Editing Mars Direct (section)

===Development===

While working at [[Martin Marietta]] designing interplanetary mission architectures, Robert Zubrin perceived a fundamental flaw in the SEI program.  Zubrin came to understand that if [[NASA]]'s plan was to fully utilize as many technologies as possible in support of sending the mission to Mars, it would become politically untenable.  In his own words:

<blockquote>The exact opposite of the correct way to do engineering.<ref name = "Mars Underground" /></blockquote>

Zubrin's alternative to this "Battlestar Galactica" mission strategy (dubbed so by its detractors for the large, nuclear powered spaceships that supposedly resembled [[Battlestar Galactica (ship)|the science-fiction spaceship of the same name]]) involved a longer surface stay, [[Interplanetary travel|a faster flight-path]] in the form of a conjunction class mission, [[in situ resource utilization]] and craft launched directly from the surface of Earth to Mars as opposed to be being assembled in orbit or by a space-based [[drydock]].<ref name = "The Case for Mars">{{cite book | last1 = Zubrin | first1 = Robert | author-link = Robert Zubrin | last2 = Wagner | first2 = Robert | last3 = Clarke | first3 = Arthur | title = The Case for Mars | publisher = Free Press | edition = 1st Touchstone | date = October 16, 1996 | page = [https://archive.org/details/caseformarsplant00zubr/page/51 51] | url = https://archive.org/details/caseformarsplant00zubr/page/51 | isbn = 0684835509 }}</ref>  After receiving approval from management at Marietta, a 12-man team within the company began to work out the details of the mission.  While they focused primarily on more traditional mission architectures, Zubrin began to collaborate with colleague [[David Baker (aerospace engineer)|David Baker]]'s<ref>{{cite web|title=Lat-Lon LLC|url=http://www.sos.state.co.us/biz/BusinessEntityDetail.do?quitButtonDestination=BusinessEntityResults&nameTyp=ENT&entityId2=19991230608&srchTyp=ENTITY&fileId=19991230608&masterFileId=19991230608|website=Colorado Business Records|publisher=Colorado Secretary of State}}</ref><!-- adding citation since redlink --> extremely simple, stripped-down and robust strategy. Their goal to "use local resources, travel light, and live off the land" became the hallmark of Mars Direct.<ref name = "Mars Underground" />