Broadcast 2558 (Special Edition)

Guests: John Batchelor, Dr. Robert Zubrin, Dr. David Livingston. Topics: NASA's Road to Mars plans. You are invited to comment, ask questions, and discuss the Space Show program/guest(s) on the Space Show blog. Comments, questions, and any discussion must be relevant and applicable to Space Show programming. Written Transcripts of Space Show programs are not permitted without prior written consent from The Space Show (even if for personal use) & are a violation of the Space Show copyright. We do not permit the commercial use of any Space Show program or part thereof, nor do we permit Space Show programs to be edited, placed on YouTube, or other private channels & websites. Space Show programs can be quoted in news articles, papers, academic & research work but must be cited or referenced in the proper citation format. Contact Dr. Livingston for questions about our copyright and trademark policies which we do enforce. This program is archived on The Space Show website, podcasting, and blog sites with permission from John Batchelor. Please visit the John Batchelor Show website for more information about this fine program. Remember, your Amazon Purchases Can Help Support The Space Show/OGLF (www.onegiantleapfoundation.org/amazon.htm). For those of you listening to archives on live365.com & rating the programs, please email me the reasons for your rating. This will definitely help improve Space Show programming. Thank you. Please note that audio and transition issues are a result of copying the John Batchelor broadcast & are not within my control as they originate in the Batchelor studio. John Batchelor and I welcomed Dr. Robert (Bob) Zubrin to the program to discuss the NASA Road to Mars per the Evolvable Mars Campaign: Status Update as published Sept. 22, 2015 by NASA Spaceflight.com at www.nasaspaceflight.com/2015/09/sls-manifest-phobos-mars-2039. John and I asked Bob about parts of the plan including 41 SLS launches, cislunar development missions, a mission to Phobos and then finally in 2039 a Mars surface landing. Bob was highly critical of all stages of the plan. He also said it was the subject of a big debate at the recent Mars Society Conference. You can see the debate Dr. Zubrin referenced at www.youtube.com/watch?v=Oo4-ros2yEk&list=PLn0lnGc1SaimPHpRoH0XlwiCih-jY…. Bob called the NASA plan absurd, was highly critical of plans to go to Phobos saying the science was at Mars, not on Phobos, plus he described orbital challenges and difficulties created by going to Phobos. Several times he said the plan was nothing more than a way to spend money on NASA projects. Near the end of the segment I asked Bob about the plan being sustainable and also leading to the settlement of Mars. You can imagine his response to my questions. In summary, he said a humans to Mars mission needs to be done from start to finish within the two terms of a president, not spread out over 25 years as is the case with the NASA Road to Mars program. Please post your comments/questions on The Space Show blog above. You can email Mr. Batchelor or Dr. Robert Zubrin through me at drspace@thespaceshow.com. Dr. Zubrin can also be reached through The Mars Society website, www.marssociety.org.