Broadcast 988 (Special Edition)

Guests: Dr. Robert Zubrin and Chris Carberry of The Mars Society were our guests today to discuss the upcoming Eleventh Annual Mars Society Conference to be held in Boulder, Colorado from August 14-17 (Please see www.marssociety.org/portal/c/Conventions/2008 for more details). Both Dr. Zubrin and Chris took us through the list of major speakers and programming and we elaborated on many, including the unusual religion and space panel which will be held on Saturday, August 16th. Also, we learned about the Private Options for Mars Missions and the Bored Billionaire's Guide to Spaceflight in 2018 program, also scheduled for Saturday afternoon. In talking about the VSE and going to Mars rather than the Moon, Bob pointed out how inspiring a Mars mission would be and what it would mean for spirit and mood of our nation and the world. We then got into linking the current energy costs and issues to space travel, specifically Mars, and this discussion is most important. Dr. Zubrin connects the dots to going to Mars by solving the energy problem and he states very clearly what the high cost of energy is doing to people around the world, not just in the US. We then talked about the Open Fuel Standards Act, which both presidential candidates seem to support, but will not endorse in the U.S. Senate. In fact, use the fax tool I talk about on each show and send your members of Congress and both candidates another message about why space is so important, why Mars is important, and then ask why they don't sponsor this Senate bill since they seem to support it in their campaign rhetoric. Listen to what Dr. Zubrin has to say about this and see what you think. He does explain some facts about the alcohol fuels for cars, flex engines, and again, he is excellent in connecting the dots to going to Mars and to developing space. Registration for this conference is online and it pays to be a member of The Mars Society. We also talked about the leadership of the Mars Society in fighting to save Hubble. This discussion took us into why it's important to be a member of a leading, visionary space organization because numbers do matter. See if you agree with this discussion. While The Space Show helps to spread the word and promote many important space conferences, this particular Mar Society conference comes at a time when space is extremely vulnerable to funding issues, hardware and technology issues, priority shifts, and more. Attending this conference makes the point that there are people concerned about these issues and they are willing to stand up and be counted despite hard times and maybe a public trend that does not clearly understand our focus, our passion, our facts, and the value of our vision for America and the free world. So be part of making all of this important. You can contact Chris Carberry, Executive Director of the Mars Society with your questions or comments at carberry@marssociety.org. If you have specific conference questions, you can also use info@marssociety.org. If you have a question for Dr. Zubrin, please send it to me at drspace@thespaceshow.com. Please remember that we all are accountable for the way we develop our space program. Don't expect others to do what you want, do it yourself and join forces with those on the front lines making it happen. The Mars Society is on the front lines, become part of the effort.