Guest: Dr. Doug Plata; Topics: Doug's list of 15 space advocate heresies plus news of his University of Arizona Tucson projects.
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We welcomed back Dr. Doug Plata for this two segment one hour 48 minute program which focused on Doug's 15 space advocate heresies as listed below. Note that he did not prioritize his list. The list is also posted on the blog for this show.
- BFS might not work out.
- SLS not all bad.
- Gateway may have a role.
- Government has a role.
- The Moon not necessary before going to Mars.
- Lunar polar ice not necessary before going to the Moon.
- Lunar polar ice not necessary to go to Mars.
- Lunar polar ice may not be economically viable.
- "Mining" the Moon is probably a bad idea.
- Commercial space is a distraction.
- Cislunar economy not the key to space development.
- No need for depots anywhere in cislunar space.
- Mars may not be inhabitable.
- Settlement may not work on the Moon.
- Elon has it wrong re: settlement.
Doug spent most of the program going through each list item in detail though some items on the list got more attention than others. He did receive listener email questions regarding some of the items. Only one listener phone call came in which was early in the second segment. The caller was SLS John from Ft. Worth.
In talking about each item on the list, Doug provided us with a thorough explanation as to why he listed the item as a space advocate heresy. Rather than summarize his explanation per item, I urge you to listen to the discussion. Keep in mind, Doug wants feedback, even if challenging feedback from those that might disagree with him on an item or the entire list. For example, come of you may find his commercial space commentary unacceptable while others might not like what he had to say about Mars and Elon's Mars settlement plans based on what we know so far.
In the second segment, we finished the list by discussing the last few items plus we took a call from John in Ft. Worth. John wanted to talk about ice harvesting, telerobotics and our technology. Before he completed his call, Doug asked him for his comments regarding what Doug had to say back in the first segment regarding SLS not being that bad. Keep in mind that SLS John has been saying something similar for years, that is until there is a proven alternative option, we should not get rid of SLS as it may prove to be the only viable option and we need heavy lift. Don't miss what both Doug and John had to say about SLS.
Before the program ended, Doug told us what he was doing in Tucson and his advocacy efforts with the UofA (my alma mater by the way). Don't miss what Doug had to say about UofA space facilities and the space culture plus his interest and efforts in developing a Moon-Mars Analog Base. Before signing off, Dallas and other listeners asked him about his website that he referred to during the program, www.developspace.info. This site was the subject of Doug's last program late last year. This time around, Doug directed us to check out www.developspace.info/sites and also www.developspace.info/sitelist. Doug briefly explained and summarized each site but if you want the details, please refer back to his Nov. 27, 2018 program at https://www.thespaceshow.com/show/27-nov-2018/broadcast-3227-dr.-doug-plata.
Please post your comments/questions on our blog for this show. Doug can be reached through me or his websites.
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