MEETING BUZZ

[jdm]

Ignacio and I are meeting with Buzz on Wednesday, any questions you want to ask

Regards
JDM

[johntindall]

Not a question - just tell him an Aussie fan thought it was wonderful when he punched that conspiracy idiot in 2009 (google 'buzz aldrin punch' to see the incident). It might have been just one punch for a man, but it was also one giant punch for mankind.

[NickMUK]

Hi,

Well played, Buzz. Not that I advocate violence but sometimes people do just need a good slap.

A couple of questions I've love you to ask if you get a chance:

1. Will world governments actually follow through with a return to the Moon and/or manned mission to Mars? Or will they buckle due to factors such as budget constraints or decide to spend money fighting social problems such as poverty/AIDS/climate change? (I'm all for space exploration but it is hard to justify over stopping people that are suffering.)

2. What does he think of private enterprises such as Virgin/SpaceX/Reaction Engines Ltd (Skylon) that are now entering the space industry? Will it lead to a non-government astronaut corps? (I'd particularly like to know what he thinks of the Skylon project, if he's heard of it.)

3. Does he believe in alien life out there somewhere? in any shape or form, regardless of contact with humans. (He's probably fed up with this one.)

I'd love to know Buzz's answer to any of these questions, and I could think of hundreds more.

Oh and if his Mars plan is a one way trip can I submit my application, as a geologist I'd love to go.

[Nacho84]

Hello Nick,

Although we didn't ask your questions verbatim, some of the things you asked actually showed up during the meeting, which luckily for was quite lengthy (3+ hours!) and gave us plenty of time to discuss things about space in general and about the game in particular.

Regarding your first question, Buzz thinks that the return to the Moon should be a cooperative effort among several nations, although we understand that it's something very difficult to execute as it requires a long-term commitment... something which is not compatible with politics

We briefly touched on the subject of private enterprises. The biggest issue with them lies in finding a viable business model for them to subsist, but he reckons that there are strong players out there who are taking an incremental approach and have great chances of success.

We didn't discuss alien life, although we showed him some of the work we have been doing in the past few weeks and he joked about labelling the panels from the Saturn V's third stage as UFO 1, UFO 2, UFO 3 and UFO 4, he has a very good sense of humour!

His idea for a trip to Mars involves a return as well. Check out his webpage in order to learn more about the Mars Cycler: http://buzzaldrin.com/space-vision/rock ... rs-cycler/

Cheers,

--Nacho

Edit: Typo and added the link for Buzz's webpage.

[MajVonRyan]

A great man, I wish him all the best from the land of Oz (Australia)

[NickMUK]

Hi Nacho,

Thanks for answering my questions. I'm glad to see that someone like Buzz is so positive about the future of space exploration, it would be such a shame for it to dwindle as it really does inspire children to get involved in science and engineering. I'll be certain to check out the Mars Cycler website out.

Nick

[Witchaven]

Good day.
Will be possible play for USSR space agency?

[Nacho84]

Good day.
Will be possible play for USSR space agency?

Hello Witchaven,

No, in SPM you get to control a single global agency which features a mixture of programs from NASA, the Soviet Union, ESA, JAXA, etc.

Cheers,

--Nacho

[jdm]

Notes on our Look through the keyhole Blog about our meeting with Buzz

Regards
JDM

[testarossa]

Good day.
Will be possible play for USSR space agency?

Hello Witchaven,

No, in SPM you get to control a single global agency which features a mixture of programs from NASA, the Soviet Union, ESA, JAXA, etc.

Cheers,

--Nacho

Nacho,

Really think that some historical scenarios need to be considered. The "kumbaya" world of space exploration we live in right now just isn't that exciting, except for maybe Space X

[Nacho84]

Good day.
Will be possible play for USSR space agency?

Hello Witchaven,

No, in SPM you get to control a single global agency which features a mixture of programs from NASA, the Soviet Union, ESA, JAXA, etc.

Cheers,

--Nacho

Nacho,

Really think that some historical scenarios need to be considered. The "kumbaya" world of space exploration we live in right now just isn't that exciting, except for maybe Space X

Hello testarossa,

Thank you for your message. The focus on SPM is on exploration, not political matters. I made the decision early on when I started working on it back in 2007 that SPM would be more like a 'software toy' where players are given a wide range of programs to choose from and they can have fun by experimenting and trying different approaches. That being said, we will evaluate the development of a game with a Cold War setting in the future. In any case, if you like space exploration I believe SPM won't disappoint you

Cheers,

--Nacho

[Witchaven]

Do you make in BUZZ expedition to Saturn, Jupiter and Alpha Centauri? Will be in game rockets with nuclear engine?

Thanks for game! Concept is beautiful!

[Nacho84]

Do you make in BUZZ expedition to Saturn, Jupiter and Alpha Centauri? Will be in game rockets with nuclear engine?

Thanks for game! Concept is beautiful!

Hello Witchaven,

SPM will be limited to a crewed expedition to Mars. We want to keep the whole concept of the game in the 'science fact' realm and, although a trip to Alpha Centauri is certainly interesting, we wouldn't be able to fit it in the game without resorting to the use of technology which doesn't currently exist. That being said, we're planning to provide a "Project Orion" (the nuclear propulsion program from the 1950s, not the recent MPCV) alternative for conducting the trip to Mars.

Glad you liked the game! Lots of effort went (and is still going!) into it, so I'm sure you'll enjoy the game once it gets released