This is cave related, because it is about a Texas caver,and his proposal could some day have an effect on the future of caving.
For as long as I can remember, Jim McLane, has been sharing his proposal with cavers about sending an astronaut to Mars on a one-way mission. For years, he has been trying to get NASA and other space program leaders to listen to him. Well, today he made the front page of the Houston Chronicle. So maybe NASA, finally has to formally put his plan on the table, as all the other plans now seem even more un-realistic. Unfortunately, the Houston Chronicle is not a respected newspaper, and lately it has become lame. This particular article appears to have been written for an 8th grade level audience, and the author writes like a freshman college student. Anyways, if NASA were to do it Jim's way, we could have a an astronaut on Mars in 15 years, and he would most likely be able to look for caves and explore them, as he would have an immediate need to find shelter. On that part, I strongly agree with Jim and support his proposal. What I disagree with ( and especially with the Chinese proposal ) is, "what is the definition of man?" They keep saying "put a man on Mars." My proposal is to find the smallest human available that is healthy enough to survive the trip, and design the capsule around him or her. I would even propose considering a parapelgic who is already psychologically accustomed to confinement. And 3rd, I would propose a hard-landing versus the Apollo style landings. I hope Jim succeeds in his endeavors with this as it is his life goal. Also, I hope he gets credit for his ideas, and that his ideas are not hijacked by somebody who steals them. David Locklear
