I’m in the middle of Endymion by Dan Simmons, the third book in his Hyperion Saga
I’m about halfway through The Case for Mars by Dr. Robert Zubrin. I saw him speak last week at the 20th International Space Symposium, and he absolutely shattered the other panel members’ contentions that we need “starships” or exotic propulsion to get to Mars. I purchased my copy then and there, and got it autographed by the author.
He advocates a sensible set of missions based on Apollo-era technology and the use of Martian resources, as opposed to the intricate nuclear-powered rocket journeys with orbiting space docks and mid-journey lunar bases that NASA currently has on the drawing boards. If you read it, you will find out
- Why using the moon as a stepping-stone for Mars makes no sense,
- Why assembling a Mars Cruiser in orbit is futile for our first voyages, and
- How we can arrive on Mars with 6 tons of liquid hydrogen, and make enough drinking water and breathable oxygen for two years, and rocket fuel for the return journey to boot.
…and how it can all be done for less than $100 billion (not the trillions that the naysayers are predicting).
I highly recommend this book. If you’ve had high school chemistry and physics, you can understand everything in this book, and the author walks the reader through the importance and gist of every equation so that you can read it without knowing anything more than basic arithmetic.