U.S. Outlines N.S.A.’s Culling of Data for All Domestic Calls

Together, the new round of disclosures shed even more light on the scope of the United States government’s secret surveillance programs, which have been dragged into public view and debate by leaks from the former N.S.A. contractor Edward J. Snowden.

The Office of the Director of National Intelligence released the newly declassified documents related to the domestic phone logging program at the start of a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on the topic. Simultaneously, The Guardian published a still-classified 32-page presentation leaked by Mr. Snowden that describes the N.S.A.'s XKeyscore program, which mines Internet browsing information that the agency is apparently vacuuming up at 150 network sites around the world.

The documents released by the government, meanwhile, include an April ruling by the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court that supported a secondary order — also leaked by Mr. Snowden — requiring a Verizon subsidiary to turn over all of its customers’ phone logs for a three-month period.

It said the government may access the logs only when an executive branch official determines that there are “facts giving rise to a reasonable, articulable suspicion” that the number searched is associated with terrorism.

The releases also included two formerly classified briefing papers to Congress from 2009 and 2011, when the provision of the Patriot Act that the court relied on to issue that order was up for reauthorization. The papers outlined the bulk collection of “metadata” logging all domestic phone calls and e-mails of Americans and are portrayed as an “early warning system” that allowed the government to quickly see who was linked to a terrorism suspect.

“Both of these programs operate on a very large scale,” the 2011 briefing paper said, followed by something that is redacted, and then: “However, as described below, only a tiny fraction of such records are ever viewed by N.S.A. intelligence analysts.”

Both programs traced back to the surveillance efforts the Bush administration secretly started after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, and which initially operated outside statutory authority or court oversight. The Bush administration later obtained orders from the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court to continue them.

The Obama administration has said it shut down the program that collected e-mail “metadata” in 2011, but it is not clear whether such collection has continued under a different program.

The newly disclosed XKeyscore presentation focuses in particular on Internet activities, including chats and Web site browsing activities, as intelligence analysts search for terrorist cells by looking at “anomalous events” like who is using encryption in Iran or “searching the web for suspicious stuff.”

In contrast to the domestic-call tracking program, the example cited in the XKeyscore presentation — which said it had generated intelligence that resulted in the capture of more than 300 terrorists — appeared to be focused on overseas activity.

A map showed 150 network sites around the world at which the N.S.A. is collecting that information; it is not clear whether the governments in those places are aware of the spying.

The volume of data is so vast that most of it is stored for only three days, the presentation said, although “metadata” — information showing log-ins and server activity, but not content — is stored for a month.

Several of the pages on the presentation were redacted by The Guardian.

But the presentation shows that while much of the focus from Mr. Snowden’s revelations so far has been on communications — whether calls or e-mails — that are linked, directly or indirectly, to a known suspect, the N.S.A. is also collecting and searching through massive amounts of Web-browsing activity.

“A large amount of time spent on the Web is performing actions that are anonymous,” the presentation explains, saying that the XKeyscore system can extract and store retrospective activity from “raw unselected bulk traffic.”

One example of how analysts might use the system is to search for whenever someone has started up a “virtual private network” in a particular country of interest; VPNs are pipelines that add greater security to online communications. N.S.A. analysts are able to use the system to extract the activity retrospectively from “raw unselected bulk traffic” and then decrypt it to “discover the users.” 

Lionsgate Calls 'Ender's Game' Author's Anti-Gay Views 'Completely Irrelevant'

Lionsgate called Ender's Game author Orson Scott Card's anti-same-sex marriage views "completely irrelevant" to the forthcoming big-budget movie version of the hit book.
A gay rights-oriented sci-fi and pop culture group called Geeks Out organized an online effort to get fans to boycott the movie because of Scott's views. Card's views had become an issue in February when he signed on to write a Superman comic for DC. He later dropped out amid the furor on his views. Now Lionsgate is stepping in to quell the controversy less than a week before it is scheduled to promote the movie at Comic-Con. The studio had already announced that Card would not appear at the Hall H panel for the movie, which will feature stars Harrison Ford, Asa Butterfield, Hailee Steinfeld, director Gavin Hood and producer Bob Orci. Lionsgate calls itself "proud longtime supporters of the LGBT community" and that it does "not agree with the personal views of Orson Scott Card and those of the National Organization for Marriage" [the anti-same-sex marriage organization associated with Card]."The simple fact is that neither the underlying book nor the film itself reflect these views in any way, shape or form. On the contrary, the film not only transports viewers to an entertaining and action-filled world, but it does so with positive and inspiring characters who ultimately deliver an ennobling and life-affirming message."The statement ends with Lionsgate reaffirming its commitment to the LGBT community. On July 8, Card tried to pre-empt criticism by issuing a statement to Entertainment Weekly saying the book had nothing to do with his political views and asking for "tolerance" from same-sex marriage supporters because "with the recent Supreme Court ruling, the gay marriage issue becomes moot."He added,"it will be interesting to see whether the victorious proponents of gay marriage will show tolerance toward those who disagreed with them when the issue was still in dispute."See Lionsgate's full statement:“As proud longtime supporters of the LGBT community, champions of films ranging from GODS AND MONSTERS to THE PERKS OF BEING A WALLFLOWER and a Company that is proud to have recognized same-sex unions and domestic partnerships within its employee benefits policies for many years, we obviously do not agree with the personal views of Orson Scott Card and those of the National Organization for Marriage. However, they are completely irrelevant to a discussion of ENDER’S GAME. The simple fact is that neither the underlying book nor the film itself reflect these views in any way, shape or form. On the contrary, the film not only transports viewers to an entertaining and action-filled world, but it does so with positive and inspiring characters who ultimately deliver an ennobling and life-affirming message. Lionsgate will continue its longstanding commitment to the LGBT community by exploring new ways we can support LGBT causes and, as part of this ongoing process, will host a benefit premiere for ENDER’S GAME."

Phone calls return to Gmail thanks to a Hangouts upgrade

Google is making good on its promise to bring back free voice calls in Gmail, after temporarily removing them a couple months ago.

Voice calls disappeared from Gmail in May, when the company replaced Google Chat with a new feature called Hangouts. While Hangouts still allowed users to make video calls and receive calls to their Google Voice numbers, the ability to make outbound calls to landlines and mobile phones was missing, at least for a little while.

Over the next few days, Google will roll out an updated version of Hangouts, restoring outbound voice calls and adding new features to the service.

 
Users can now create a group call by adding multiple phone numbers, and can have mixed calls with some recipients on voice and others on video. Google's also throwing in some silly effects, such as applause and laughter, through the Google Effects app.

Calls within the United States and Canada will remain free. (Last we heard, Google had extended free calls through 2013; we've reached out to Google to see if it'll stay that way indefinitely now.) Hangouts users in other countries can now call the United States and Canada for free as well. Calls to outside the United States and Canada are still subject to various per-minute rates.

So far, there's no word about whether SMS messaging will be brought back to Gmail, but chances are it'll show up eventually. Google has said that Hangouts is “designed to be the future of Google Voice,” so it seems likely we'll see more integrated Voice features, such as SMS and voicemails, over time. (Here's hoping we do, at least.) For now, you can still send text messages from your Google Voice number using the Google Voice Website.

Google says voice calls should be available over the next few days, appearing as a phone icon on the right side of the “New Hangout” box. Users will also be able to make calls through Google+ and the Hangouts Chrome extension, using the drop-down menu on the right side of the “New Hangout” box.

FTC commissioner calls for way to 'reclaim your name'

U.S. consumers should be able to reclaim control of their personal data from data brokers, websites and other companies, a member of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission said Wednesday.

 

Commissioner Julie Brill, a long-time privacy advocate, will push for an initiative called Reclaim Your Name that would give consumers knowledge and technology tools to reassert control over personal data held by companies, she said. Consumers should be "the ones to decide how much to share, with whom and for what purpose," Brill said during the Computers, Freedom & Privacy Conference in Washington, D.C.

 

Reclaim Your Name would allow consumers to find out how data brokers and other companies are collecting and using data, give them access to the data collected and allow them to opt out of collection for marketing purposes, Brill said. The initiative would help consumers navigate the potential down sides of collection of their information in the name of big data analytics, she said.

 

In some cases, big data collectors are "taking advantage of us without our permission," Brill said. "Often without consent or warning, and sometimes in completely surprising ways, big data analysts are tracking our every click and purchase, examining them to determine exactly who we are -- establishing our name, good or otherwise -- and retaining the information in dossiers that we know nothing about, much less consent to."

 

Consumers should have access to more information about what data is collected, she said. "Many consumers have been loath to examine too closely the price we pay, in terms of forfeiting control of our personal data, for all the convenience, communication, and fun of a free-ranging and mostly free cyberspace," she said. "With ... knowledge comes power -- the power to review, this time with eyes wide open, what privacy means -- or should mean -- in the age of the Internet."

 

Companies that participate in Reclaim Your Name would agree to tailor their data handling and data choice tools to the sensitivity of the personal data they collect, Brill said. Companies that handle sensitive data would provide greater transparency and "more robust" notice and choice to consumers, she said.

 

Brill called on credit reporting agencies to develop better tools to help consumers understand and correct their credit reports. "There are simply too many errors in traditional credit reports," she said.

 

Reclaim Your Name would fit in with the FTC's push for an online do-not-track mechanism, Brill said. Do-not-track would allow consumers to choose when their data is collected for marketing purchases, and Reclaim Your Name would give consumers access to online and offline data already collected and give them some choice about how that data is used, she said. "Together, these policies will restore consumers' rights to privacy that big data has not just challenged but has abrogated in too many instances," she said.

 

Brill didn't give a lot of details about the initiative, but said she would be working on it in the coming months.

 

Follow me on Twitter @sajilpl

FTC commissioner calls for way to 'reclaim your name'

U.S. consumers should be able to reclaim control of their personal data from data brokers, websites, and other companies, a member of the U.S. Federal Trade Commission said Wednesday.

FTCFTC Commissioner Julie Brill

Commissioner Julie Brill, a long-time privacy advocate, will push for an initiative called Reclaim Your Name that would give consumers knowledge and technology tools to reassert control over personal data held by companies, she said. Consumers should be “the ones to decide how much to share, with whom and for what purpose,” Brill said during the Computers, Freedom & Privacy Conference in Washington, D.C.

 

Reclaim Your Name would allow consumers to find out how data brokers and other companies are collecting and using data, give them access to the data collected, and allow them to opt out of collection for marketing purposes, Brill said. The initiative would help consumers navigate the potential down sides of collection of their information in the name of big data analytics, she said.

 

In some cases, big data collectors are “taking advantage of us without our permission,” Brill said. “Often without consent or warning, and sometimes in completely surprising ways, big data analysts are tracking our every click and purchase, examining them to determine exactly who we are—establishing our name, good or otherwise—and retaining the information in dossiers that we know nothing about, much less consent to.”

 

Consumers should have access to more information about what data is collected, she said. “Many consumers have been loath to examine too closely the price we pay, in terms of forfeiting control of our personal data, for all the convenience, communication, and fun of a free-ranging and mostly free cyberspace,” she said. “With ... knowledge comes power—the power to review, this time with eyes wide open, what privacy means—or should mean—in the age of the Internet.”

 

Companies that participate in Reclaim Your Name would agree to tailor their data handling and data choice tools to the sensitivity of the personal data they collect, Brill said. Companies that handle sensitive data would provide greater transparency and “more robust” notice and choice to consumers, she said.

 

Brill called on credit-reporting agencies to develop better tools to help consumers understand and correct their credit reports. “There are simply too many errors in traditional credit reports,” she said.

 

Reclaim Your Name would fit in with the FTC’s push for an online do-not-track mechanism, Brill said. Do-not-track would allow consumers to choose when their data is collected for marketing purchases, and Reclaim Your Name would give consumers access to online and offline data already collected and give them some choice about how that data is used, she said. “Together, these policies will restore consumers’ rights to privacy that big data has not just challenged but has abrogated in too many instances,” she said.

 

Brill didn’t give a lot of details about the initiative, but said she would be working on it in the coming months.

 

 

The Bachelorette Preview: Michael Calls Ben an "Absentee Father"

Memo to all present and future Bachelor hopefuls: Making someone else look bad in an effort to make yourself look good is not as effective a tactic as you might think. Case in point? This preview clip from the fifth episode of The Bachelorette -- airing Monday, June 24 -- in which Michael G. attempts to expose Ben as this season's villain while on a two-on-one date with Desiree Hartsock.

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Ben has been the odd man out since the very beginning of the season; none of the other guys competing for Des' affections like him, trust him, or think he's there "for the right reasons." Until now, however, Des has remained in the dark about his reputation, and Michael wants to change that.

"Ben is this absentee father who mentions his son and uses his son when it serves him," Michael says in a confessional. "It's sickening."

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With that in mind, Michael uses his and Ben's date with Des in Germany to grill Ben about his ex and his son, prompting the single dad to admit that he hasn't had any contact with the little boy since coming on the show. (He chalks it up to the time difference.)

Desiree takes seven men on a group date to the German Alps on episode 5 of The Bachelorette.
Credit: ABC/Nick Ray

Michael then proceeds to tell a story about his own experience with an absentee father, which annoys Ben. Des, for her part, is mostly silent throughout the interaction, but she appears visibly uncomfortable to be caught in the middle.

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"What I thought was going to be fine and we were going to be able to be civil...I was totally wrong," Ben says in a confessional. "I don't know how much more of what he's saying I can take."

Watch the tense two-on-one date now, and tune in to The Bachelorette on Monday, June 24, at 8 p.m. EDT to see Des and the rest of the guys in Germany!

 

The Bachelorette Episode 5 Recap: Ben Calls Date With Desiree and Michael the "Worst of His Life"

In episode five of The Bachelorette, Ben and Michael nearly come to blows on their date with Desiree Hartsock, while James reveals his plans to become the next Bachelor Credit: ABC/Nick Ray

The course of true love never did run smooth. This week's episode of The Bachelorette -- the fifth in Desiree Hartsock's quest for love -- was a bumpy one for the show's romantic heroine and her 11 would-be suitors. One guy had a devastating revelation about his relationship with Des, two other guys nearly came to blows on their date with her, and someone else revealed his intentions toward her to be somewhat less than honorable. There may be a fairy-tale ending still to come, but is there a prince?

The episode opens with the remaining bachelors arriving in Munich, Germany, for the first international stop on their "journey to find love." After a quick briefing with Chris Harrison, they retire to their hotel, where the first of three date cards is delivered to Chris (the contestant, not the host). "In Munich, we can fall in love with each other," the card reads in German.

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Chris sets off to meet Des for a day of sightseeing -- it's her first time in Europe, and she wants to just explore the city and all that it has to offer. Things are going well for them, but trouble is brewing back at the hotel. While they're shopping and eating sausages and trying on traditional German costumes (lederhosen, anyone?), Bryden is having a heart-to-heart with the other nine guys about his feelings -- or lack thereof.

"The longer I'm here, the worse I feel," he says in a confessional. "Des is an amazing girl, and it's not that we don't have a connection...Things just aren't progressing the way they should be. There's something missing."

After talking it over with the guys, Bryden decides he needs to leave. And for some reason, he can't wait even an hour to tell her. He actually tracks her down on her date with Chris to basically ruin whatever fun the two of them are having, which turns out to be dancing to polka music in the middle of a public plaza.

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"This date is perfect. Today is perfect. And I don't think anything could go wrong," Chris says naively, seconds before Bryden shows up.

Bryden apologizes to Chris for interrupting the date and then pulls Des aside to tell her he's just not that into her. (He doesn't use those words exactly, but that's the gist of it.) He lists his reasons for going home, tells her he considers her a friend now, and then sends her back to "enjoy" the rest of her time with Chris, who is understandably confused and worried about what it is Bryden is doing. 

Des, for her part, is sad, annoyed, embarrassed -- and maybe a little heartbroken. "It hurts," she says. "But I'm not going to let Bryden affect my date with Chris. Not at all. I just want to get back to Chris so that I can feel happy again." 

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Chris rises to the occasion, and in that way, Bryden's exit actually turns out to be a good thing for him. Later that night, he and Des bond over a romantic dinner in a real-life castle, and he assures her that, unlike Bryden, he's in this for the long haul. "I'm in a place now where I'd rather be in a relationship. I'm ready to start a family and build a new life," he says. He then proceeds to bring her to tears with a poem he wrote for her on the plane ride over to Germany.

"You showed me what a true man is, especially after what I've had to deal with," she tells him afterward, pinning the rose on his lapel. "I couldn't have asked for a better date."

But wait -- the date's not over yet! After dinner, Chris and Des are treated to a private concert by Matt White. "This is epic. This is a fairy-tale," Chris says in a voiceover as he and Des sway together on the dance floor. "I am slowly but certainly falling in love with Des. And I think it's mutual. She doesn't have to say it. She can say it through her kisses, she can say it through her eyes. I know it's happening. This is real, and this is happening."

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The next day, Des meets Juan Pablo, James, Zak, Brooks, Drew, Mikey, and Kasey for a group date on top of a mountain, where they're given a lesson in yodeling. That's followed by some sledding, which Zak likens to the whole Bachelorette experience. 

"You know, love is like sledding down this hill," he begins. "From the first day, we all pushed off and looked down and said, 'Here we go.'"

The rest of the group date -- which consists of beer and pretzels in a giant igloo -- is relatively uneventful, although it seems as if the guys have found another villain in James. They don't understand what Des sees in him, and they worry he may have ulterior motives for getting close to her. (They're right, but more on that later.) He and Des spend some one-on-one time making out, but in the end, Brooks gets the date rose.

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Meanwhile, back at the hotel, Chris is sitting in awkward silence with Michael and Ben, who are gearing up for their two-on-one date with Des. "I don't even want to look at the f--king guy, let alone spend the day two feet away from him on a date with the girl I like," Michael says of Ben in a confessional. Later, as the two share a silent limo ride on their way to meet Des, he muses in a voiceover: "Today, Ben will be found guilty of fraud and impersonation of a Southern gentleman."

Des has other ideas. She wants to see how Ben and Michael interact with each other in awkward situations -- so she strands them in the middle of a freezing lake in something called a hot tug, which is like a cross between a hot tub and a boat. Unable to escape without risking hypothermia, the guys start to passive-aggressively hash out some of their issues. Michael, attempting to prove that Ben is an "absentee father," grills him about his ex and his kid, prompting the single dad to admit that he hasn't talked to his son since coming to Germany. (He chalks it up to the time difference.)

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Ben is not happy. "What I thought was going to be fine and we were going to be able to be civil...I was totally wrong," Ben says in a confessional. "I don't know how much more of what he's saying I can take."

"This is not good," Des says in a confessional. "Michael is definitely pushing Ben's buttons. I feel so uncomfortable."

Things only get worse from there. Once the trio are back on solid ground, Michael's attacks intensify. During dinner, he presses Ben for answers about why he doesn't get along with the rest of the guys in the house, and why he didn't go to church with everyone on Easter Sunday. Des is visibly uncomfortable, and she says so -- but Michael will not let up. Ben, to his credit, keeps his cool until Michael takes another dig at his parenting abilities, at which point he politely excuses himself from dinner to take a breather (read: pace outside while cursing a lot). 

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"I knew coming into dinner tonight that it was going to be awkward, but I had no idea it was going to blow up so quickly," Des says. "And now I'm conflicted because I don't know what I want to do with the rose. I may want to let both of them go."

After confronting Michael about his aggressive tactics, Des goes outside to check on Ben. She seems to sympathize with him, but she admits later that she has reservations. "I know that there are some things the guys don't like about him," she says. "And for Ben to be the outcast in this wonderful group of guys, that says something."

Des goes back to Michael to find out what exactly he doesn't like about Ben, and he makes his case. It doesn't really seem all that convincing -- especially in light of Michael's own bad behavior on the date -- but it does the trick. Much to everyone's surprise, Des gives the rose to Michael, which means Ben is going home. And he does not take it well.

"You want me to sit here and look unhappy? I'm not," he sneers in the limo. "Tonight will go down in history as the worst date of my life." 

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He then proceeds to taunt the producers about how they "missed out" on having him as the next Bachelor and asks the limo to take him somewhere to get drunk. As the car drives away, he's overheard asking how long he has to wait before he can be seen in public with someone.

The drama is far from over, though. Ben may be gone, but James is still very much a contender for Desiree's heart -- and Kasey and Drew have some new, unsettling information about him. Apparently, they overheard him bragging about his scheme to use the show (and Des) to boost his love life with other women. He thinks he's got a good shot at being the next Bachelor if he makes it to the top four, and he's already imagining all the dates he'll get when he goes back home to Chicago. Kasey and Drew plan to tell Des about this during the pre-rose ceremony cocktail hour, but their plans are foiled when she calls off the party. She already knows which guy she wants to send home -- and it isn't James.

Zak, Kasey, Juan Pablo, Drew, Brooks, Michael, and James are safe for another week, which leaves Mikey the odd man out. But judging by the previews for next week's episode, it looks like he's escaping just in time.

 

Buzz Aldrin calls for a Mars colony

22 June 2013 Last updated at 00:11 GMT By Theo Leggett Business reporter, BBC News Buzz Aldrin was the second person to walk on the Moon in 1969 On 21 July 1969, when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin first set foot on the surface of the Moon, it appeared as though mankind was on the verge of a new age of space exploration. After all, if the moon could be conquered, what could prevent us travelling to other planets, even to other solar systems?
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It's in human nature to explore, to find a location to begin a settlement. And it is in reach”

End Quote Buzz Aldrin Astronaut Nearly half a century later, the dreams that once seemed so tangible now look more remote than ever. The last man to walk on the Moon was Eugene Cernan, who made the long trip home in December 1972. Since then, humans have been content to orbit the earth, in the realms occupied by satellites and the International Space Station. But we have never again broken free.

Now, one of the original lunar pioneers believes the time has come to make another great leap for mankind. Buzz Aldrin thinks that manned missions to Mars should take place sooner rather than later - within the next quarter of a century. And we shouldn't stop there. He thinks we should begin planning a permanent colony on the Red Planet.

I caught up with him on a visit to the Paris Air Show, where he has been publicising his new book, "Mission to Mars: My Vision for Space Exploration". A relatively sprightly 83-year-old, he has a reputation for tetchiness - and he certainly dealt rather brusquely with onlookers' requests for autographs. But when I asked him about Mars, he became engaging and animated, showing a boyish enthusiasm for the subject.

So why does he think we should be sending astronauts to the red planet?

"Why did the the pilgrims on the Mayflower set out to open up the New World?" he asks.
Colleagues at NASA's Jet Propulsion Lab celebrate the Mars Curiosity Rover's successful landing in 2011
"Because it's in human nature to explore, to find a location to begin a settlement. And it is in reach."

The simple answer then, appears to be "because it's there". But there is also a more pragmatic reason. He believes that efforts to explore the surface of Mars to date have taken far too long, because the current generation of Mars rovers have to be controlled remotely from Earth - and it takes about 20 minutes for radio signals to be passed each way.

"One programme manager, who was in charge of doing that with two robots for five years has said we could have accomplished just as much in a single week, if we had had human intelligence controlling them from nearby - from an orbit around Mars itself", he says.

But a mission to Mars would have to overcome huge technological challenges, and would certainly be phenomenally expensive. So who would pay for it all?

"The nation that decides that it is worth doing," he says, "and I believe that is the United States. The United States will commit to doing that."

Yet, at the moment governments around the world are attempting to cut back their spending, and Washington is no exception. In the current climate, it seems almost inconceivable that a government could commit untold billions to fund interplanetary exploration.
The Mars Curiosity Rover has been taking images of the planet since August 2012
On the other hand, private firms are showing an interest - companies such as Mars One, a not-for-profit Dutch foundation, which says it plans to establish a colony on Mars by 2023. It wants to use technology developed by the American firm Space X, a business fronted by the maverick entrepreneur Elon Musk.

Mr Aldrin points to these firms as evidence that there is enthusiasm for exploring Mars - yet he still believes that governments will have to lead the way.

"Private enterprise usually enters into activities seeking a return on investment," he says.

"That's why we didn't go to the moon in the '60s and '70s just relying on private investment. It was a national investment is science, in development and to assist in the commercialisation of space."

In other words, the commercial benefits may be there - but the rewards are too uncertain to attract enough private backing.
Buzz Aldrin believes we should colonise Mars over the next 25 years
Mr Aldrin's vision involves astronauts being trained on the Moon for a life on Mars, and ultimately for new colonists to be brought to the new settlement on a routine basis. He thinks this could be done using "interplanetary cyclers", spacecraft that are permanently moving between Mars and Earth.

But such a plan needs willing volunteers, who must be prepared to travel across space with little prospect of ever returning home. A return journey may in fact become physically impossible after much time spent in the weaker gravity of Mars.

Yet he thinks there will be no shortage of volunteers, and the response to the Mars One initiative suggests he is right. Since announcing its plans in April, it has received tens of thousands of applications from would-be Martian explorers.

"I think that the people who go there will be remembered in history as pioneers," he says, "and the world leader who makes a commitment to establishing a permanent presence on another planet will also be remembered in history as a pioneer."

In fact, as befits one of the very few men ever to have set foot on another world, "pioneer" seems to be Buzz Aldrin's favourite word. It's a term that has rather fallen out of fashion on our well-mapped planet.

But he believes the time has come time to broaden our horizons - and rediscover once again the spirit of exploration.