Space/Science — HabitableZone

Space/Science » in reply to ***As moderator, I have to ask you two a question***

Mars Cult
Spacegirl2100 — (archived)

The Mars Cult got started about 20 years ago at the University of Colorado. Its built around a mostly male fantasy that Mars is some kind of new Utopia for humanity to evolve to. The best example of this are the Kim Stanley Robinson novels "Red Mars", "Green Mars" and "Blue Mars".

The Mars cultists made some converts in high places with the result that they have sabotaged most of NASA attempts to get beyond LEO in the last 20 years with sticker shock. The rest of the space advocate community have basically become fed up with the Mars Cultists which is why Mars is only a goal for VSE beyond the Moon. The Mars Cultists are now doing everything they are able to twist VSE to be a Mars only goal. If they succeed they will probably destroy any chance NASA of going beyond LEO for generations which is why most of the space advocate community now opposes them.

BTW The real break came about 3 years ago when Zubrin sabotaged the Space Settlements Summit when he refused to support any goal except Mars Direct as a national space goal. As a result the various space advocates organizations were not able to agree on a mutual goal for opening space with Zubrin basically destroying any chance of the various space advocates to work together for mutual benefit, presenting a single strong voice to Congress on space issues. As a result of this fanaticism (Mars at any cost!) most space advocates have learned to hate Zubrin and his Mars Cultists.

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