This week's special guest, Dr. Robert Zubrin, answers the Seven Questions about the Future.
1. The present is the future relative to the past. What's the best thing about living here in the future?
People have far more opportunity to exercise human potential.
2. What's the biggest disappointment?
We're not where we could be. NASA had planned to send the first mission to Mars by 1981. That's what should have happened. That's the road not taken. If we continued down that road, with the first humans on Mars in the early 1980's, the first base, the first embryonic settlement would have been in place by the late 1980's. And the first children born on Mars would be entering middle school right about now.
3. Assuming you die at the age of 100, what will be the biggest difference be between the world you were born into and the world you leave?
By 2052, there will be a new branch of humanity living off the Earth.
4. What future development that you consider likely (or inevitable) do you look forward to with the most anticipation?
The opening of the first community orchestra on Mars.
5. What future development that you consider likely (or inevitable) do you dread the most?
Biological warfare. I consider it likely, not inevitable.
6. Assuming you have the ability to determine (or at least influence) the future, what future development that you consider unlikely (or are uncertain about) would you most like to help bring about?
Well, the one I've been dedicating my life to, the settlement of Mars.
(But I think you've already listed that one as something you think of as likely.)
I think it's likely eventually because of the nature of humanity. We are species
of explorers, we do have a fundamental drive to go where we've never gone before.
And so we will go into space whether we have a hand in it or not, but I want
to see it in my lifetime.
7. Why is it that in the year 2003 I still don't have a flying car? When do you think I'll be able to get one?
Blame Nixon.
(What's the deal with these seven questions?
Robert,
Thanks so much for the interview! I as much as any space occupying enthusiast would love to see a manned misson to Mars in my lifetime, however, is it possible when we have so much difficulty blasting off out of our own atmosphere? Do we wait for NASA or go independent? It is evident that our most genius ideas and accoplishments have never been harnessed by group or government.
Speculist Phil:
If you are allowed to travel the unpaved freeway for flying cars, I will never drive it for we cannot paint stripes in the sky and I have seen you drive!
Much Love,
VIC
Vic, I can think of one time the government (specifically NASA) really got it right, and that was Apollo. You can argue whether the moon was the right objective or whether the fact that the government did it made it a dead end almost by definition, but it was a spectacular achievement. If NASA is salvageable -- and we've got some folks like our friend Rand Simberg now saying that it isn't -- I think it has to be re-directed towards some big goal, such as Mars.
Maybe the role of NASA (or more generally, the Federal government) should be to broadly outline the mission and provide incentives to private entities that actually make it happen. Or maybe they have a bigger part to play.
As for your comments about my driving, don't worry. Flying cars, once we have them, will come equipped with several fail-safe auto-pilot collision prevention systems. Any time anybody comes close to doing something stupid, the robot will take over.
But I wonder about lanes. In the Star Wars movies, everybody drives their flying car in a lane. Their must be radio beacons that tell the whicles when they are or aren't in their "lane."
Posted by: Phil at August 30, 2003 07:13 AM