The Plan to Settle the Red Planet and Why We Must

This book is very good; everything is laid out in a good, logical fashion & everything is thoroughly explained. The book is completely convincing that a cheap, efficient Mars program is entirely possible right now.
It is because of this that reading the book is very frustrating. Why frustrating? Because while reading the book, one realizes that the only thing keeping humanity from colonizing Mars is ignorance, political wrangling, and public apathy.
Incidentally, the book that got me interested in Mars was the Mars trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson. The books present everything in a very good, scientifically sound form, and are overall excellent reads, and are recommended. However: the books do not serve the Mars Direct cause very well, because they incorporate the very inefficient methods that Zubrin hopes to do away with in his book.

Kiddies, put your sci fi books away. This is not your parent's Mars.
In this deep and enthralling book, Robert Zubrin lays out, point by point, his method of madness for traversing the intergalactic distances and heading to Mars. Using his Mars Direct plan, we seen a plausible situation in which we could take Mars within the next decade, and begin pushing our boundaries to the so called "final frontier."
Not only does he provide the means on a very achievable time table, he also makes arguments against the so called "dragons" on the way to Mars, namely the threats of solar radiation and other such impacts. Yet, the effect of these are so negligible on the overall mission, Zubrin has us believe that yes, Mars is attainable in our generation.
After we get there, however, Zubrin takes another ambitious step towards the future: terraforming. He sees Mars as an ecological playground. one that we can change and make habitable for the expansion of earth.
All in all, this book is the Mars Bible for the era. It shows us the most sound way to get across the vast distance, stay on the surface, and return safely, while maximizing our scientific payout for the mission. Hopefully, one day we can realize Robert Zubrin's dream and land on Mars within the next decade.

I have been interested in the space program for years, and after several years of wondering if Mars would ever be within human reach, I am thoroughly convinced. Contrary to readers who apparently skimmed the book, Zubrin does indicate a variety of launch vehicles, including the Saturn V but also a number of Russian and recent American developments. He also calculates the costs of restarting the Saturn V program and figures them into his equations. He gives weight to monetary concerns that NASA officials seem to have neglected, concerns that deter some politicians and solutions that could make believers of them.
His reasons for going to Mars also make sense. One element, found in five times the abundance on Mars as on Earth, sells on the free market at thousands of US dollars to the kilo. Scientific research is also a benefit, and the discovery of possible Martian life would provide insights into what genetic elements are universal to all life, and which are native to Terra Prima. The medical implications for the global community are staggering.
And contrary to belief, the discovery of life off of the Earth does not discount religion, it is simply a blow to certain, and then only some, Creationists. As a religious person, a born-again Christian, in fact, I would not find the implications of alien life deterring, but exciting, and possibly, should there be intelligent life, an opportunity for evangelism. The religious argument is without merit.
The book is wholly inspiring, and the Mars Direct and Mars Semi-Direct programs needs to be heard in the halls of Congress. An excellent read.

Robert Zubrin combines genuine enthusiasm for space exploration with the levelheaded pragmatism you want in an engineer (which he is). That second quality is essential, as skeptical readers may find themselves shaking their heads at the matter-of-fact way in which Zubrin dispels objections to going to Mars. He makes the journey sound not only easy but logical and inspiring. The book has just two minor weaknesses: First, Zubrin can seem partisan - arguing not just for Mars but against alternative projects, like lunar exploration. Second, occasionally he goes into more detail than really necessary. For instance, plans to name Martian months seem premature, albeit interesting. getAbstract recommends his fascinating book to skeptics who don't see why society should bother with space, to those old enough to remember the glory days of the "Apollo" missions, and to anyone interested in bold scientific exploration. This is a trip you can take.

Hmmm... this is a difficult one to review.
This book is basically an advertisement for the author's "Mars Direct" scheme for manned mars missions.
On the one hand I laud Zubrin for all the time and effort he has placed into thinking up his "Mars Direct" plan for manned mars missions. The idea is certainly appealing and contians much that had never been presented before. Most interesting is his idea to live off of the land to minimize the need for bringing unneeded supplies and fuel.
On the other hand, it is apparent on first inspection that there are no shortage of technical shortcomings for the Mars Direct plan despite it's advantages. Much (if not all) of the hardware that would be required for Zubrin's plan does not exist today or exits in a format that is so far from practical application that for all intents and purposes it cannot yet be applied to this idea. Zubrin seems to assume that everything will work smoothly and that one mission will just flow smoothly into another. Both the US and Soviet space programs have clearly shown that hardware mishaps occur, usually with disastrous results. Zubrin's dependence on unmanned vehicles to go on ahead in advance and land safely as well as on target time after time is very unrealistic. If these unmanned vehicles malfunctioned or crashed everything is on hold for months or years until the problem can be fixed. The text does not even mention possible problems with the Mars Direct approach, a serious editorial oversight.
I don't mean to throw out the baby with the bathwater. Zubrin means well, and if more of us gave this problem the amount of effort he has, we would have been on mars 20 years ago. Read this book for it's novel ideas, but don't buy into them hook, line, and sinker.

In his excellent "The Case for Mars", Robert Zubrin makes a thorough, thoughtful argument about the need for the exploration of Mars. In a very well rounded, easy to read work, he lays out both the scientific and humanistic reasons for a trip to the Red Planet. While his science is excellent (he is a former Lockheed engineer), what is most compelling about this book is what Zubrin sees as the primary reason for Mars exploration: it is there. He correctly asserts that humans are at their most creative and productive when they pit themselves against a major challenge. He sees the exploration and colonization of Mars as a means of injecting the human race with fresh vitality and drive. After reading this excellent book, I'm inclined to agree.

Robert Zubrin is a long-time advocate of space colonization and a former CEO of the National Space Society. He knows what he's talking about. "The Case for Mars" sets out the technological, economic, and -- most intriguingly -- political reasons for expanding human civilization off this planet. Zubrin's plans for terraforming Mars into a near-earthlike climate are the part of the book that has gotten the most attention. But his political rationale for Mars settlement -- that ultimately, freedom requires a frontier and the values that a frontier cultivates -- are the most inspirational part of the book from my perspective. An absolute must-read for space, or freedom, enthusiasts.

This grabbed my eye one day in a Boulder bookstore, I read a few pages and was immediately hooked. I've read like 15 Mars-related books since then and the end is not in sight. A stellar discourse on how feasible Martian exploration really is, A Case for Mars is well-researched and incredibly thorough. Perhaps its only drawback is how thorough it is at points. The ideas are truly fascinating to think about, but when he goes over the various chemical reactions and prices and energy requirements for various fuels and such, it starts getting a little confusing. For the most part, I imagine that this would be understandable even to those with a basic science background, but parts of it are pretty intense. This should be required reading for any space-related curriculum and I wish more people in Congress had read this, maybe we'd be working toward Mars now, rather than watching crystals grow in Earth orbit. Let's go to Mars!

Zubrin's Mars Direct plan offers the most realistic option for sending a manned mission to Mars. But he's not a short-term thinker; much of the book deals with his ideas of Mars colonization and the eventual terraformation of the planet. Although much of it may be overly optimistic, there are no proposals which seem impossible; everything Zubrin discusses in this could, in theory, be done. Some of the best writing within the book deals not with the technical aspects of sending a mission to Mars, but Zubrin's heartfelt reasons for WHY such a mission should be sent in the first place. I recommend this book to anyone.

Great Read. Dr. Zubrin is a true scientist and engineer and knows his subject. I read the book with breathless attention all through the night. Kept me up all night. Dr. Zubrin describes how to get there, who should go, how to "live off the land" when on Mars, and why Mars is so special and different than any other planet.
The first half of the book is a must read for any space enthusiast. The Space Shuttle, Space Station are earth orbits, non-exploration projects. We have not gone any further since Apollo 11 . Who gets excited about circulating around the Earth studying MicroGravity.
There are bigger fishes. Dr. Zubrin explains why Mars and only Mars has potential to have harbored life and may in the far future offer a second home for mankind. Dr. Zubrin goes into technical details in book.
However, Dr Zubrin like all smart scientist and engineers, they need to deal with lowly things like politics and economics. Economics is reason we are not going to Mars. The Cold War sent us to the moon because we did not want to sleep under a "Communist Moon" Dr. Zubrin, all space enthusiast out there, need an economics reason. The Cold War is over. Emotional arguments like, exploration, knowledge and curiosity does not cut it anymore.
In the 21st. century we will only go to Mars for one simple reason: Economics. We need a economic way to go there. Estimates range from $500 billion to $30 Billion. Range is too wide. What the hell are we going to do there besides kicking rocks and taking pictures. Are there mineral deposits we can bring back. Dr Zubrin was on the radio recently. All the callers "Joe Six Pack" are asking "what for me". Fortunately or Unfortunately, if we are able to answer this question to the public: we will then have a Missions to Mars. Science is great for Einstein and fellow scientist. The man, woman, child on the street wants to know "whats for me". If Dr. Zubrin can answer this question, we will go to Mars.

well, besides colonization... just listening to Dr. Zubrin discuss with such determined enthusiasm, sophisticated critical assessment and distinct priorities provides a substantially more elaborate justification for Mars Direct... The MA365 Project will yield the most interesting viability aspects to date, so stay tuned for Part Deux beginning Summer 2014... Occupy Mars!! and oh yes check out MARS PIRATE RADIO....

The Case for Mars describes a way to send explorers and settlers to mars, an explanation of how colonization would work and an argument for why we should do both.

Robert Zubrin is an Aeronautical engineer who has worked on space projects. The Case for Mars has sufficient technical detail to make his arguments persuasive. The technical topics are well explained with out being overwhelming or tedious for a non-technical audience, like myself. There are notes at the end of some chapters that go into greater detail.

In the Case for Mars Zubrin explains his "Mars Direct" plan for piloted flights to Mars. Mars Direct was created in response to NASA's "90 day plan" for going to Mars. NASA's plan required building space stations and lots of research on novel engineering solutions. It would have been extremely expensive. The 90 day plan was the product of a bureaucracy that was trying to fund as many of its' existing projects as possible. Zubrin and his colleagues created the Mars Direct plan to use current technology to get astronauts to Mars safely, quickly and cheaply.

The first part of The Case for Mars explains how the Mars Direct plan would work, and why it is feasible. This is the best part of the book. It is interesting and detailed, but readable and persuasive.

Zubrin then goes on to explain how Mars would be colonized. The technical aspects of the explanation seem plausible to me. When he starts to describe how Mars colonies would be financially viable and independent he went off the tracks. The arguments involved a lot of hand waving and were no longer persuasive.

The end of the book is a polemic about the importance of having a frontier to the health of society. The reader gets a capsule history that seeks to demonstrate that all societies rot if they do not have a frontier.

I wish the space cadets would leave the business plans, sociology and political polemics to others. They should concentrate on topics they actually know something about.

The Case for Mars offers a clear convincing argument in favor of the Mars Direct plan for exploring mars. The rest of the book is annoying.

The past generation has responded to the mounting pressures of overpopulation, global warming ('98 has been the hottest year in recorded history), nuclear and biological catastrophe, pollution, and plant and animal extinction with a succession of spirited movements that call for the reduction of carbon monoxide emissions, billions of dollars towards AIDS research, and saving a number of endangered species ranging from whales, spotted owls to crustaceans (yes, there is a Hollywood group committed to saving the lobster).
Regardless of the effectiveness of any of these strategies, one thing remains certain: sooner or later, if humanity is to perpetuate itself, it must one day leave this planet and become extra-terrestrial. But we have only a limited window. Pessimists have concluded that the earth has never been visited from outer space because no civilization has yet to survive its own technology. This could be our fate.
However, through the creation of a m! ulti-planet species, Robert Zubrin's plan to colonize Mars is the best chance humankind has right now to insure its perpetuity. The stakes are huge. Humans may be destined to know the farthest reaches of the universe and in the process become something more than man, perhaps a kind of superman. Or we may simply become curious fossils for the next higher being that manages to evolve from mud, slime, and radiation resistant cockroaches.
Given the context of our current situation and the technology we now possess (your home PC is about as powerful as the ones that directed Apollo), and the proxiamity of a cool, Red Planet just three to six months away, I can't for the life of me understand why Mars colonization is not at the top of the global political agenda...except for its implausibility.
Computational studies by Chris McKay and Zubrin demonstrate that a small but sustained rise in temperature at the Martian south pole - 4 C - can initiate a runaway greenho! use effect that will melt the ice cap. The Red Planet woul! d soon be awash with oceans and riverbeds.
The Case for Mars is pregnant with possibility. This book should be on the desk of every congressman, senator, CEO, and celebrity.--James Pruett

While I don't have any problem with the technical aspects of the proposal to go to Mars, Zubrin's justifications for doing so are just plain wrong. Over and over the author states that locating life on Mars will answer fundamental questions of the life in the rest of the galaxy, the commonality of developing life. That assumption is utterly false. Even if/when we do find life (past or present) on Mars, it ONLY tells us one thing, ie that Mars has (or had) life.

There has been active hunting for fossilized life on Mars by examining rocks that had been blasted off of Mars' surface by meteor strikes and transplanted to Earth. Who is to say life that originated on Earth hasn't been transferred to Mars in the same way? How much material was blasted into space by the meteor strike of the KT boundary? Could microbes inside rocks been transplanted to Mars? The ASSUMPTION that if life is found on Mars is found it proves a 2nd Genesis is just wishful thinking. Zubrin totally ignores other explanations for that life.

While I agree that NASA needs direction, I totally disagree that the direction should be a manned mission to Mars. It is pointless at this stage of our civilization. We need a permanently manned moon base with manufacturing capabilities to produce equipment and fuel from the moon to overcome the high cost of getting things out of Earth's gravity well. Why would we use mass fuel to escape Earth's gravity well, go across the solar system to drop back down into another steep gravity well? We need to work on being able to build in space with materials mined from the moon or asteroids. Even if we do go to Mars, it should be to set up another base on one of Mars' moons as a refueling station for access to the asteroid belt and/or mining that moon for an orbital station above Mars. Mars would still be useful for aerobraking for a docking with that refueling stop. Then and only then would it be useful to actually land people on Mars that could be supported by the orbital infrastructure. All they would need is a lander and return vehicle.

The entire 'go to Mars' mania is for a flag planting photo op and bragging rights.

By the time we have the ability to terraform Mars, we will already have a space based civilization without the need for planets. So we can forget the argument about needing a second planet to plant humans on since we will have spread out building habitats all over the system on small moons and asteroids.

Memories:
Canaveral, freeze dried ice cream, liftoff thunder, Flash Gordon, model rockets, Star Trek, Battlestar Gallactica, Buck Rogers, Erwin Allen, telescope in the back yard, cold winter nights, shooting stars, "Dad, can I be an astronaut?" "Sure son, you can be anything you want to be", Star Wars, 2001, black holes, worm holes, gateways to another univers, comets, "Zur and the Kodan Armada", countless books, "Hey, put the highbeams on, then the snow looks like Warp Speed!", Robotech, Star Blazers, "It would be an awful wast of space...", Skylab, Apollo, Gemini, Mercury, "one giant leap"
John F. Kennedy: "We choose to go to the moon... We choose to go to the moon in this decade, and do all other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard"
Optimism.
And now...:
Over budget, "cheaper to send probes", unaware public, unsupportive public majority, humankind left! the moon at 22:54:37 GMT on December 14, 1972 and did not return. Twenty six years. Rusting launch pads, rundown towns from the space age, all our eggs in one Shuttle, the vision seems to be gone. If we don't get of this planet we're going to use it up.
"We have stopped looking for tomorrow's scientists. We have stopped listening to tomorrow's dreamers."
Stagnation.
Dreams for the future:
"Second star to the right and straight on till morning", freefall, flying, mankind among the stars, to expand our mind, to expand our knowledge, to go where no one has gone before. To stand on the moon and look back at the Earth and say "This is where I come from." Then, to turn around and face the galaxy and say, "This is where I'm going." To get back the dream.
"I want to go." "When you feel it's time to go, go somewhere intresting."
I am a dreamer.

I was frustrated and burned out running a bookstore when I read through this book in less than two days. Right then and there I decided to change careers with the sole purpose of getting humanity to Mars. Now I work in technology and am learning whatever I can to help get us to Mars, not a flag-and-footprints mission like we did for the moon, but a permanent branch of humanity. NASA would have us go slow and leave it to the hands of the "experts," where Zubrin argues that if experts were in charge of Earth colonization we would all still be feeding off each other in Europe.
The science aspects interested me less than the Vision Thing, the idea that we are entering a Golden Age for the Earth at large, in which the problems are solved, the borders are thrown down, and we gradually withdraw into ourselves into decay. The same has happened to Rome and Greece and every other "world"-conquering nation. The day the last challenge was met was the beginning of the end.
We need a Frontier! The challenges of the Frontier will push us, drive us, force us to break stagnate molds and outdated methods. The Earth has run out of frontiers -- Mars beckons!

I have nothing but praise for this book. Being an avid amateur astronomer, with a keen general interest in the planets of the Solar System, the stars and galaxies and all other interstellar material, but with a specific interest in the Moon and Mars, this book was a natural choice for me. It tackles the case for Mars from all angles, with a seemingly inexhaustible wealth of information presented in a most readable manner. After the colonisation of the New World, I see Mars as Man's next frontier. A magnificent book and one that I shall go back to many times as knowledge of the planet is developed by future missions, leading ultimately to Man's settlement there.

I was frustrated and burned out running a bookstore when I read through this book in less than two days. Right then and there I decided to change careers with the sole purpose of getting humanity to Mars. Now I work in technology and am learning whatever I can to help get us to Mars, not a flag-and-footprints mission like we did for the moon, but a permanent branch of humanity. NASA would have us go slow and leave it to the hands of the "experts," where Zubrin argues that if experts were in charge of Earth colonization we would all still be feeding off each other in Europe.
The science aspects interested me less than the Vision Thing, the idea that we are entering a Golden Age for the Earth at large, in which the problems are solved, the borders are thrown down, and we gradually withdraw into ourselves into decay. The same has happened to Rome and Greece and every other "world"-conquering nation. The day the last challenge was met was the beginning of the end.
We need a Frontier! The challenges of the Frontier will push us, drive us, force us to break stagnate molds and outdated methods. The Earth has run out of frontiers -- Mars beckons!

I have nothing but praise for this book. Being an avid amateur astronomer, with a keen general interest in the planets of the Solar System, the stars and galaxies and all other interstellar material, but with a specific interest in the Moon and Mars, this book was a natural choice for me. It tackles the case for Mars from all angles, with a seemingly inexhaustible wealth of information presented in a most readable manner. After the colonisation of the New World, I see Mars as Man's next frontier. A magnificent book and one that I shall go back to many times as knowledge of the planet is developed by future missions, leading ultimately to Man's settlement there.

Props to aerospace engineer Robert Zubrin on this very good book that I really enjoyed. He lays out a well thought out grand design on how we can send explorers to Mars in a way that won't break the bank. President Obama and future President Hillary Clinton, take note.

He also does a very good job of debunking the various "we can't do it" myths, and the "we can only do it if we first spend a bazillion dollars on all this other stuff that we probably don't need" myths.

My only problem with the book is that it could've been aimed a bit better at the average person. More illustrations, especially more in color, more time taken to explain basic concepts. Its understandable by the average Joe or Jane but its a pretty dense read. Its also not a very attractive book, and its sad that the hardback isn't in print any more.

I'd give it 4 1/2 stars but the store doesn't let you do that, so 4 stars. Definitely worth your time, especially if you're science and space-minded.

Written as if making a sales pitch (as another reviewer here has aptly stated), Zubrin paints a very convincing and realistic portrait that Mars can not only be visited by humans but colonized. Best of all, we aren't at the mercy of future development but are able to do this with present day technologies. The "Challenge Approach" of the government awarding large cash prizes to private entities for various accomplishments towards Mars colonization is unique, and probably the best method for accomplishing this heady but worthy challenge.

Let's do it. We are already colonizing cyberspace. Whether it is the "frontier" metaphors we use in our all out quest to wire the planet or our fascination with sci-fi federations, we have been preparing our species for the last decades.
This book's argument is cohesive and articulate. Hope you get the book and look forward to meeting your family and robots in the future.

As many of reviewers have said, Robert Zubrin describes his plan for getting to Mars as effeciently as possible.

Good points of the book are that his plan is very well thought out. He puts a lot of science in to the book, and explains it all in straightforward terms. He narrates the book in a friendly, conversational tone.

A slightly negative point is that his book is mostly visionary and doesn't get into what progress has made towards the human exploration of Mars.

My biggest problem with the book is that it's boring. I'm sorry to say that, but it is, at least for me. And I'm a 20-year old majoring in aerospace engineering who is actively interested in researching Mars. The thing is, the book is good at presenting the info, but not so good at providing motivation and interest needed to absorb all that info. It's written like an extended essay (thesis, reasons, supports). You know what I'm talking about. I will probably use this book more for reference than for fun reading.

Maybe I'll change my opinion over time. For now, it gets 3 stars.

The Case for Mars is an excellent piece by Robert Zubrin, exploring not why humanity should go to Mars but why humanity MUST. Well written and compelling, Zubrin both talks the talk and walks the walk when it comes to space exploration, having worked for Lockheed Martin developing strategies for space exploration. Even for an interested amateur like myself the science is understandable (although I stumbled over the mathematics.)

Not a 'heavy' read, as the concepts and the science are clearly presented - although it is a 'heavy' read in that it is a call to arms, a challenge to humanity to explore the Solar System, starting with Mars.

Incredibly frustrating, as having read the book and seen NASA's own costing for a series of manned flights I can't understand why it hasn't happened yet! Where is our Mars base?

Though a bit repetitious, all in all, this book is a fantastic and very thought provoking read. It makes you think about the what-if-s of space exploration and about the future. Though somewhat technical, I never felt the ocean of included information overwhelming. In fact, the book is really hard to put down, especially if you have even the slightest interest in space and/or science.

The first half of "The Case for Mars" convincingly describes an economically viable, technically sound and scientifically relevant plan for a manned mission to Mars. Period.
Unfortunately, there is also the other half of the book... In that part, Zubrin tries to proof why Mars is so much better than other venues (free-floating space settlements, lunar and asteroid colonies, etc) for space exploration and colonization. Nothing wrong with that, but the problem is that Zubrin is intellectually dishonest when building his arguments. They are clearly aimed at "converting" the uninformed general public, even though the price for that is keeping that public misinformed - and thrashing the scientifically sound work of other space researchers in the way. In that sense, Zubrin's arguments are much like those of pseudoscientific groups, like Creationists, for instance.
And, of course, there is the last part of the book, when Zubrin tries to justify Mars colonization in economical terms. Well, that part is so outlandish that I would classify it as science fiction. (And perhaps not even *hard* science fiction.) There *are* books with compelling arguments about economically profitable exploration of the space (e.g., "The High Frontier" and "Mining the Sky"), but certainly "The Case for Mars" is not one of them.

The cover image says it is the updated edition, but don't be fooled.

The kindle version, uploaded when the new edition came out and with the same cover as the updated edition is actually the 1996 version of the book. For the subjects in this book, a lot has happened in our understanding of science and Mars in that time. This is a greatly needed (should I say overdue) update on this topic and to upload a Kindle version, this month, and charge more than the book sells for.... Bad publisher! No cookie for you.

Not only that, but the audio option on Kindle has been turned off by the publisher.

Very disappointing.

I found this book incredibly inspiring! Dr. Zubrin has shown that we CAN get to Mars using today's (actually yesterday's) technology and with a minimal cost. I would recommend this book to everyone with a pioneering spirit! Let's go to Mars!

Dr. Zubrin clearly and concisely explains his method for sending man to Mars at far less risk and cost than any of the studies conducted by NASA to date. One is left with the question "why didn't someone think of this sooner and why aren't we doing something about it right now?"
Through Zubrin's step by step process of the technology (in easy-to-read layman's terms) and his "real world" reasons as to why we should go, you will be left with a desire to see the effort to send mankind to Mars move forward.
A thoroughly enjoyable and engaging read from cover to cover.

Bob Zubrin has written THE book that everyone needs to read about our future on Mars. This is a timely, inspiring book -- it changed my whole perspective on space exploration and settlement. It's impactful! I highly recommend it!!

The vision that Robert Zubrin lays out in this book makes it the most important for anyone to read. Not only is it well written, Zubrin's ideas are outstanding and critical for our society to learn and embrace as we move quickly into the 21st century.

The polyanish attitude of Zubrin to dismissing real hurdles to a Mars mission makes this book more of a cheerleading manual than a science treatise. It's a good read if one leaves science at the door and flips the pages for an adventure story. He creates a cult following of those who enjoy Star Trek, Star Wars, etc. and don't have the ability to distinguish science and science fiction.
The book deserves one star for Science but I'll add another star for enthusiasm. 'The Chariots of the Gods' reader will enjoy the book.

I was disappointed in the book. Dr. Zubrin spends far too much time faulting NASA and trying to say why we should not do anything but go to Mars. He does make good points with his theme of "living off the land". I don't believe this book will convince anyone outside those who already want to go to Mars that we need to go. I think it will give ammunition to those who dislike NASA and the space program in general.

Zubrin has a very interesting plan, which appears to be sound both technically and philosophically. While he certainly presents a compelling case for *how* we should go to Mars, he fails to actually present a case for *why* we should want to go to Mars in the first place.

Of all the places to go in the solar system, why Mars? What does Mars have to offer other than dust? What is on Mars that is not more easily accessible elsewhere in the solar system? These are important question to consider if one is going to invest resources and human lives in the conquest of space.

To build a successful colony, one needs raw materials as well as abundant energy. Mars is lacking on both counts. Water? How much is really available in the ice caps and subsurface? Energy? The amount of geothermal energy is questionable, as Mars is mostly dead from a geological standpoint. Solar energy is less than 1/3 of that found on Earth, requiring large arrays that must support themselves against gravity as well as be protected from dust storms. What raw minerals are available other than iron oxide (rust)?

No, all the necessary resources, and more, are available in the Asteroid Belt and the icy moons of Jupiter and Saturn. Any additional energy expended in reaching them is far more than compensated for the fact that their wealth is not bound deep in a gravity well such as that of Mars. The reduced solar energy is not a limiting factor either, as collector arrays can be built as large as necessary when there are not constraints of gravity.

Finally, the space radiation issue is better addressed, as the Belt colony can dig itself in to an asteroid as deeply as necessary to provide adequate shielding.

Forget Mars, the Belt is where we need to go.

Read "Junkyard Mars" for the last word on the "Man on Mars" story.

Zubrin's comparisons to Earth's four seasons are misleading at best, serving only to brainwash the gullible, but let's also overlook the fact that there is no oxygen, air pressure, or food on Mars. Or Holiday Inns. Engineering chutzpah will not change any of this. It's hilarious that we call a planet that requires a spacesuit "habitable." For a planet to be truly habitable we shouldn't need clothing of any kind, much less (ahem) a spacesuit. I would expect that for a planet to be described as habitable there would be something already living on it! A planet that has generated an indigenous, living ecosystem, no matter how primitive - that's habitable, even if not for humans. Despite the evidence, all of which suggests that Mars is completely UNinhabitable, many cling to the romantic vision of the Mars presented in old sci-fi novels. This particular delusion will someday be classified as mental illness.