This Week in Space (Audio)

TWiS 153: Pathways to Mars - With Dr. Robert Zubrin

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After 60 years of discussion, we may finally be making real, actionable plans to send a crew to Mars. One of the prime advocates for sending humans to the Red Planet has been Dr. Robert Zubrin, founder and president of The Mars Society. In 1990, he and David Baker worked up a plan called "Mars Direct," which took the core of then-current NASA planning and streamlined it into a more realistic, affordable approach. Since then, some of the key elements have been incorporated into NASA's Design Reference Missions, still the primary set of plans for reaching Mars. Join us for this fascinating discussion.

Headlines

  • Crew-9 Return: Astronauts Wilmore and Williams returned to Earth via SpaceX Dragon with dolphins swimming around their capsule—spoiler alert: it was NOT AI generated!
  • Isar Aerospace: A German company prepared for the first orbital launch from Norway's Andoya Spaceport
  • SpaceX Record: Achieved fastest booster turnaround yet by flying the same booster twice within nine days

    • Main Topic: Mars Exploration with Dr. Robert Zubrin

    • Mars Direct Plan: Zubrin's revolutionary 1990 proposal using just two heavy-lift launches and in-situ resource utilization, influencing NASA's planning
    • Purpose vs. Vendor-Driven: Critique of NASA's Artemis as "vendor-driven" rather than focused on the mission goal
    • Current Opportunity: New potential for Mars exploration under the current administration, but it must be a national program
    • Timeline Prediction: Realistic goals of uncrewed Starship on Mars by 2028 and humans by 2033
    • Scientific Value: First Mars Starship should carry substantial scientific payload instead of just a demonstration mission—no red Tesla Roadsters to Mars, please
    • Planetary Protection: Strong case against the "anti-human aesthetics" of keeping Mars pristine
    • Science Budget Concerns: Warning against proposed 50% cuts to NASA's science programs
    • Starboat Concept: Proposal for a smaller ascent vehicle to complement Starship for more efficient Mars and Moon missions
    • Moon vs. Mars Strategy: Design hardware primarily for Mars that can also work for lunar exploration

      • Hosts: Rod Pyle and Tariq Malik

      Guest: Dr. Robert Zubrin

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