EP,

Appreciate your concerns and advice, but what it really boils down to is I don't like hucksters. That is what I see going on here. Also this place is good for a cheap laugh. I don't any lose sleep over this stuff.

However, there are innocent people out there being influenced by "Commander Benny Hinn's media blitzkrieg" trying to sway them into thinking this Mars Society habitat crap is real research. It's not real research and honest reporters should start talking about it before real Mars research is looked upon in the same vein. Honest scientists should avoid trying to smooze with this stuff lest it reflects on their work in the future. How does it look to have "Mars Utah Astronaut" in your resume? Kinda like admitting you won "the all I can eat doughnut contest."

As I told Vancil and others on this bbs..if the Mars Utah Habitat is such a big simulation plus -- then why not build one for each planet? You could have the Mercury Habitat in some sunny location in Bermuda (interested scientists could take their vacations there); you could have a Jupiter and Saturn habitat (situtate these habitats near chemical factories and their emissions for added realism); and finally the cold Pluto habitat. You could simulate the cold atmosphere of Pluto by having the canvas clad spacement going in and out of a refrigerator for several hours at a time. Of course all this requires buying more Mars Society products and books and much more canvas and duck tape.

:-)

BD