Latest news with #Zubrin
Yahoo
3 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Elon Musk's "Hubris and Arrogance" Are Ruining Our Chances of Actually Getting to Mars, Says Leading Expert
The founder of the Mars Society has accused SpaceX CEO Elon Musk of derailing existing plans to explore and visit the Red Planet. Robert Zubrin, who has coauthored hundreds of papers and laid out several blueprints as to how to settle on Mars, told Agence France-Presse in an interview that Musk is "absolutely instrumental in opening up this opportunity to get humans to Mars, both through the development of Starship and also the inspiration that has caused." But given the "hubris and arrogance" he has since bred — Zubrin went as far as to compare him to failed European dictator Napoleon Bonaparte — our future efforts to travel to the distant planet over 140 million miles away could be in peril. For our effort to send humans to Mars "to succeed, it has to go beyond these — this initiative cannot be seen as a Musk hobbyhorse or a Trump hobbyhorse — it must be seen, at a minimum, as America's program, or preferably the Free World's program," Zubrin told AFP. The publication of the interview comes in the wake of an incredibly messy divorce between Musk and president Donald Trump, though Zubrin made his comments before the relationship disintegrated. The two have been going at each other's throats and even threatening to cut off NASA's access to space. Musk's dreams of making humanity interplanetary by establishing a city on Mars appear to have slipped significantly on his list of priorities. The mercurial CEO was heavily criticized for abandoning his businesses in favor of overseeing a disastrous gutting of the US federal government, and is now racing to make Tesla investors happy as sales continue to plummet worldwide. SpaceX has also encountered major headwind in getting its Mars-bound Starship to not explode. The company's last three test flights ended in so-called "rapid unscheduled disassemblies," highlighting growing technical difficulties and the enormous degree of complexity involved in launching and landing the most powerful rocket in the world. While Musk has previously vowed to land Starships on Mars before the end of next year — he admitted it was a "50-50 chance" late last month — his characteristically ambitious timelines are once again looking unrealistic at best. "Progress is measured by the timeline to establishing a self-sustaining civilization on Mars," Musk said in a promotional video shared by SpaceX on May 29. "Each launch is about learning more and more about what's needed to make life multi-planetary and to improve Starship to the point where it can be taking, ultimately, hundreds of thousands, if not millions, of people to Mars." But all the turbulence Musk has generated, in addition to the Trump administration's brutal budget cut proposal to NASA, likely will only hamper our efforts to visit Mars, Zubrin argued. Complicating matters are fundamental disagreements about NASA's future direction. In a move largely seen as retribution, the Trump administration pulled its nomination for SpaceX space tourist and billionaire Jared Isaacman, who was hand-picked for the job by Musk. "This combination of Trump and Musk is not going to persist forever," Zubrin told AFP, foreshadowing Thursday's drama. "And if this program is identified as their deal, it will be crushed as soon as opposing forces have sufficient power." Most of all, Zubrin disagreed with Musk's stance that humanity will be saved by leaving the Earth behind and settling on Mars instead. "We're not going to Mars out of despair," he told AFP. "We're going to Mars out of hope... to establish new branches of human civilization which will add their creative capacity to that of humanity as a whole." "If we do the kind of program that I advocated... we will once again, as we did in Apollo, astonish the world with what free people can do," he added. "We'll make it clear that freedom, not authoritarianism, is the future of the human race." More on Mars: Trump Just Kicked Elon Musk's Hand-Picked NASA Head to the Curb
eNCA
4 days ago
- Politics
- eNCA
Renowned Mars expert says Trump-Musk axis risks dooming mission
WASHINGTON - Robert Zubrin quite literally wrote the book on why humanity should go to Mars -- so why has the renowned aerospace engineer soured on Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur leading the charge? In an interview, the 73-year-old founder of the Mars Society delivered a blistering critique, accusing the world's richest person of undermining the mission through divisive politics and a bleak vision of the Red Planet as an escape from Earth rather than a journey of hope. "On one level, he's absolutely instrumental in opening up this opportunity to get humans to Mars, both through the development of Starship and also the inspiration that has been caused," Zubrin told AFP, referring to Musk's prototype rocket. "But for it to succeed, it has to go beyond these -- this initiative cannot be seen as a Musk hobbyhorse or a Trump hobbyhorse -- it must be seen, at a minimum, as America's program, or preferably the Free World's program." Zubrin's 1996 book "The Case for Mars," since updated numerous times, laid out a practical blueprint for reaching and settling the Red Planet using existing technologies and local resources -- with the ultimate goal of transforming the atmosphere for long-term human habitation. - Supporter turned critic - The book won praise from Musk himself, who once posed with Zubrin at SpaceX's Starship facility in Texas and called it "worth reading." But today, Zubrin -- who co-authored the Mars Direct plan in 1990, has published hundreds of papers, and invented several advanced propulsion concepts -- sees troubling signs. While he described Musk as a "tremendously talented and forceful person," he said his success has bred "hubris and arrogance," comparing him to Napoleon as he thumped his fist for emphasis. He was especially critical of Musk's embrace of Donald Trump during the 2024 election and his role as the administration's chainsaw-wielding cost slasher. "This combination of Trump and Musk is not going to persist forever," Zubrin warned, in an interview conducted before the pair's relationship imploded Thursday in a spectacular public row. "And if this program is identified as their deal, it will be crushed as soon as opposing forces have sufficient power." During their fight on Thursday, Trump called Musk "crazy" and threatened to terminate his government contracts worth billions of dollars. Zubrin also condemned Trump's efforts to gut NASA's space science budget -- a move he sees as fundamentally at odds with the exploratory spirit of the Mars endeavour. The Mars Sample Return mission -- aimed at retrieving specimens collected by the Perseverance rover -- is among the biggest science projects on the chopping block. Although the mission, developed with the European Space Agency, has suffered delays and budget overruns, Zubrin said eliminating it entirely rather than reforming it would be a mistake. "This threatens to brand this program with the mark of Cain of original sin -- that this program is born with the blood of the murder of Space Science on it." - Creative outpost - Where Zubrin still sees promise is in Starship -- Musk's massive prototype rocket aimed at making life multiplanetary, though the vessel's repeated test explosions show there's a long way to go. He diverges with Musk over how it should be used. Starship is far too large to serve as a Mars ascent vehicle, Zubrin said. The Mars expert has proposed a vessel he calls Starboat -- a compact lander that could shuttle between planetary surfaces and orbit, using a fraction of the propellant and surface power. But his sharpest critiques are philosophical. He rejects Musk's portrayal of Mars as a refuge from a dying Earth -- a vision that echoes the works of science fiction writer Isaac Asimov. "We're not going to Mars out of despair," Zubrin said. "We're going to Mars out of hope... to establish new branches of human civilisation which will add their creative capacity to that of humanity as a whole." He sees Mars not as a refuge but renewal, where a campaign beginning with robotic missions in the late 2020s and culminating in human landings by 2033 could inspire bipartisan support, showcase American ingenuity and restore national purpose. "If we do the kind of program that I advocated... we will once again, as we did in Apollo, astonish the world with what free people can do," he said. "We'll make it clear that freedom, not authoritarianism, is the future of the human race." by Issam Ahmed
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Renowned Mars expert says Trump-Musk axis risks dooming mission
Robert Zubrin quite literally wrote the book on why humanity should go to Mars -- so why has the renowned aerospace engineer soured on Elon Musk, the billionaire entrepreneur leading the charge? In an interview, the 73-year-old founder of the Mars Society delivered a blistering critique, accusing the world's richest person of undermining the mission through divisive politics and a bleak vision of the Red Planet as an escape from Earth rather than a journey of hope. "On one level, he's absolutely instrumental in opening up this opportunity to get humans to Mars, both through the development of Starship and also the inspiration that has caused," Zubrin told AFP, referring to Musk's prototype rocket. "But for it to succeed, it has to go beyond these -- this initiative cannot be seen as a Musk hobbyhorse or a Trump hobbyhorse -- it must be seen, at a minimum, as America's program, or preferably the Free World's program." Zubrin's 1996 book "The Case for Mars," since updated numerous times, laid out a practical blueprint for reaching and settling the Red Planet using existing technologies and local resources -- with the ultimate goal of transforming the atmosphere for long-term human habitation. - Supporter turned critic - The book won praise from Musk himself, who once posed with Zubrin at SpaceX's Starship facility in Texas and called it "worth reading." But today, Zubrin -- who co-authored the Mars Direct plan in 1990, has published hundreds of papers, and invented several advanced propulsion concepts -- sees troubling signs. While he described Musk as a "tremendously talented and forceful person," he said his success has bred "hubris and arrogance," comparing him to Napoleon as he thumped his fist for emphasis. He was especially critical of Musk's embrace of Donald Trump during the 2024 election and his role as the administration's chainsaw-wielding cost slasher. "This combination of Trump and Musk is not going to persist forever," Zubrin warned, in an interview conducted before the pair's relationship imploded Thursday in a spectacular public row. "And if this program is identified as their deal, it will be crushed as soon as opposing forces have sufficient power." During their fight Thursday, Trump called Musk "crazy" threatened to terminate his government contracts worth billions of dollars. Zubrin also condemned Trump's efforts to gut NASA's space science budget -- a move he sees as fundamentally at odds with the exploratory spirit of the Mars endeavor. The Mars Sample Return mission -- aimed at retrieving specimens collected by the Perseverance rover -- is among the biggest science projects on the chopping block. Although the mission, developed with the European Space Agency, has suffered delays and budget overruns, Zubrin said eliminating it entirely rather than reforming it would be a mistake. "This threatens to brand this program with the mark of Cain of original sin -- that this program is born with the blood of the murder of Space Science on it." - Creative outpost - Where Zubrin still sees promise is in Starship -- Musk's massive prototype rocket aimed at making life multiplanetary, though the vessel's repeated test explosions show there's a long way to go. He diverges with Musk over how it should be used. Starship is far too large to serve as a Mars ascent vehicle, Zubrin said. The Mars expert has proposed a vessel he calls Starboat -- a compact lander that could shuttle between planetary surfaces and orbit, using a fraction of the propellant and surface power. But his sharpest critiques are philosophical. He rejects Musk's portrayal of Mars as a refuge from a dying Earth -- a vision that echoes the works of science fiction writer Isaac Asimov. "We're not going to Mars out of despair," Zubrin said. "We're going to Mars out of hope... to establish new branches of human civilization which will add their creative capacity to that of humanity as a whole." He sees Mars not as refuge but renewal, where a campaign beginning with robotic missions in the late 2020s and culminating in human landings by 2033 could inspire bipartisan support, showcase American ingenuity and restore national purpose. "If we do the kind of program that I advocated... we will once again, as we did in Apollo, astonish the world with what free people can do," he said. "We'll make it clear that freedom, not authoritarianism, is the future of the human race." ia/jgc/acb
Yahoo
25-03-2025
- General
- Yahoo
Avid Colorado climber remembered as passionate adventurer, ‘wonderful human'
DENVER (KDVR) — The partner of an avid Colorado climber says he slipped while picking up a piece of trash left behind by another recreationist, leading to his death. Sarah Zubrin spoke with FOX31's Talya Cunningham about Marc Horan's death Sunday in Boulder Canyon. She said that Horan was trying to pick up a littered soda can before he slipped, falling 20 feet to his death. Douglas County community builds around wildfire prevention It's been less than 24 hours since the incident. Zubrin found Horan after the fall. They had gone climbing in Boulder Canyon along with Zubrin's 7-year-old daughter and a few friends. She said that Horan spotted the litter and went to grab it, without rope support and without a helmet. Zubrin told Cunningham that they were separated briefly while he scrambled up some rocks to grab the trash, but when he didn't return to the trail, she went looking for him. That's when his body was found. 'I could tell he had fallen and was deceased before I got to him, he did not have a pulse,' Zubrin said. 'I've never experienced something so difficult in my life.' She told Cunningham how she's now grappling with the grief, but that her love story with Horan was something that many don't find in their lifetime. Decades later, Colorado nurse who served in Vietnam continues helping those in need 'Every night before we went to sleep, we would kiss goodnight and say 'I love you' because we found each other later in life and it was like one of those things that we know our time together's limited, you never know what days going to be the last day,' Zubrin recounted. She called Horan kind and caring, adding that he had a passion for adventure and wasn't a stranger to climbing. 'Marc was one of the most kind, caring human beings I've ever known. He was very passionate for adventure,' Zubrin said. 'He was a wonderful human being and just a really good person. I love him and miss him so much.' Horan's death was unexpected, and his family is now trying to raise money to cover funeral expenses. They've set up a GoFundMe here. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
