DOCSLIB.ORG

The Planetary Report

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text

Load more

Volume xx On the Cover: Table of Number 6 In what part of our galaxy wi ll we first detect other forms of life? Simple logic dictates that starrier regions will have more planets, November/December 2000 thus more possibilities. But who knows? The answer may lie in the Contents wilderness of a nebula. John Gleason captured this image of the Orion nebula in October 1998 from the Sierra Nevada mountains in northern California. Features Image: (e) John Gleason, Ce lestial Images 4 Opinion: No Threat? No Way! We've expanded our usual Opinion section to encompass opposing views to Robert Zubrin's piece in our July/August issue. There, Robert expressed his view that neither human exploration of Mars nor samples returned from the Red Planet would pose a threat to life-forms on these worlds. We expect the controversy will be with us for a while, as it evidently touched Froln a deep chord among Planetary Society members. The Life Frotn Space? Testing Panspertnia With Editor B Martian Meteorite ALH84001 That one little rock from Mars-ALH8400 I-may be the most-studied conglomeration of minerals in scientific history, and it still has lots to teach us. Just four years ago, it caught e humans are a very egocentric the world's attention when researchers announced they had found traces of ancient Martian species. As we contemplate the vast W life within its recesses. Now it plays a role in another possible story about life-that of universe in which we float, we tend to focus panspermia, the transfer of life-forms between worlds. our interest on seeking phenomena like our­ selves-that is to say, life. Judging from the 12 SETI@hotne and The Planetary Society- two major features in this issue of The The Bond Strengthens Planetary Report-one on searching for When The Planetary Society was formed in 1980, its prime directive was to engage the extraterrestrial life, the other on the possibil­ people of Earth in the exploration of the solar system and the search for extraterrestrial life. ity of life arriving here from space-this No single program in our 20-year history has fulfilled that directive as well as SETI@home. focus is shared by members of The Planetary The Society was the founding sponsor for SETI@home, and now with the help of the Society. And, in fact, NASA has declared the OneCosmos Network, we have been able to go far beyond our initial support. With nearly 2.5 million participants around the world, and the potential to involve even more in the search for life on other worlds to be the prime search for other civilizations, who knows how far we will be able to go. driver of its planetary program. But, as in all tightly focused endeavors, The Next Generation of Mars Explorers- we can miss something extraordinary lying 20 Introducing the Red Rover Goes to Mars Teatn just off to the side. Right now, this focus on What a time we've had with our Red Rover Goes to Mars international student contest! Just as life may cost us the opportunity to send a we were launching the competition, NASA canceled the Mars Surveyor 2001 lander mission, spacecraft to Pluto, perhaps for a generation. which was to involve our winners. Thanks to our ability to improvise, we reconstituted the As Society members lmow, NASA has contest to work with the Mars Global Surveyor mission, and now our nine winners from ordered work stopped on the Pluto-Kuiper around the world are preparing to operate that spacecraft's camera and take pictures of Express mission to explore the fringe of our possible landing sites on the Red Planet. You can meet our winners here! solar system. One reason for halting the mis­ sion was that it did not fit NASA's current Departlnents concentration on seeking evidence for life. At moments like this, we face difficult 3 Metnbers' Dialogue choices. Is the prime reason we explore space to seek ourselves among the worlds, or is it 17 World Watch to explore worlds as yet unvisited? Should Questions and Ansvvers NASA concentrate on Mars and Europa, 1 B worlds that might support life, and give up 22 Society Nevvs the rest of the solar system? Or should it complete the planetary reconnaissance started so boldly when Mariner 2 traveled to Venus Contact Us in 1962? I have no easy answer; I welcome your views. I can be reached at the address Mailing Address: The Planetary SOCiety, 65 North Catalina Avenue, Pasadena, CA 91106-2301 to the right. General Calls: 626 -793-5100 Sales Calls Only: 626 -793-1675 -Charlene MAnderson E-mail: [email protected] World Wide We b: http://planetary.org The Planetary Repon (ISSN 0736-3680) is published bimonthly at the editorial offices of The Planetary Society, 65 North Catalina Avenue, Pasadena, CA 911 06-2301,626-793-5100. It is available to members of The Planetary Society. Annual dues in the US are $25 (US dollars); in Canada, $35 (Canadian dollars). Dues in other countries are $40 (U S dollars). Printed in USA. Third-class postage at Pasadena, California, and at an additional mailing office. Canada Post Agreement Number 87424. A Publication of Editor, CHARLENE M. ANDERSON Copy Editor, AMY SPITALNICK Associate Editor. DONNA ESCANDON STEVENS Proofreader, LOIS SMITH THE-PLAN~T~V SOCIETY Managing Editor, JENNIFER VAUGHN A rt Director, BARBARA S. SMITH Technical Editor, JAMES D. BURKE o .~-e- ¢ -& 0 Viewpoi nts expressed in columns or editorials are those of the authors and do not necessarily rep resent positions of The Planetary Society. its officers, or advisors. © 2000 by The Planetary Society. o Co-founder CARL SAGAN Members' 1934-1996 Board of Directors Dialogue President BRUCE MURRAY Professor of Planetary ScIence and Geology, California Institute of Technology Vice President WESLEY T. HUNTRESS JR. Director, Geophysical Laboratory, Carnegie Institution of Washington Executive Director LOUIS D. FRIEDMAN ANN DRUYAN author and producer DONALD J. KUTYNA former Commander. Save Pluto The Planetary Society has not you, Clark, for keeping our eyes US Space Command Advisory Council Chair Express? given up on a mission to Pluto on the ball, and for helping point JOHN M. LOGSDON Director. Space Policy Institute, I share every Planetary Society just yet. Keep an (;)Ie on our web­ the way. We'll miss your wisdom George Washington University Member's sadness at the cancella­ site, planetary.org,for continuous in these pages. CHRISTOPHER P. McKAY planetary scientist. tion of the Pluto Express mission. updates on our members' fight to - DAVID H. LEVY, NASA Ames Research Center BILL NYE However, I am not the least bit ensure the planet is explored by vail, Arizona educator surprised that this mission faced this generation. JOSEPH RYAN Executive Vice President and the chopping block. I do not view -Charlene MAnderson, We agree completely-and we General Counsel, Marriott International the current situation as a disaster. Associate Director deeply appreciate Clark Chapman ROALD Z. SAGDEEV s former Director, Institute for Space Research. In fact, I am pleased that NASA devoted years as a contributor to Russian Academy of Sciences STEVEN SPIELBERG is getting more realistic about In Appreciation The Planetary Report. Tfe were director and producer just what can be done given the It's been a few issues since I've pleased to nominate him for the KATHRYN D. SULLI VAN President and CEO. "faster, better, cheaper" mantra. seen Clark Chapman's News and Carl Sagan Medal in the Division Ohio's Center of Science and Industry and former astronaut They are still on a learning curve, Reviews in The Planetary Report, ofPlanetary Sciences ofthe NEIL DE GRASSE TYSON Director, Hayden Planetarium, and mistakes are to be expected. and I fear it has been stopped. I American Astronomical Society American Museum of Natural History Ifwe lose Pluto Express, delay am saddened at the loss of this and were honored when he won the Europa orbiter, and keep all column, which I have enjoyed for that prize. Advisory Council the approved Discovery missions, years. In fact, wasn't News and - Louis D. Friedman, JIHEI AKITA we are still way ahead of where Reviews a staple in the magazine Executive Director Executive Director. The Planetary Society, Japan BUZZ ALDRIN we were before "faster, better, from the first issue? Apolfo 11 astronaut cheaper" debuted. I found Clark's column full of NEOS@hoR1e RICHARD BERENDZEN educator and astrophysicist -JOHN DAY, interesting news, unexpected opin­ I want to lend one more vote in JACQUES BLAMONT Chief Scientist, Los Angeles, California ions, and novel ideas. It was a support of the suggestion in the Centre National d'Etudes Spatiales, France favorite part of The Planetary July/August 2000 issue for devel­ RAY BRADBURY While I am sorry to hear about the Report for me, because the con­ oping a NEOs@home type of poet and author DAVID BRIN scrapping of the mission to Pluto, tents were always straight from its distributed processing network author FRANKLIN CHANG·DlAl I can't help thinking it may be a writer's heart. News and Reviews for near-Earth asteroid identifi­ NASA. Astronaut Office small price to pay for the preser­ was well written, incisive, and fun. cation and tracking. ARTHUR C. ClARKE vation of other, more important I remember being woken one I've been logging more than author FRANK DRAKE projects a little closer to home, morning in 1984, while doing the average amount oftime on PreSident, SETl lnstilute; Professor of Astronomy and Astrophysics, such as the continued exploration asteroid research at Kitt Peak. SETI@home but would much University of California, Santa Cruz STEPHEN JAY GOULD of Mars, Europa, and Saturn.
Recommended publications
  • Issue 106, May 2006

    Issue 106, May 2006

    37 th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference THE CONFERENCE IN REVIEW Attendance at the 37th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference (LPSC) set yet another record for this conference, with 1546 participants from 24 countries attending the meeting held at the South Shore Harbour Resort and Conference Center in League City, Texas, on March 13–17, 2006 (see inset for attendance statistics). Rearrangement of the confi guration of the meeting rooms, along with additional overfl ow seating, allowed conference organizers and staff to accommodate the marked increase in attendance, thereby being able to maintain the current meeting venue and hence the low registration fee, which enables the high number of student attendees. LPSC continues to be recognized among the international science community as the most important planetary conference in the world, and this year’s meeting substantiated the merit of that reputation. More than 1400 abstracts were submitted in consideration for presentation at the conference, and hundreds of planetary scientists and students attended both oral and poster sessions focusing on such diverse topics as the Moon, Mars, Mercury, and Venus; outer planets and satellites; meteorites; comets, asteroids, and other small bodies; Limpacts; interplanetary dust particles and presolar grains; origins of planetary systems; planetary formation and early evolution; and astrobiology. Sunday night’s registration and reception were again held at the Center for Advanced Space Studies, which houses the Lunar and Planetary Institute. Featured on Sunday night was an open house for the display of education and public outreach activities and programs. Highlights of the conference program, established by the program committee under the guidance of co-chairs Dr.
  • Why NASA Consistently Fails at Congress

    Why NASA Consistently Fails at Congress

    W&M ScholarWorks Undergraduate Honors Theses Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects 6-2013 The Wrong Right Stuff: Why NASA Consistently Fails at Congress Andrew Follett College of William and Mary Follow this and additional works at: https://scholarworks.wm.edu/honorstheses Part of the Political Science Commons Recommended Citation Follett, Andrew, "The Wrong Right Stuff: Why NASA Consistently Fails at Congress" (2013). Undergraduate Honors Theses. Paper 584. https://scholarworks.wm.edu/honorstheses/584 This Honors Thesis is brought to you for free and open access by the Theses, Dissertations, & Master Projects at W&M ScholarWorks. It has been accepted for inclusion in Undergraduate Honors Theses by an authorized administrator of W&M ScholarWorks. For more information, please contact [email protected]. The Wrong Right Stuff: Why NASA Consistently Fails at Congress A thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirement for the degree of Bachelors of Arts in Government from The College of William and Mary by Andrew Follett Accepted for . John Gilmour, Director . Sophia Hart . Rowan Lockwood Williamsburg, VA May 3, 2013 1 Table of Contents: Acknowledgements 3 Part 1: Introduction and Background 4 Pre Soviet Collapse: Early American Failures in Space 13 Pre Soviet Collapse: The Successful Mercury, Gemini, and Apollo Programs 17 Pre Soviet Collapse: The Quasi-Successful Shuttle Program 22 Part 2: The Thin Years, Repeated Failure in NASA in the Post-Soviet Era 27 The Failure of the Space Exploration Initiative 28 The Failed Vision for Space Exploration 30 The Success of Unmanned Space Flight 32 Part 3: Why NASA Fails 37 Part 4: Putting this to the Test 87 Part 5: Changing the Method.
  • Environmental Philosophy and the Ethics of Terraforming Mars

    Environmental Philosophy and the Ethics of Terraforming Mars

    ENVIRONMENTAL PHILOSOPHY AND THE ETHICS OF TERRAFORMING MARS: ADDING THE VOICES OF ENVIRONMENTAL JUSTICE AND ECOFEMINISM TO THE ONGOING DEBATE Robert Heath French Thesis Prepared for the Degree of MASTER OF ARTS UNIVERSITY OF NORTH TEXAS August 2013 APPROVED: Robert Figueroa, Committee Chair Eugene Hargrove, Committee Member Adam Briggle, Committee Member Patricia Glazebrook, Chair of the Department of Philosophy and Religion Studies Mark Wardell, Dean of the Toulouse Graduate School French, Robert Heath. Environmental Philosophy and the Ethics of Terraforming Mars: Adding the Voices of Environmental Justice and Ecofeminism to the Ongoing Debate. Master of Arts (Philosophy), August 2013, 133 pp., 1 table, bibliography, 78 titles. Questions concerning the ethics of terraforming Mars have received some attention from both philosophers and scientists during recent decades. A variety of theoretical approaches have been supplied by a number of authors, however research pursuant to this thesis has indicated at least two major blindspots in the published literature on the topic. First, a broad category of human considerations involving risks, dangers, and social, political, and economic inequalities that would likely be associated with efforts to terraform Mars have been woefully overlooked in the published literature to date. I attempt to rectify that oversight by employing the interpretive lens of environmental justice to address questions of environmental colonialism, equality in terms of political participation and inclusion in decision making structures, risks associated with technological progressivism, and responses to anthropogenic climate change. Only by including the historically marginalized and politically disenfranchised “voices,” of both humans and nonhumans, can any future plan to terraform Mars be deemed ethical, moral or just according to the framework provided by environmental justice.
  • PDF Version of the CSSS Membership Form

    PDF Version of the CSSS Membership Form

    Join Chicago Society for Space Studies CHICAGO S!CI"#$ %!& to support space education, space exploration and space development S'AC" S#()I"S ___YES, Sign me up as a member of the Chicago Society *&INGING S'AC" #! for Space Studies ILLIN!IS ___YES, I am interested in funding space education and am including a check payable to Chicago Society for Space Studies. Name________________________________________________ Address______________________________________________ City, State, Zip_______________________________________ Email Address________________________________________ Telephone____________________________________________ Donation ____________________________________________ Mail to: CSSS 700 Cape Lane Schaumburg, IL 60193 Chicago Society for Space Studies ,,,-chicago.pace.org CSSS Services Activities Online – Visit our web site at www.chicagospace.org to learn Speakers Bureau – Chicago Society for Space Studies (CSSS) about our organization and activities. You can also sign up to maintains a very active Speakers Bureau and provides receive Spacewatch, our e-newsletter, or connect with us via our educational presentations for libraries, schools, astronomy clubs, LinkedIn group, Facebook page, or Google+ community. conventions, museums, and other civic organizations. Details can be found on our web site. Speakers Bureau – Need a speaker for your organization or club? CSSS provides experienced speakers whose area of Guest Speakers – CSSS has sponsored local appearances by expertise is space exploration. Details are available at speakers
  • NASA Technical Memorandum 0000

    NASA Technical Memorandum 0000

    NASA/TM–2016-219182 Frontier In-Situ Resource Utilization for Enabling Sustained Human Presence on Mars Robert W. Moses and Dennis M. Bushnell Langley Research Center, Hampton, Virginia April 2016 NASA STI Program . in Profile Since its founding, NASA has been dedicated to the CONFERENCE PUBLICATION. advancement of aeronautics and space science. The Collected papers from scientific and technical NASA scientific and technical information (STI) conferences, symposia, seminars, or other program plays a key part in helping NASA maintain meetings sponsored or this important role. co-sponsored by NASA. The NASA STI program operates under the auspices SPECIAL PUBLICATION. Scientific, of the Agency Chief Information Officer. It collects, technical, or historical information from NASA organizes, provides for archiving, and disseminates programs, projects, and missions, often NASA’s STI. The NASA STI program provides access concerned with subjects having substantial to the NTRS Registered and its public interface, the public interest. NASA Technical Reports Server, thus providing one of the largest collections of aeronautical and space TECHNICAL TRANSLATION. science STI in the world. Results are published in both English-language translations of foreign non-NASA channels and by NASA in the NASA STI scientific and technical material pertinent to Report Series, which includes the following report NASA’s mission. types: Specialized services also include organizing TECHNICAL PUBLICATION. Reports of and publishing research results, distributing completed research or a major significant phase of specialized research announcements and feeds, research that present the results of NASA providing information desk and personal search Programs and include extensive data or theoretical support, and enabling data exchange services.
  • Mar 98-048 Preserving Possible Martian Life

    Mar 98-048 Preserving Possible Martian Life

    MAR 98-048 PRESERVING POSSIBLE MARTIAN LIFE Mark Lupisella University of Maryland and NASA Goddard Space Flight Center, Greenbelt Road, Code 584, Greenbelt Maryland 20770. E-mail: [email protected]. As we expand our presence in the solar system, novel and challenging scientific and policy issues will face us. A relatively near-term issue requiring attention involves questions regarding the in situ human search for and discovery of primitive extraterrestrial life—Mars being an obvious candidate. Such a search and potential discovery is clearly of paramount importance for science and will pose unique and complex mission planning and policy questions regarding how we should search for and interact with that life. This paper will explore the scientific, mission planning, and policy issues associated with the search for and interaction with possible primitive extraterrestrial life, with an emphasis on issues regarding the preservation of such life. Some of the questions to be considered are: To what extent could effects of human presence compromise possible indigenous life forms? To what extent can we control those effects (e.g. will biological contamination be local or global?) What are the criteria for assessing the biological status of designated locales as well as the entire planet (e.g. can we extrapolate from a few strategic missions?) What should our policies be regarding our interaction with primitive forms of extraterrestrial life? Central to the science and mission planning issues is the role and feasibility of applying decision theory, risk analysis, and modeling techniques. Central to many of the policy aspects are issues of value.
  • Go Play in Space (Second Edition) © 2006 by Bruce Irving and Andy Mcsorley, All Rights Reserved Space Is Real

    Go Play in Space (Second Edition) © 2006 by Bruce Irving and Andy Mcsorley, All Rights Reserved Space Is Real

    Your Future In Space his final chapter is different from the others, because it is concerned with real space flight, and with some of my own ideas and opinions about the future of space flight, and the future in general. The rest of this manual has been about simulated “playing in space,” T using Orbiter for fun and as a framework to encourage you to explore certain aspects of space flight in a fairly realistic way. If you find this sort of thing to be interesting, and depending on where you are in your schooling or career plans, you might consider doing something that’s connected with real space flight. It could lead to involvement with some of the most interesting and important developments of the next 50 years or so. You could get involved now by joining a space advocacy group. Opinions expressed here about the importance of space for the future of humanity, and on the feasibility of human flights to Mars in the near future, are my own take on various things I have read and thought about. But some aspects of this epilogue were inspired by several writers in particular. The nonfiction writings of Dr. Robert Zubrin and Dr. Raymond Kurzweil, and the writings of science fiction authors Kim Stanley Robinson, John Barnes, Stephen Baxter, and Gregory Benford have been particularly helpful. I will provide references and more detailed credits at the end of this chapter. Mars for Less is a reference mission designed by Grant Bonin for MarsDrive Consortium, a group that is trying to organize other groups and individuals in support of human missions to Mars within the next twenty years.
  • V Isysphere Mars: Terraforming Meets Eng Ineered Life Adaptation MSS

    V Isysphere Mars: Terraforming Meets Eng Ineered Life Adaptation MSS

    Visysphere mars: Terraforming meets engineered life adaptation MSS/MSM 2005 Visysphere Mars Terraforming Meets Engineered Life Adaptation International Space University Masters Program 2005 © International Space University. All Rights Reserved. Front Cover Artwork: “From Earth to Mars via technology and life”. Connecting the two planets through engineering of technology and life itself to reach the final goal of a terraformed Mars. The Executive Summary, ordering information and order forms may be found on the ISU web site at http://www.isunet.edu/Services/library/isu_publications.htm. Copies of the Executive Summary and the Final Report can also be ordered from: International Space University Strasbourg Central Campus Parc d’Innovation 1 rue Jean-Dominique Cassini 67400 Illkirch-Graffenstaden France Tel. +33 (0)3 88 65 54 32 Fax. +33 (0)3 88 65 54 47 e-mail. [email protected] ii International Space University, Masters 2005 Visysphere Mars Acknowledgements ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS The International Space University and the students of the Masters Program 2005 would like to thank the following people for their generous support and guidance: Achilleas, Philippe Hill, Hugh Part-Time Faculty Faculty, Space Science International Space University International Space University IDEST, Université Paris Sud, France Lapierre, Bernard Arnould, Jacques Coordinator “Ethics Applied to Special Advisor to the President Engineering” course. CNES Ecole Polytechnique of Montreal Averner, Mel Marinova, Margarita Program Manager, Fundamental Planetary
  • Robert Zubrin to the Committee for Review of U.S

    Robert Zubrin to the Committee for Review of U.S

    Accepting the Challenge Before Us Testimony of Dr. Robert Zubrin to the Committee for Review of U.S. Human Space Flight (Norm Augustine, Chairman) August 5, 2009 Mr. Augustine, members of the Committee, I would like to thank you for inviting me to testify here today on the future of the U.S. human space- flight program. Since many of you may be unfamiliar with me, I hope you will forgive me if I take a few seconds to establish my credentials. I am an engineer with a masters degree in aeronautics and astronautics, a doctor- ate in nuclear engineering, and over two decades of aerospace industry experience. I currently lead my own company, Pioneer Astronautics, which has successfully completed some forty NASA contracts over the past thirteen years. I am the author or co-author of over two hundred papers, nine patents granted or pending, and five books related to the field, and am the head of an international non-profit organization known as the Mars Society which has, among other projects, built and run a human Mars exploration operations research station on Devon Island, nine hundred miles from the North Pole. My remarks today will address four areas. First, I will discuss why NASA’s human spaceflight program has been floundering, and what funda- mental change in method of operation needs to be undertaken if the space agency is to be made effective again—and in particular, why an overarch- ing goal must be adopted if that is to occur. Second, I will explain what that goal should be.
  • Newsletter 14-2 Published on Division for Planetary Sciences (

    Newsletter 14-2 Published on Division for Planetary Sciences (

    Newsletter 14-2 Published on Division for Planetary Sciences (https://dps.aas.org) Newsletter 14-2 Issue 14-2, January 22, 2014 +-----------------------------CONTENTS--------------------------------+ 1) NOTE FROM THE CHAIR 2) MESSAGE FROM THE FEDERAL RELATIONS SUBCOMMITTEE (FRS) CHAIR 3) REMINDER: CALL FOR DPS 2014 PRIZE NOMINATIONS 4) REMINDER : 2014 ONLINE MEMBERSHIP RENEWALS 5) CALL FOR MISSION CONCEPTS FOR THE LARGE-SIZE 'L2' MISSION OPPORTUNITY IN ESA'S SCIENCE PROGRAMME 6) DRAFT SOLICITATIONS OF SOME PSD R&A SOLICITATIONS FOR ROSES14 RELEASED TO PUBLIC 7) MARS CRITICAL DATA PRODUCTS PROGRAM (ROUND IX) 8) JOBS/POSITIONS OPPORTUNITIES 9) UPCOMING MEETINGS +---------------------------------------------------------------------+ 1---------1---------1---------1---------1---------1---------1---------1---------1 NOTE FROM THE CHAIR Washington DC may be currently covered in snow, but warm fuzzies abound here as a 2014 budget has passed into law (more details in the note below from the Federal Relations Subcommittee). Take a deep breath, and think about our DPS community’s successes. We’ve secured $1.3 Billion dollars to do planetary exploration. Our missions are healthy: Cassini, Curiosity, MESSENGER, JUNO, and more. ESA’s ROSETTA mission successfully reawakened from hibernation, ready to go comet hunting. Europa got a big boost with the news from the Hubble Space Telescope hinting at tidally-driven water geysers. What have you done to share this news with your family, your community, your representatives in Washington? Drop me a line; I’d like to share some of your stories. Regarding NASA’s R&A reorganization, please communicate your thoughts with the members of the Planetary Science Subcommittee (PSS), as well as the members of the various assessment groups (OPAG, SBAG, VEXAG, MEPAG, LEAG, etc).
  • A New Era in Space THOM BAUR/REUTERS

    A New Era in Space THOM BAUR/REUTERS

    VOLUME 18 ISSUE 4 An Integrated Curriculum For The Washington Post Newspaper In Education Program A New Era in Space THOM BAUR/REUTERS ■ Post Reprint: “Five Myths About Space” ■ Post Opinion Reprint: “This is exactly the wrong time to retreat from space” ■ Post Opinion Reprint: “The mission to Mars is one stupid leap for mankind” ■ Student Activity: PRO-CON A Difference of Opinion ■ e-Replica: Explore e-Replica | Search and Monitor ■ Post Reprint: “Virgin Galactic craft crosses threshold of space” January 14, 2019 ©2019 THE WASHINGTON POST VOLUME 18 ISSUE 5 An Integrated Curriculum For The Washington Post Newspaper In Education Program Most agree that NASA should remain a viable U.S. agency. In October 1958 when it was established it “was built on the National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics (NACA) and other government organizations as the locus of U.S. civil aerospace research and development.” Project Mercury, an effort to learn if humans could survive in space was its first major program. Different Perspectives What now? Does NASA focus on the moon with a new Gateway or resumption of landings and lunar exploration? Does NASA continue to gather data on Mars and ready spacecraft for both unmanned and manned landings? Should it continue with space exploration like those accomplished by the Hubble telescope and New Horizons? In what ways will mankind and the blue planet benefit from the space explorations? Read and ponder the points of view. Debate and discuss. Which for you is the most fascinating and acceptable of the different perspectives? 2 January 14, 2019 ©2019 THE WASHINGTON POST VOLUME 18 ISSUE 5 An Integrated Curriculum For The Washington Post Newspaper In Education Program Myths About Space ● Originally Published on Dec.
  • Thursday, May 18, 2021 Dr. Robert Zubrin, AIAA Distinguished Lecturer Aerospace & Nuclear Engineer Mars Society Founder T

    Thursday, May 18, 2021 Dr. Robert Zubrin, AIAA Distinguished Lecturer Aerospace & Nuclear Engineer Mars Society Founder T

    AIAA Zoom Section Meeting Thursday, May 18, 2021 Dr. Robert Zubrin, AIAA Distinguished Lecturer Aerospace & Nuclear Engineer Mars Society Founder “Destination Mars: Human Mars Exploration & Colonization / Humans to the Red Planet within a Decade” Location: Zoom Meeting online RESERVATIONS REQUIRED Link will be sent to those who register RSVP BY May 17, 2021 [email protected] Time: 6:40 PM Social Time or (516) 458-8593 7:00 PM Presentation Cost: Free for Everyone In July 1989, on the 20th anniversary of the Apollo Moon landing, the first President Bush called for America to renew its pioneering push into space with the establishment of a permanent Lunar base and a series of human missions to Mars. While many have said that such an endeavor would be excessively costly and take many decades, a small team at Martin Marietta drew up a daring plan that could sharply cut costs and send a group of American astronauts to the Red Planet within ten years. The plan, known as “Mars Direct,” has attracted international attention and broad controversy, including coverage in such publications as Newsweek, Fortune, The Economist, Air and Space Smithsonian, the New York Times, the Wall Street Journal, the London Times, the Boston Globe and Izvestia. It has also been covered by the Discovery Channel, PBS, ABC, NBC, CBS, National Public Radio, and the BBC. Its principal author, Robert Zubrin, has presented it to such fora as the International Astronautical Federation congress in Germany, and the blue ribbon “Synthesis Group” headed by former Apollo astronaut General Thomas Stafford, the Augustine Committee, as well as to various government officials, including House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Senator John McCain, and NASA Administrators Dan Goldin, Mike Griffin, and Charles Bolden.