Buzz Aldrin: Mars pioneers should stay there

reply to post by Subversive_Populous

What a nice, delicate, genteel way to put it.

But assuming the mission is mixed gendered, there will still no doubt be ... pressures.




[edit on 30-10-2008 by Phage]

reply to post by ngchunter


the point really is that if were gonna put people there.. might as well keep them and do further research at the planet so it will save us time&money from future space missions due to the fact that THEY ARE ALREADY THERE=]

them comming home right away is and would be stupid. its like .. going to disneyland that takes a year to get there .. then once you get there you have to leave ?!?! wtf

Originally posted by LordBucket

A close-knit family, ala lost in space

...personally I would rather spend the rest of my life with complete and total strangers chosen at random than with my family...

I differ in that regard, though obviously finding the perfect family for the task at hand would be demanding. I think you could find some eligible generational military families, but every single person needs to be in top physical shape - that's the real catch imho.

Except that if they end up spending a few years on mars, it's very likely that their bodies will climatize to the lower gravity. Mars gravity is .38 that of earth. The bone and muscle loss from a few years of that might complicate returning to earth. It would be like somebody who weighs 150 pounds on earth suddenly weighing almost 400 pounds. It would not be easy.

Well, as stated we're talking about a year and a half on the surface, not "a few years," 2.5 years away from earth total. If, and this is a big if, if their trans-mars/trans-earth spacecraft has some kind of centrifugal artificial gravity, even if it's just a subsection where they regularly work out in a partial gravity environment, it would go a long way to keeping them in good enough shape to reacclimate to earth. As I said, it wouldn't need to be full earth gravity and it wouldn't need to be the entire habital section of the ship, just a small area where they exercise daily.

Even if artificial gravity isn't doable, acclimation is still not completely out of the question. Sergei Krikalev holds the record for time in space of 2.2 years. Not continuous, of course, but that's full zero g, not just partial earth gravity. The longest continuous stay in space so far has been 438 days by Valeriy Polyakov and made Mir his home from 1994 to 1995. This was after he stayed in space for 240 days on Mir in from 1988-1989. If a guy can survive for over a full year in space at zero g and still get used to earth again, I think a year in space with time to exercise on a planet with partial earth gravity in between is entirely doable.

Originally posted by Subversive_Populous
we have the tecnology to at least power a computer and send along some movies and games, but I would be more concerned with primal urges. the people sent would have to have those urges stemed or you will have chaos. Even on those long ship voyages to discover new land here on earth they had the cabin boy. Who wants to sign up for that job?? you cant pull into a martian port or truck stop and "sample the local flavors" obviously.

This may come as a terrible shock to you, but they actually allow women too in space missions nowadays. They even design really cool spacesuits for them. Would you feel better if this lady went with you?



news.nationalgeographic.com...

[edit on 30/10/08 by ziggystar60]

reply to post by ziggystar60


Im not shocked, but you may be to learn that not everyone of the opposite sex is going to jump into bed with you just cause there is no other option.

reply to post by Subversive_Populous


I know, I know, I was just teasing you a bit. Peace.

But the people working with the Mars Homestead Project has as one of their goals to keep the new "Martians" happy and content. So I am sure they have thought about this aspect of the every day life in the Mars settlement too...

reply to post by ziggystar60


No matter what it should be interesting. Its going to be rough no matter how well you prepare for something like this, knowing america seeing how all of these people get along is going to be some new reality show.

Real World Mars, on Mtv

Im sure they'll figure out something to keep everyone involved calm...marijuana's still legal on mars , right?lol

im 21 and if nasa wants to send people to Mars with the knowledge they will never return i am volunteering myself for this mission.

im studying biology so im sure i could be of some kind of use.

i dont need to ever come back, im fine with that, just being able to go would be so amazing

Earth, love it or leave it!

Point me in the direction of the rocket, sir. I'll go build the fripping colony myself. I may or may not want company there later.

reply to post by robertnesta


And I thought I would be difficult to find people willing to go to Mars for the rest of their lives. You young people are obviously much braver than I am!



I suddenly feel so old... Where is my rocking chair...

reply to post by ziggystar60


man my dream is to go into space,

iv actually wanted to contact nasa to be a guinea pig, i would have no problem being placed in an experimental type capsule and blasted away from earth faster than anything before in a direction we havent yet gone,

and ill do all the experiments and test they want, i dont need to come back all i need is a window, food that will last years upon years and im set

and i would totally go to mars knowing i could never return,

what a life

You young people are obviously much braver than I am!

It isn't bravery, in my case. It's good old fashioned disgust, and the fact I live alone anyways- I wont need female companionship. (They'd have to DRUG a woman to get her to go into space and be my mate...)

At least there- no one will bother me, no one will wince when they see me, and I wont have to rely on cash to do anything!

Ok.

I would like to point out something that a lot of you do seem to be missing, as well:

There ARE, in fact, people who lack interest in these carnal pleasures. A lot of people, really. There are many medications which, as a side effect, lower sex drives in the patients who take them, as well. I doubt it would be too hard for NASA to develop some kind of drug to suppress these urges, no? So that avenue wouldn't be too hard to cover. In all honesty, given the chance to go to Mars, I would gladly jump at the opportunity to go there, and live for a few decades. What an opportunity that would be!

And yes, I do believe it would be a good trade off.

No sex in exchange for a life on Mars?

Sign me up.

Carnal Desires / Urges aren't everything, you know.

He has the right idea...

But I would add YOUNG PEOPLE

We have one world run by old coots with negative attitudes now... let's get a fresh start shall we?

I'd be willing to go...

A colony has to start somewhere, and it's going to be small and difficult, sending payloads of toys and dwellings is no big deal nor a big expense

a probe to mars is 350 Mil avg... and it needs all sorts of tests designed etc, etc...

could get a bigger, much bigger load uncomplicated for 150 Mil each...

Dollar per dollar thats 13 payloads for what Iraq costs the USA per week

NOT, expensive once you have 10-12 people on the ground to get that colony building away.

You could launch a rocket a week for 7.2 Bil a year

and send another 10-12 people, every few years.


I would recommend, A Female biased crew, avoid territoriality, women deal with stress better and can have children and populate faster, I would do a ratio of 4-8 and use people that are aware they are going to help populate Mars...

A large shipment a week would allow for that growth as well, comfortably in fact...

A single payload could hold thousands of seeds, a second, one heck of a dril to start expanding the base underground...

Really, it's not that tough at all... war will cost us the price of the initial mission, in the next 60 days including tons of supplies... over kill really


It's not to expensive or too difficult

You know why they don't do it?

Because they have no means to control the colonists yet and there is no immediate financial benefit, not for years until it's a large colony.

They could care less about science or a new frontier or the survival of the human race

Look for the first manned Mars mission, to be a private expedition like the pilgrims.

Here we go again on another rock hunt. Shut NASA down right now. NASA is a waster of space. Nobody on this planet needs to be going to some distant barren wasteland to go look around at rocks. If you want to go look at rocks there are plenty of places here on Earth. Otherwise this program is a waste of time and money. It makes no difference if there is water on other planets in this solar system. Too much money is spent on bogus programs in and around NASA. Where are the funds that are supposed to be directed to this Mars program really going? It does not cost that much money to put together space junk. And realistically there is no need to build these obsolete technologies any longer.


It's also very disappointing that Aldrin backs these hacks and won't come clean.


If war breaks out in the US then I'm going to NASA and pulling the pin. I'll sacrifice my life and go down in history. You people will appreciate what I have done for you. Not like these so called space monkeys you call heros.

no joke i just emailed NASA out of bordem

i told them i would be willing to go to mars and never return, and that some like me (young) and majoring in biology with a minor in astrophysics would be an important part of the team.

maybe ill hear back from them who knows haha.

reply to post by jephers0n



*You raise a good point, this wont be an issue for some people, however the likelihood that you will find a full group of people who meet the necessary criteria for the mission who all are willing to never have sex again is very improbable. Not only that, people say they don't want sex, but when its not an option then some would feel stress just knowing they can't if they so chose. Is this the only thing I am thinking of concerning the mission, no. But it would be a serious long term concern.*

I Personally think, if you plan on starting a colony somewhere you better have a way to keep it going for more than one lifetime. ( one very short life time in the event that the elderly are sent)


You would, I think need to sent one group to get the site set and to actually lay the ground work on a working complex that is self sustaining as has back up plans for any know variables. Beyond that you would systematically incorporate more and more people over a relatively short period of time. example:

first party of about 10-15 go to set ground work, living primarily in the shuttle until they construct a base. This will require labor workers and scientists to work side by side with contractors. You will need a diverse group or skilled workers to finish the job, and the diversity will promote an easier environment to live in. You don't have to love the people your with, just get along-just like on earth. I cant remember who said the quote, but "hell is an eternity with your best friend".

After that you would bring in more people, and eventually you might bring in "normal" citizens who could be in charge of gardening in the greenhouse areas and also custodial duties.Additions to the complex would be built as more people migrate, and supplies to build the living space for the new citizens will be sent with the citizens. It would be inevitable that someone will eventually have a child on Mars (my guess is their would be a race to have the first Martian baby, once it became a feasible option, and by that I mean once there is a birthing and surgical facility in place on site. Citizens would then have the nursery job as an option. The society would expand and grow as need dictates.)

after a long enough time they can start production on some of those smog machines to change the atmosphere, or what ever ideas they come up with for that.

so on and so on. (very over simplified, but you know what I'm getting at)

I'm in the military. This whole concept is very similar to a long deployment. One thing I've learned in several of my deployments, they tend to go a lot smoother when you have people you know working beside you. The ones I've been on where we're just kind of thrown together for six months or longer and told to make it happen just never seem to pan out as well.

[edit on 30-10-2008 by bruwin]

I don't think I would want to stay on Mars forever, Mr Aldrin, sir . . . Watch out folks. For those of you who border on being disrespectful to Buzz Aldrin, google "Aldrin punch". He still has a mean right jab for those who might think otherwise. Buzz Aldrin and John Wayne . . . two true American heros!