'Martian Chronicles' author praises U.S. Mars effort (Ray Bradbury)

AP ^ | 2.15.04

[ambrose]

Author Ray Bradbury, who wrote the science fiction classic "The Martian Chronicles," says President Bush's announcement that he wants the United States to put an astronaut on Mars could have tremendous consequences centuries from now.

Space exploration could open new worlds, just as European exploration 500 years ago led to the creation of the United States, Bradbury said.

[ambrose]

ping.

[weegee]

Space exploration could open new worlds, just as European exploration 500 years ago led to the creation of the United States, Bradbury said.

This really gets the Bush Haters goat. They know that just as Queen Isabella is still "known" today, President Bush's name will be recorded for history for this if nothing else.

[Ophiucus]

"We're going to go with real people and land on Mars in the next 20 years and I'm going to be buried in a tomato soup can on Mars," joked Bradbury, who is 83. "I'll be the first one up there"

That would be pretty cool if his ashes made it to Mars.

[what's up]

Isn't Bradbury the one who called Clinton a Sh*thead?

That alone made me go out and buy "The Martian Chronicles".

[oyez]

I thought Ray Bradbury had loosed his earthly bounds years ago.

[RightWingAtheist]

Bradbury has gone through some tough times over the past year, recovering from a stroke only to have his beloved wife of more than sixty years die just a few months ago. Considering all this, it's astonishing to see that his optimism and intellect are still as great as they have ever been.

[fuzlim]

I am a huge fan of Ray Bradbury. When I was young I read pretty much everything he wrote, and always found him to be creative and stimulating.

However, the comparison Bradbury makes between going to Mars and discovering America is just not valid.

First off, when Europeans discovered America there was already people living there. Food, water, and other necessities of life were all freely available.

The Europeans didn't have to discover for themselves what was edible, what was poison, what animals were dangerous, etc., etc., etc.

While the idea of humanity in space is a challenging one, the practical reality is no necessities of life exist in space. Every bit of food and water for a minimum 16 month journey to Mars has to come from earth.

All the fuel necessary for a return to earth must be taken as well. Mars gravity is about 65% of earth, so the size of tank required to hold the return fuel would be say half the size of the external tank you see on the space shuttle.

Perhaps it's possible to set up a moon base and transport the necessary stuff that far piecemeal, assemble it on the moon, then go from there. Even for a space lover like myself this seems a bit of a stretch.

This journey also requires a soft landing on Mars. The Rover missions were small enough to be wrapped in balloons and bounced down on the surface, but of course there is no need to bring them back to earth.

So, while I admire Ray Bradbury, and his intellect and spirit, I believe the manned Mars mission is misguided.

For the same amount of money hundreds of unmanned missions can be sent to Mars, other planets, and other solar systems.

For that matter, we know more about outer space than we do about earth's oceans, yet our survival depends on those oceans.