A PERPETUAL FRONTIER

Dr. Robert Zubrin, in his article "A New Martian Frontier: Recapturing the Soul of America'' published in American Civilization, Janu-ary 1995, p 1, 22-23 available from American Civilization, 1250 H Street, N.W., Suite 550, Washington, DC 20005, has written the most perceptive, moving, and well-reasoned discussion of the merits of immediate manned exploration of Mars that I have ever been privileged to read. Combined with the specific Mars exploration engineering proposals developed by Zubrin and his co-workers, this discussion leads to the conclusion that manned settlement of Mars must be one of the highest priorities of our civilization.

Zubrin begins by quoting a statement by Fredrick Jackson Turner in 1893 that summarizes the thesis of his article: "To the frontier the American intellect owes its striking characteristics. That coarseness of strength combined with acuteness and inquisitiveness; that practical, inventive turn of mind, quick to find expedients; that masterful grasp of material things, lacking in the artistic but powerful to effect great ends; that restless, nervous energy; that dominant individualism, working for good and evil, and withal that buoyancy and exuberance that comes from freedom - these are the traits of the frontier, or traits called out of elsewhere because of the existence of the frontier.'' To this, in an extraordinary text, Zubrin himself adds, "Free societies are the exception in human history - they have only existed during the four centuries of frontier expansion of the West. That history is now over. ....... The key is not to let the process stop. If it is allowed to stop for any length of time, society will crystallize into a static form that is inimical to the resumption of progress. ....... Mars will not allow itself to be settled by people from a static society - those people won't have what it takes. We still do. Mars waits today for the children of the old frontier, but Mars will not wait forever.'' I wrote the editorial on page 1 before reading Dr. Zubrin's articles. The general idea is similar, but his is positive rather than negative and is far more elegantly presented. America is stagnating, and her people are turning inward and against science and technology - turning even against truth, reason, freedom, and the great potential of the human spirit. Mars, the solar system, and beyond present themselves as a perpetual frontier that can reverse and prevent this stagnation.

Is this dream science fiction? Is it the $400 billion, 30-year welfare program for a generation of bureaucrats - with a goal of only 30 days on Mars - that has been proposed by NASA? It is neither.

Zubrin proposes a ten-year, $40 billion program with two trips to Mars - each involving a 500-day stay and the exploration of hundreds of thousands of square miles of Martian land. Subsequent yearly expeditions would set up permanent colonies and begin a project to transform the Martian atmosphere and colonize the entire planet. Since both have $40 billion price tags, which do we prefer - three years on Mars or the bailout of the moguls who invested imprudently in Mexico?

Overviews of the proposals by Zubrin and his colleagues are presented in "Mars Direct'' by Lance Frazer in Air and Space, April/May 1994, pp 60-65 and in "Humans to Mars in 1999'' by Robert Zubrin and David Baker in Aerospace America , August 1990, pp 30-32, 41.

These proposals are based upon the use of nuclear power plants to transform the water, carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and other compounds and elements on Mars into rocket fuel, fertilizer, and other materials necessary for a technological civilization. This minimizes the materials that would need to be imported from Earth. The initial flights use hydrogen imported from Earth and Martian carbon dioxide to manufacture rocket fuel. Each group of men is preceded by an unmanned flight that establishes a nuclear powered base and synthesizes the necessary fuel for their return trip.

This entire proposal is based upon already existing technology. $40 billion is ten days of current U. S. government expenditures. Would it not be better to use private enterprise? Of course it would. Moreover, if Mars is colonized, the job will surely not be done by bureaucrats. The national defense benefits of this project alone, however, easily justify funding the initial flights from the Department of Defense.

Two arguments that have been made against this proposal deserve special mention. Firstly, it is said that the project for the first flights should be drawn out over several decades. Secondly, it is said that unmanned rather than manned flights should be used. Both are proposed as "cost saving'' proposals.

It must be remembered, however, that it is men who must pay the bills for this effort, and it is men whose spirits must be inspired by this outward reach of civilization. There is little inspiration in a project that crawls along for 30 years, and there is little vicarious joy for most nontechnical people in the deployment of robots.

President Kennedy was right about the "New Frontier'' of space. Since 1970, however, America has lost her way to this frontier. Robert Zubrin and others, such as Lowell Wood, who want to go to Mars now may succeed in showing us the way back.

•	Science, Technology, and Defense
•	*A PERPETUAL FRONTIER*
•	AN UNUSUAL OPPORTUNITY
•	GROWING FUEL
•	ATMOSPHERIC OZONE AND TEMPERATURE
•	DEATH OF A HYPOTHESIS
•	THE COST OF LOST TECHNOLOGY
•	STARK RAVING MAD
•	GOOD READING

Vol. 22, No. 8

Newsletter: Access to Energy Newsletter Archive
Volume: Issues
Issue/No.: Vol. 22, No. 8

Date: April 01, 1995 04:04 PM
Title: Science, Technology, and Defense