Blue Mars
3 HN recommenders · recommended in 3 months, 2014–2015
1:13:53 · 18M views · Oct 16, 2014
A documentary following Robert Zubrin and the Mars Society as they push the Mars Direct plan for sending humans to Mars using current technology and local resources. It also covers the clash with NASA's more expensive approach.
Recommended in Mars-mission threads as an accessible account of Zubrin's argument that Mars is feasible within a decade.
4 comments from Hacker News
If you have one hour if front of you, I highly recommend this documentary: this video In it they explain how it would be feasible to be on Mars in ten years with current technology and not so much additional fundings.
Sometime in the past fifty years NASA became paralyzed not by budget cuts, but by political in-fighting, fractured organizational structure and lots and lots of red tape. And then there is all that pork that goes around with the entrenched contractors. The tale of the last Mars program that NASA put together is a great example of this. They got handed a technically sound plan to get there in reasonable time with reasonable resources. Then every org-unit in NASA wanted to add their own part to stay relevant and it got so bloated both technically and financially that it had to be put to rest. So unless they convince me that they managed to get their internal structural problems under control, I don't think they get anytime to Mars within this century. And certainly not before the private sector does. [LINK] p.s.: There is a free movie on YouTube telling the tale: this video
Also worth mentioning is the Mars Underground documentary, detailing Zubrin's work and mission over the years: this video
Not impressed. Considering Dr. Robert Zubrin's Mars Direct plan and later revised Mars Semi-Direct plan announced in the early 90s even with the space technologies back then. [1][2][3][4] [1]: [LINK] [2]: [LINK] [3]: this video