.95 |
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Title: Mining the Sky: Untold Riches from the Asteroids, Comets, and Planets by John S. Lewis ISBN: 0201328194 Publisher: Perseus Publishing Pub. Date: September, 1997 List Price(USD): $15.00 |
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Title: Islands in the Sky: Bold New Ideas for Colonizing Space by Stanley Schmidt, Robert Zubrin ISBN: 0471135615 Publisher: John Wiley & Sons Pub. Date: 25 January, 1996 List Price(USD): $19.95 |
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Title: First Landing by Robert Zubrin ISBN: 0441008593 Publisher: Ace Books Pub. Date: 10 July, 2001 List Price(USD): $21.95 |
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Title: A Traveler's Guide to Mars: The Mysterious Landscapes of the Red Planet by William K. Hartmann ISBN: 0761126066 Publisher: Workman Publishing Company Pub. Date: August, 2003 List Price(USD): $18.95 |
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