Zubrin and Park will debate!

Space policy will have its own version of King Kong vs. Godzilla at the
Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington on Thursday, February 5,
beginning at 5:30PM. Namely, a debate between Robert Zubrin and Robert
Park. If you haven't read this newsgroup much, Zubrin is president of the
Mars Society. He advocates an aggressive program of human spaceflight,
especially a manned mission to Mars. Park maintains that manned
spaceflight is a national distraction and a waste of taxpayer money.
He is Director for Public Information at the American Physical Society.
They will debate President Bush's new space plan and manned spaceflight
in general.

Other details and free registration are he

http://www.eppc.org/conferences/even...onf_detail.asp

Personally I think that Park is right and Zubrin is wrong. And don't
get me started on Bush's plan. But I would still be interested in a web
recording or transcript of the debate. I don't know if EPPC itself is
going to tape the event or allow someone to bring a camcorder.

If you really want the original "Kingukongu tai Gojira" instead, you
should go to http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0056142/ .

--
/\ Greg Kuperberg (UC Davis)
/ \
\ / Visit the Math ArXiv Front at http://front.math.ucdavis.edu/
\/ * All the math that's fit to e-print *

On Wed, 4 Feb 2004 04:00:51 +0000 (UTC), in a place far, far away,
(Greg Kuperberg) made the phosphor on
my monitor glow in such a way as to indicate that:

Space policy will have its own version of King Kong vs. Godzilla at the
Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington on Thursday, February 5,
beginning at 5:30PM. Namely, a debate between Robert Zubrin and Robert
Park.

Yes, an irrelevant debate of two strawmen, a false choice, as though
the only two possibilities are "no people in space--they're useless!"
versus Apollo to Mars...

And who in the hell elected Bob Park to be a space expert?

It would be nice to have a real debate, in which the issue goes beyond
man versus robot, and gets to the issue of what we're trying to
accomplish in space. I've been talking to Adam Keiper, editor of The
New Atlantis, about this, and perhaps we can have a more substantive
discussion, with people who have something to say about it, in the
future.

On Wed, 4 Feb 2004 04:00:51 +0000 (UTC), in a place far, far away,
(Greg Kuperberg) made the phosphor on
my monitor glow in such a way as to indicate that:

Space policy will have its own version of King Kong vs. Godzilla at the
Ethics and Public Policy Center in Washington on Thursday, February 5,
beginning at 5:30PM. Namely, a debate between Robert Zubrin and Robert
Park.

Yes, an irrelevant debate of two strawmen, a false choice, as though
the only two possibilities are "no people in space--they're useless!"
versus Apollo to Mars...

And who in the hell elected Bob Park to be a space expert?

It would be nice to have a real debate, in which the issue goes beyond
man versus robot, and gets to the issue of what we're trying to
accomplish in space. I've been talking to Adam Keiper, editor of The
New Atlantis, about this, and perhaps we can have a more substantive
discussion, with people who have something to say about it, in the
future.

February 3, 2004

Greg Kuperberg wrote:

Space policy will have its own version of King Kong vs. Godzilla

Personally I think that Park is right and Zubrin is wrong.

Crackpot Vs Crackpot.

That should be good, if you like that sort of thing.

Thomas Lee Elifritz
http://elifritz.members.atlantic.net

February 3, 2004

Greg Kuperberg wrote:

Space policy will have its own version of King Kong vs. Godzilla

Personally I think that Park is right and Zubrin is wrong.

Crackpot Vs Crackpot.

That should be good, if you like that sort of thing.

Thomas Lee Elifritz
http://elifritz.members.atlantic.net

In article ,
Rand Simberg wrote:
Yes, an irrelevant debate of two strawmen, a false choice, as though
the only two possibilities are "no people in space--they're useless!"
versus Apollo to Mars...

Why not wait to hear what they have to say before dismissing it?
Every once in a while you might learn something new, even from
intellectual inferiors.

The EPPC debate might also include questions from the audience.

And who in the hell elected Bob Park to be a space expert?

From the page http://www.aps.org/praw/forum/98winner.html :

1998 Joseph A. Burton Award to Robert Lee Park

Citation: "For 'telling it like it is' with his widely-read What's
New and through other means on physics-related aspects of science
and public policy issues."

Although it was not exactly an "election", the American Physical Society
did recognize him with an award.

--
/\ Greg Kuperberg (UC Davis)
/ \
\ / Visit the Math ArXiv Front at http://front.math.ucdavis.edu/
\/ * All the math that's fit to e-print *

In article ,
Rand Simberg wrote:
Yes, an irrelevant debate of two strawmen, a false choice, as though
the only two possibilities are "no people in space--they're useless!"
versus Apollo to Mars...

Why not wait to hear what they have to say before dismissing it?
Every once in a while you might learn something new, even from
intellectual inferiors.

The EPPC debate might also include questions from the audience.

And who in the hell elected Bob Park to be a space expert?

From the page http://www.aps.org/praw/forum/98winner.html :

1998 Joseph A. Burton Award to Robert Lee Park

Citation: "For 'telling it like it is' with his widely-read What's
New and through other means on physics-related aspects of science
and public policy issues."

Although it was not exactly an "election", the American Physical Society
did recognize him with an award.

--
/\ Greg Kuperberg (UC Davis)
/ \
\ / Visit the Math ArXiv Front at http://front.math.ucdavis.edu/
\/ * All the math that's fit to e-print *

On Wed, 4 Feb 2004 05:03:51 +0000 (UTC), in a place far, far away,
(Greg Kuperberg) made the phosphor on
my monitor glow in such a way as to indicate that:

In article ,
Rand Simberg wrote:
Yes, an irrelevant debate of two strawmen, a false choice, as though
the only two possibilities are "no people in space--they're useless!"
versus Apollo to Mars...

Why not wait to hear what they have to say before dismissing it?

I've heard what they both have to say, many times.

Every once in a while you might learn something new, even from
intellectual inferiors.

It has nothing to do with their intelligence.

The EPPC debate might also include questions from the audience.

It probably will.

And who in the hell elected Bob Park to be a space expert?

From the page http://www.aps.org/praw/forum/98winner.html :

1998 Joseph A. Burton Award to Robert Lee Park

Citation: "For 'telling it like it is' with his widely-read What's
New and through other means on physics-related aspects of science
and public policy issues."

Although it was not exactly an "election", the American Physical Society
did recognize him with an award.

shrug

What does the American Physical Society know about space policy?

On Wed, 4 Feb 2004 05:03:51 +0000 (UTC), in a place far, far away,
(Greg Kuperberg) made the phosphor on
my monitor glow in such a way as to indicate that:

In article ,
Rand Simberg wrote:
Yes, an irrelevant debate of two strawmen, a false choice, as though
the only two possibilities are "no people in space--they're useless!"
versus Apollo to Mars...

Why not wait to hear what they have to say before dismissing it?

I've heard what they both have to say, many times.

Every once in a while you might learn something new, even from
intellectual inferiors.

It has nothing to do with their intelligence.

The EPPC debate might also include questions from the audience.

It probably will.

And who in the hell elected Bob Park to be a space expert?

From the page http://www.aps.org/praw/forum/98winner.html :

1998 Joseph A. Burton Award to Robert Lee Park

Citation: "For 'telling it like it is' with his widely-read What's
New and through other means on physics-related aspects of science
and public policy issues."

Although it was not exactly an "election", the American Physical Society
did recognize him with an award.

shrug

What does the American Physical Society know about space policy?

(Greg Kuperberg) wrote in
:

In article ,
Rand Simberg wrote:
Yes, an irrelevant debate of two strawmen, a false choice, as though
the only two possibilities are "no people in space--they're useless!"
versus Apollo to Mars...

Why not wait to hear what they have to say before dismissing it?

Both have already spoken volumes on the subject. There is no need to listen
to more, unless one or both have radically changed their positions lately.
Which I doubt.

Rand is right. "Zubrin vs. Park, on the subject of space policy" is about
as interesting as "Beavis vs. Butt-head, on the subject of hot chicks."

--
JRF

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