Robert Zubrin: on Mars Exploration, Elon Musk, Fusion, and how Ukraine "plays the Marseillaise"

Dr. Robert Zubrin
https://www.facebook.com/robert.zubrin.1
https://www.instagram.com/robertzubrin/
https://twitter.com/robert_zubrin

Yaroslav Azhnyuk
https://www.instagram.com/yaroslavazhnyuk
https://twitter.com/YaroslavAzhnyuk
https://www.facebook.com/yaroslav.azhnyuk

Episode links and references:
The Mars Society – https://www.marssociety.org/
The Mars Society in Ukraine – https://marsukraine.org/
Mars Direct – 1st Public Presentation 5/28/1990 – https://youtu.be/vD3U0QcEYXs
Detection of Extraterrestrial Civilizations via the Spectral Signature of Advanced Interstellar Spacecraft – R. Zubrin, 1995 – https://adsabs.harvard.edu/full/1995ASPC…74..487Z

Robert’s books:
The Case For Nukes: https://www.amazon.com/Case-Nukes-Global-Warming-Magnificent-ebook/dp/B0BXPCZ33K
The Case For Space: https://www.amazon.com/Case-Space-Revolution-Spaceflight-Possibility/dp/B08CVTJ1BM
The Case For Mars: https://www.amazon.com/The-Case-for-Mars-audiobook/dp/B079C72B6R

00:00:00 Introduction
00:00:58 Robert’s 4-day journey to Ukraine and his first impressions
00:06:08 The origins of Dr. Zubrin’s last name
00:08:02 World today is a house divided
00:09:09 Sputnik launch and Robert’s early interest in space
00:12:57 How Robert became an engineer
00:15:36 Studying engineering and working at Martin Marietta
00:19:51 Why should we go to Mars?

Extraterrestrial Life
00:27:01 What are the questions Robert has for extraterrestrial life
00:29:06 The Fermi paradox
00:40:12 Robert’s papers on detection of extraterrestrial civilizations and advanced starship drives. Creation of artificial suns.
00:43:12 Atmospheric spectroscopy and recent signs of life on Venus. Chances of finding oxygen on an exoplanet
00:46:16 Robert’s paper on using microbial data storage for interstellar communication. Galactic propaganda.
00:50:42 Interplanetary contamination by biological or informational viruses
00:53:27 Nick Bostrom’s simulation argument. Are we living in a simulation?
00:56:36 Is there free will?

Mars Direct
00:59:31 1990, NASA, What led to the Mars Direct proposal
01:11:37 Explaining the Mars Direct proposal
01:17:56 Costs, Politics, Public discussion
01:24:29 The founding of The Mars Society
01:26:34 Which parts of Mars Direct plan are still being used by Elon Musk and other Mars exploration plans
01:31:11 The differences between Rober Zubrin’s and Elon Musk’s Mars exploration plans
01:34:04 Chinese plans for Mars Exploration
01:35:09 Alternative ideas for reaching Mars

Why should we go to Mars
01:38:56 Why the challenge of going to Mars is good
01:42:00 Why Mars is important to our future
01:47:30 Robotic population on Mars, AGIs
01:49:36 Biotech on Mars
01:51:02 What sources of energy will be used on Mars?
01:58:29 Mars Technology Institute
02:01:09 What is the answer to space exploration naysayers
02:01:55 How space technology is helping Ukraine to win on the battlefield
02:05:35 Robert making an anti-Maltusian case
02:08:54 On tyrants, stealing the works of science and Putin’s lies
02:11:22 What should be written on Putin’s grave

Terraforming Mars
02:12:00 Terraforming Mars
02:14:52 Warming up the planet
02:21:30 Creating oxygen on Mars
02:22:50 What will Martians say about this podcast 100 years from now. Jules Verne Mars terraforming plan
02:25:40 Is there any new science still left to be discovered?
02:28:07 Timelines for Mars Exploration and Terraforming
02:32:18 Entrepreneurial space race

Interstellar travel
02:38:21 Interstellar travel
02:39:09 Nuclear salt water rocket
02:39:32 Fusion rocket
02:43:40 A hypothetical journey to Alpha Centauri
02:44:22 Even faster travel
02:46:48 Alcubierre drive, artificial Suns, black hole drive, new physics

Nuclear energy
02:48:53 “The Case for Nukes” – Robert’s most recent book
02:50:50 When should we expect the nuclear fusion breakthrough
02:52:22 Why are people closing nuclear fission reactors and giving fission a bad reputation
02:55:36 Germany shutting down nuclear power plants to cement the alliance with Russia
02:58:00 New types of fission reactors

The US Politics
02:59:44 The US Politics and Elon Musk
03:02:08 How the Russians approached Elon Musk
03:03:44 Has power corrupted Elon?
03:07:50 Why do some of the US politicians support Russian propaganda?
03:12:40 Robert’s impressions from visiting Moscow in 2016
03:13:12 Trump’s indictments
03:14:47 The issue of division in the US politics
03:18:12 Why Russian-Ukrainian war is “Our war” for the US as well

Ukraine and Casablanca
3:19:49 Play the Marseillaise!

Get in touch: [email protected]

Editing: Ivan Chumachenko https://www.instagram.com/ivan__chumachenko/
Editor: Yaroslav Azhnyuk
Cover: Svitlana Savkyna https://www.facebook.com/sv.savkyna
Sound: Gerainsan https://youtube.com/channel/UC5OC8p-AUWhCc8EzQwDmVSw
Translation: Viktoriia Budun https://www.instagram.com/viktoriiabudun/
Subtitle editing: Dara Vinarska https://www.instagram.com/daravinarska/

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