The Seattle Post-Intelligencer talks to Robert Zubrin on the occasion of the recent Mars Society Conference and takes a look at the public's current support for Mars exploration:
"I see the space program floundering," said Zubrin. "It hasn't had a goal since Apollo." He's heard all the arguments against manned missions to Mars -- the folly, the cost, the risk to human life. He is undeterred."Human space flights have risks," he said. "We will encounter losses. But humans to Mars -- that's worth the risk."
Oddly charismatic, Zubrin has already drawn thousands into his orbit. They include astronauts and janitors, engineers and ministers. Moon walker Buzz Aldrin is a member. So is "Titanic" director James Cameron. It's a sometimes combustible mix, but that's what fuels the dream.
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