Yes, we CAN put a man on Mars
IT’S disappointing that so little has been achieved in manned space flight in the 50 years since Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin first stepped on the Moon. Skylab, the Shuttle and the International Space Station, all involving only low-Earth orbits, are so little to show for half a century. Almost 30 years ago, aerospace engineer Robert Zubrin showed that by using derivatives of Space Shuttle technology a crewed mission to land on Mars was not just possible, but also affordable for the United States. The film The Martian gives a realistic idea of the lander and Mars habitat modules for such a mission, though its portrayal of the space craft for transit is exaggerated. Thanks to private enterprise, launch costs have plummeted over recent years. SpaceX quotes a price of only $90 million to send 13 tons to Mars. Putting people on Mars is no longer prohibitively expensive, and it is well within our technical capabilities. If the West, led by the U.S., does not dare to dream and to do, I have no doubt that others, China most likely, soon will.
OTTO INGLIS, Edinburgh. I HAVE a copy of the Daily Mail dated Monday, July 21, 1969 with the headline ‘Man walks on the Moon’. The moving and detailed article was written by Angus MacPherson in Houston. The thrill of this historic event sent shivers down my spine, and I defy those sceptics who doubt it happened. What also interested me were some of the other articles. The Moon landing on BBC1 was overshadowed by Dr Finlay’s Casebook and The Black And White Minstrel Show, with just brief coverage of the Apollo separation and touchdown. In contrast, on ITV there was complete coverage presented by David Frost. Other stories included dancing in the streets in Czechoslovakia when Apollo landed, while in Turkey, one man shouted: ‘This will be the end of the world!’
NINA WARREN, Frome, Somerset.