Mr. Zimmerman,
If you did have the necessary tools and supplies, and assuming you could get back to good ol’ Mother Earth just as healthy as you left, where in space do you think you would want to go? Maybe, if it helps you to answer the question, maybe you would want to witness a particular event take place at a particular time or something like that. Then if you could, tell me why you want to go there. Thanks.

.
… that the ultimate success of the human race would be determined by its scientific advances, the continuing exploration, and its expansion into space. It will be this urge to expand and move on, plus our curiosity that will move us from orbital missisons to the moon and the other planets.

Perhaps it’s my early introduction to science-fiction (50’s, 60’s, all those good old authors like Asimov, Del Ray, Heinlein, Clarke, etc.) where the theme was man’s triumphs. Perhaps it’s my recognition that until the mid-20th century, the world was still coming off an national expansion and colonization drive that started around the time of Columbus. You can even factor in the greatest sci-fi theme of the last third of the millenium, “to go where no man has gone before”. I also recognize there are advocates among us who insist we explore inner space first — whether that be uniting all the nations under one banner or solving the social problems that plague our cultures or developing the ability to use the sea (on or under) as another frontier.

However, today’s climate seems to be more of a “sit on our accomplishments” and “live the good life we’ve created” style. The consumer is king, most products have short, planned obsolesence built in, and weapons of war have higher priority than ever. Space exploration has been put on the back burner.

If mankind is to get back on track and aim for the stars again, what do you see that must happen in the next 5, 10, 20, 50, or even 100 years?

scenario 1:
you meet Donald Trump on a golf course at the 18th hole. You have just 5 minutes to talk to him before he has to hop in his helicoptor and fly off. What do you say?

scenario 2:
Same as above, but it’s a rock star who’s known to have more more than 2 functioning brain cells.

scenario 3:
You’re at a wedding/bat mitzvah/funeral and run into a distant cousin who is a Florida Senator. After he finishes his story about bringing his daughter backstage to see Brittney Spears, what do you say?

.
…but the sad but true fact is that’s about how much time any presentation has to make a point and be sold.

For The Donald, I’d hand him a copy of Robert Heinlein’s “The Man Who Sold the Moon.” Here’s his chance to build a legacy for mankind, just not New York City.

Sad to say, but most of the rock star’s brain cells are going to be focused on sex, partying, his “celebrity-ness”, and promoting his current/next project. I doubt any rock star would have the insight (or the money to spend) to understand the importance of mankind’s going to the stars.

Quite frankly, a senator–much less one from Florida–has about as much political clout as a hard-boiled egg. Nothing said will crack the shell nor upset the yolk.

Nevertheless, it’s fascinating that the only “investors” in the current privately financed race for space have come out of tech. I guess most conventional entrepreneurs consider space as something best suited for governments to throw money at.

Hey jxliv7 (how DO you pronounce that?), I enjoy rock music myself and I was trying to come up with a counterexample… a real rock star who is interested in advancing space exploration. I mean, I can think of several rock stars who promote various worthwhile causes (Sting and the rainforest for example). But for space I came up blank. One thing did click, it’s that N*Sync guy who wanted to be a space tourist. But I don’t know any more than that, so it’s arguable whether that constitutes advocacy.

Bob – what I’ve read of yours has been written pretty much entirely by yourself. Have you done anything major in collaboration with other authors? Would you consider doing so? Why or why not?

We seem to be in a transition period for human spaceflight, with China’s Shenzhou launch last year, new private space ventures starting up, the shuttle going away, etc. Who do you see taking or keeping the lead in human spaceflight over the next decade – NASA, ESA, China, Russia, private companies, ? What advantage do you think it will give the leader?

.
…jxliv7 is “j” for jon, the Roman numerals “xl” for forty and “iv” for four, which equals forty-four, and “7″ as in modern day notation for seven = jon447. It doesn’t mean anything, I just like it. But, Sweetwind, you can call me jon.

I agree there are few rock stars or actors or even other celebrities with a cause. Travolta and flying, Arnold and Hummers, Cher and last tours — that’s about as good as it gets.

As for rock music, I’ve never enjoyed iron pyrite, but quartz crystals and granite sound okay.

Tom Hanks apparently has more than two brain cells, and he also has more than a passing interest in space.

Tom was on some tv late night talk show (Dennis Miller, I believe) when his space movie came out a couple of years ago.   Someone from Huntsville, AL, called in a question, and DM snickered bigtime that anyone from Alabama even knew space existed.  By the time the caller finished his complex question and Tom gave a most enlightened, serious response, talk show host was left with his mouth hanging open.

I experienced a tiny frisson of delight over talk show host’s astonishment :-)
 

Your namesake Bob Dylan once sang “I don’t care about astronomy” (Slow Train Coming). Is the feeling mutual towards his music, or are you a Dylan fan?
Have you ever changed your name?

You’ve interviewed many astronauts and cosmonauts – if you can name names, who’s your favorite? Or perhaps a most memorable anecdote?

What is your opinion of the X-Prize and suborbital tourism in general?
Also in Robert Zubrin’s first book, “The Case for Mars”, he suggested a series of Government funded Mars Prizes, would this be a good idea for the government to get involved with?
What are the best ways for the Government to help
private space interest & companies?

Apparently Bigelow Aerospace is planning to put up a privately financed inflatable space station prototype (they’re calling it “Genesis Pathfinder”) late next year, using Elon Musk’s “Falcon 5″ rocket. They seem to believe they can greatly reduce the costs of building and orbiting space station modules. Some of the ISS modules cost over $1 billion. Can you explain why the government space components are so expensive, and why the private efforts think they can do so much better?

What is your opinion on the efforts being made to build a space elevator here on Earth using nanotubes? Do you think it will happen in as soon a timeframe as they predict? How do you think its existence would change the scape of space exploration?

Robotics technology is improving at a steady pace, we have robots that can walk on two legs now, and AI technology is also steadily, although slowly, improving. Who knows what we’ll be capable of in the coming decades? Given the difficulties, limitations and dangers inherent in sending humans to Mars, do you think that it will be manned or robotic missions that will play a major role in the future?

What’s your opinion on the idea of terraforming Mars? Is it do-able, and if so, is it ethical? And what about Venus? Its atmosphere and temperature are horrible, of course, so nobody give much thought to terraforming it, but if we could figure out a way to change its atmosphere (perhaps using nanotechnology), its gravity would be much more preferable to humans. Is terraforming of the planets and moons in our solar system inevitable?

Transhumanism is the movement to change humans for the better. Instead of terraforming other planets, doesn’t it make much more sense to change humans so they can withstand many different environments? At the endpoint you just have a conscious computer that can be encased in a shell which could perhaps even explore the sun.

Why do the short-sighted get high scores? Have you heard of libertarianism? Transhumanism?

.
…”Space Advocates Unite for Exploration”, dated Saturday, May 8th, thirteen grass-roots and industrial space organizations announced they were forming the Space Exploration Alliance.

As president of the
New York Chapter of
the National Space Society, you must have had an idea this was being formed, Mr. Zimmerman. Were you involved in the Alliance’s formation?
= Do you think it will be successful promoting space travel?
= Can you see significant changes in attitudes, industry, or funding coming out of this grass-roots movement?
= If there were only ONE thing the Space Exploration Alliance could accomplish, what should it be?

Candace Pankanin is current NSS-NYC chapter president. Bob’s been in the DC area for a number of years now, I think he was last president there almost a decade ago (before my time).