Mars Direct, Robert Zubrin
Mars Direct, Robert Zubrin
1 Rating(s)
List: $3.98 | Sale: $2.79
$0.00 with Free Trial

Mars Direct
Space Exploration, the Red Planet, and the Human Future

Author: Robert Zubrin

Narrator: Erik Synnestvedt

Unabridged: 1 hr 27 min

Format: Digital Audiobook Download

Publisher: Ascent Audio

Published: 02/12/2013


Synopsis

The human race is at a crossroads. In the coming years, we will make decisions regarding our human spaceflight program that will lead to one of two familiar futures: the open universe of Star Trek, where we allow ourselves the opportunity to spread our wings and attempt to flourish as an interplanetary species—or the closed, dystopian, and ultimately self-destructive world of Soylent Green. If we ever hope to live in the future that is the former scenario, our first stepping stone must be a manned mission to Mars.
Dr. Robert Zubrin details the challenges of a manned Earth-to-Mars mission. Challenges which, according to Zubrin, we are technologically more prepared to overcome than the obstacles of the missions to the moon of the sixties and seventies. Dr. Zubrin’s relatively simple plan, called Mars Direct, could feasibly have humans on the surface of Mars within a decade. Zubrin also discusses the current predicament of NASA, the promise of privatized space flight from companies like SpaceX, and the larger implication behind the absolute necessity to open the final frontier to humanity—the human race’s future as a species that takes the necessary baby steps away from the cradle that is planet Earth or, ultimately, perishes here.

About Robert Zubrin

Robert Zubrin, formerly a senior engineer at Lockheed Martin, is the founder of Pioneer Astronautics, a space-exploration research and development firm. Currently president of the Mars Society, Dr. Zubrin lives with his family in Colorado.


Reviews

Goodreads review by Fraser

Almost a pamphlet - not really a book. Zurbin's "The Case For Mars" is fantastic, and I really think he should just have republished an expanded version of that book, instead of writing this. Some interesting facts: - The average sunlight received at the martian equator is about equivalent to that re......more

Goodreads review by Alex

This book suffers from being being entirely logical and thus utterly missing the point of why we have not gone to Mars nor are we ever going to Mars in my lifetime. It is because there is no political will to do so. Frankly there has always existed a lot of political will against space because there......more

Goodreads review by Carlos

This pamphlet brings a quick overview about the current possibilities to send crewed missions to mars with today's tech. I understand the frustrating history of lobbyists within many sectors, and how, in this case, they have delayed the future of space, potentially leaving many of us grounded from t......more

Goodreads review by Ryan

Great summary of two ideas. First, Zubrin's concept of a direct-to-mars-and-return mission. This is a minimal-cost mission, which before SpaceX, was anticipated to be about $10-15B. Now that the Falcon launch vehicles are proven, the cost and risk have fallen substantially, but the likely mission has......more

Goodreads review by Philip

If you haven't read The Case for Mars, read that first/instead. The only thing of substance that this work adds is some thoughts on using the SpaceX Falcon/Dragon combination in a mission configuration Zubrin calls Dragon Direct. The last part, entitled The Ultimate Stakes, feels completely out of p......more