http://www.mininova.org/tor/2499297

Mars Underground tells the tale of a group of people – in this particular case – of scientists, that isn’t accepted by the mainstream decision-makers of their institutional (in this case, scientific) community.  This is the story of the quest for Mars and of the plan’s forefather, Dr. Robert Zubrin. After the Apollo mission to the moon, it was clear to Zubrin that NASA works better if it is entrusted with a mission that has only one, clear, objective – as was the case when they had to master a plan to conquer the moon. Unfortunately for Zubrin, there are politics involved in the NASA budgeting and high position egos are also at stake. How will someone come up with the plan, then?

The main idea is easy: Wasting money on pending space stations or on a second tour to the moon should be halted – and instead, a tour to the only known planet that
has the required resources for humanity to thrive, Mars – should be expedited.

Zubrin’s plan was already given a chance during the Bush senior administration, when NASA asked for $450 billions in expenses in order to finance a second visit to the moon and a first visit to Mars. As expected, the plan was not approved by the US Congress. Zubrin then stepped in and recalculated the whole visit to Mars and concluded that only $25 billions would actually be necessary. He tried to harness support for this plan in NASA and other scientific institutions was actually successful in doing so, until some high positioned NASA big-shots rejected his plan again.

The plan’s key, stated briefly, is to spend more time 0n researching Mars instead of 0n the combustibles to get there. Sticking a flag in the planet’s surface, as was done with the moon, will not suffice or be satisfactory this time around. The first cargo would wait until the orbits of Mars and Earth orbits are closest to each other and would then enter Mar’s atmosphere, saving astronomic sums in combustibles. The first cargo would also include only one space shuttle, that will produce – using a small nuclear  reactor – the sufficient amount of combustible needed for trip back from Mars to planet earth, from the moment it lands on Mars. In the meantime, a second space shuttle will take off from earth, with cosmonauts aboard, who will be expected to stay in Mars for 6 months – thus, dividing the space cargo into 2 parts, which will rotate and be connected to one another and allowing for the needed gravity to be created, with all of its beneficial implications.

The expedition of scientists would eventually set a record for staying in Mars for 1 year,   and will have sufficient time to conduct all warranted researches. Among them, is to try to recover any proof of earlier life that supposedly existed on Mars, another test would be to pollute the planet atmosphere so as to bring about a rise in temperature that will lead the iced waters to melt and water the soil. However, some in NASA still object to the whole idea and claim that staying on Mars will expose the astronauts to great danger emanating from radiation and raise the probability that they will be afflicted with cancer.
In response to this matter, Zubrin suggested that a centered area inside the spaceship will be built, in order to protect the passengers from the extreme radiation caused either by the Sun or other particles traveling in space. Zubrin also pointed out that  “These  cancer odds are greater for smokers, only a 1% increase in the chances of developing cancer would grow for those members of the crew.

Knowing

Nicholas Cage and what is left of his hair depict a sigle parent professor of science with a gifted son and a passion for astronomy.  This is a sience fiction movie around the topic of the end of the days for our planet earth and how a man knows about it, nobody listens to him and how he tries to stop destiny from ocurring. One day John Koestler, our professor, will stumble on a piece of paper filled with numbers he will try to decifer; and he does, getting from it, dates of terrible disasters world wide, the number of victims it will provoke and finally he will also know latitude and longitude for them = where. So now our professor knows it all and goes on a try to mold what is to come, being defeated by destiny. Expected and long final, some nice pics all and all in the film, a better monster pick-up and poor acting: I just appreciate from Nicholas Coppola “Peggy Sue got married” and “Wild at Heart”, the rest is just trying to pay bills acting.  Score: 3.

Garbage Warrior is a fantastic documentary abou t the life project of an american architech in New Mexico, Michael Reynolds. After completing his formal studies he becomes aware that modern architecture does not build having in mind man neither his enviroment. This will make him, together with global warming and the need for sustainable housing, get into a journey of creating housing without the need of having any cooling, heating, running water. His houses will provide all these and more: even fruits and vegetables from the green houses he designs and buids. This passion for becoming stronger by being less and less dependant on electricity, water and others that come from the resources providers companies. He came up with the revolutionar idea of isolating from cold and hot by using garbage tires filled with dirt and soda cans. Both will provide thermo isolation from cruel winters cold and from dessert high temperatures. Water will be gathered from at the roofs from night moisture and birds and vegetation will habitate inside the house compound. Electricity will come from solar panels and wind power. His dream attracted some hardcore followers who today live at the same project spot with him, each at his own house. The sad part of his dream as asual were the orthodox authority who wanted, as storsionist, a cut of the cake, meaning: “either you pay us or we hunt you”. The board of architects, or something named like it, took from his his architect license. The local government, came out saying his houses are illegal so he cannot build more of them. It took him several years to Michael to get back what it was his. I felt some kind of sadness while watching how an optimistic, positive and progressive individual is being hunted by the legal mob. Score: 7

The narrator, Werner Herzog, with a strong German accent (yes, the director of “Little Dieter needs to fly”), takes a trip to this isolate virgin scientists paradise and looks like he falls in love with it. During the stay he manages to interview the small number of special chosen individuals dwelling there: some members of the scientists community, other handymen, other computer specialists. An amazing voyage into the Antarctica, an amazing beautiful, quite, dangerous, place filled with secrets ready to be revealed to the curious mind. Sometimes this place reminds you of the images we have of the moon. Fauna, flora, rocks, volcano, microorganisms, all of them are observed and studied. Each of the persons that live has his own attractive story. A trip into the unknown, I hope human predetermination does not disturb the true hiding behind all the special phenomena present in this awesome piece of our globe. It is amazing how after the great effort human put into exterminating all living creatures in this part of the world such as the seals, the latter don’t hold a grudge and collaborate.  Score: 6.