Jack Schmitt has resigned from The Planetary Society over their destinational dispute. As I noted the other day, to argue about destinations at all is to miss the point.
I agree with most of his points, other than the need for heavy lift. And I absolutely agree that making it an international venture would be the kiss of death, at least in terms of meeting schedules or making it affordable, other than setting up propellant depots that can take deliveries from a wide range of sources, including international and commercial. But the Mars hardware and expeditions should be national in nature. We need competition, not "cooperation."
While I welcome TPS, I stoped being a member because I couldn't support their constant liberal political agenda. Now Dr Schmitt has been exposed as an apostate to the TPS official religion of AGW.
Horrors!
Like many AGW hysteria skeptics, Freeman Dyson among them, I believe that there is a warming trend and that there is quite possibly a contribution from anthropic activities but many skeptics believe that said contribution is small and that massive societal efforts are better spent on other national and world problems. No sense in bankrupting world economies to mitigate a few tenths of a degree C over a generation.
I "resigned" from the Planetary Society, by not renewing, in the 90s because of lack of transparency and lack of any vison except "Sagan and buddies good, everyone else bad" that infected their POV.
Jack Scmitt is right that we need to go to the Moon to mine Helium-3 for our fusion reactors! I have a fusion reactor sitting in my back yard right now, and the only thing preventing me from cranking it up (and solving the global warming "problem") is a lack of Helium-3. Thank goodness that we have a guy as smart as him to speak truth to power...
I was a member of TPS in the 90s too. Let my membership lapse because I got tired of the "international brotherhood to space" horseshit. TPS tried that with the solar sail project. And that was a ringing success.
Bravo for Jack Schmitt.
I tend not to join organizations because it's hard for any group to have a focus that always aligns with your own.
My post today continues to swim the 'wrong' way from tranterrestrial waters. What can I do but be true to my own self?
Buzz, Jack and the rest will always be heroes. I just wish they had been joined by hundreds of others in the decades past.
"I tend not to join organizations because it's hard for any group to have a focus that always aligns with your own."
Agreed.
Still I want to go further than Rand Simberg; not only shouldn't it be international, it shouldn't even be national. Well "shouldn't" is the wrong word really, "won't be" sounds right. Companies made for the purpose and owned/controlled by the participants/customers sounds far better and more likely to manage the tasks.
At which point I've managed to somewhat contradict my earlier (and continued) agreement with Ken Anthony but that's how I am: self-contradictory ^_^
There was some talk earlier (this year?) of creating a holding company focused on investing in and funding private space companies and technologies, hopefully there's more to come from that? Does anyone know?
Back on topic apostasy is a badge of honor as long as it isn't apostasy for it's own sake.