Bob Zimmerman says it’s time for it to die.
Yes, the bureaucrats are pretending that it’s a required part of returning to the moon when, as Bob Zubrin has pointed out it’s a toll booth at best, and a likely roadblock, and there has been no public debate about its necessity.
Eric Berger has gotten a copy of the plan.
It only looks ambitious in comparison to previous plans, not to serious plans. At best, it’s Apollo on steroids. And as he notes, there is no budget, either stated or actual.
Steve Wolfe has been working on putting this together, in conjunction with the ISDC in a couple weeks. I’ll be doing a presentation there on space property rights for settlers.
A few months ago, I asked him to be on my advisory board for my new company. He thanked me for the offer, but told me he had to decline because there was a potential conflict of interest. But today he announced that he is going to be heading up a much more important advisory council. I think it’s a great choice.
Thoughts on Musk and Bezos from Peter Diamandis.
More thoughts, on science fiction versus science fact, from The Economist‘s Oliver Morton.
SpaceX is having an internal competition.
Make it a one-way trip.
So, how much does that change requirements? It means no need for ascent on the lander, or entry from TEI. It’s probably a Falcon Heavy mission. We eliminate the initial need for a suit, too. Hardest part would be how to resupply without EVA capability.
Could NASA do it? Probably not, politically, but a private expedition could.
There’s an article at Popular Mechanics, but the picture it has of Gerard O’Neill isn’t. Not positive, but I’m pretty sure it’s Brian O’Leary.