It is always sad to hear of the passing of great people like Mr Mellberg that offered a common sense that is in short supply these days.

I think we’ll all miss him.

Note the ‘Farewell to a wise and thoughtful commentator on space’ comment by Paul Spudis:

“In recent years, both Bill and I have watched in dismay as America’s civil space program has deteriorated from an ever-advancing effort to push the boundaries of human experience beyond low Earth orbit into a self-deluding, Potemkin Village obsessed with a ‘Journey to Mars.'”

For the rest of us still living on the Home Planet, we need to keep on trying to do our best to encourage a scientific space program based on tapping Lunar resources, industrializing the Moon, and developing Cislunar Space.

Thanks Bill and good luck. You are one of the very few who ever had a single good thing to say about my comments. Thank you for not being a NewSpace groupie.

Always looked forward to Mr. Mellberg’s posts. They added a great historical (not to mention practical) view of the topic under discussion.

Wish I had had the chance to tell him how educational I found his inputs.

He will be missed.