Frank Drake
<p>Jan 11, 2012 07:54 PM  email is fdrake@ucsc.edu
 
I spoke to Frank today outside SETI.
 
2 topics:  
 
robots on Mars rather than humans...
I told him my quote abt the MARS Hilton.
 
he agrees with me !!!!
he says that that is also NASA's internal position (most NASA brass feel that way)
but its a public relations dilemma.  (prob cause of popular public support for manned missions).
 
He says MOST OF THE PAYLOAD in a mission to mars would be for shielding for solar flares...
would need this until a shelter was built.  We did not even discuss the transport of oxygen,
food, water, etc.
 
SETI...
 
I tell him my position that I agree with Kurzweil... likely to be machine-based rather than bio.
He says... you think its  robots all the way down  (paraphrasing... turtles all the way down a la Stephen Hawking).
 
He tells me that he still hopes there are other bio based ETs out there..
 
TPF  terrestr planet finder...
 
I say  maybe the Chinese will build the TPF.
He agrees !!!  They are v interested in astronomy  and want to improve their standing
in space exploration.  They are now building a radiotelescope  twice the size of Arecibo !!!
called FAST  in SW China.
 
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