If you think about Ed's logic you will find it disturbing (I hope). The Mars Society and everyone else interested in human exploration of Mars aren't doing sicence! BTW, this seems to exclude Nick Hoffman and anyone EP agrees with... Why we aren't doing science we don't know! He just claims this without support of any kind! I would hope I've provided ample proof we are doing science for any rational person. But nope, we are a "cargo cult" to him! I don't think he has a clue what a "cargo cult" is other than by popular misconception give by the media (I'm not going to get into that ball of yarn).

Anyway here is a link to Stephen P. Braham's CV one of those Mars Nuts with a Ph D after his name...

A few key selections from Braham's Curriculum Vitae:

Postgraduate Degree: PhD in Physics (awarded May 1990).
Place: Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA.
Visiting graduate student: Theoretical Physics Institute, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada (September 1989-December 1989).
Advisor: Professor Don N. Page.
Thesis title: "Quantum cosmology for spacetimes with a two-dimensional isometry group.''

Head, Vancouver Chapter, Canadian Mars Society.

Head, Technology Task Force, International Mars Society.

Member of CECM steering committee, and CECM permanent member.

Member of local organizing committee for The Sixth Canadian Conference on General Relativity and Relativistic Astrophysics, October 1994-present.

Research Interests

My research covers many areas. I believe strongly in the inter-relation of the various fields in science, engineering and the arts. I endeavour to use my talents to work on whatever problems I find interesting, but can also help our society, whether it is helping schools use networking technology, or helping get mankind to Mars. One cannot help but notice that my research is intertwined with computing and netwok technology. I firmly believe that this is how it should be. Computers give us deep insight into complicated issues, and then allow us to communicate the results that flow from that insight...