Space exploration volunteers wanted (The catch? It's a one-way ticket)

How annoyed would you be if you travelled for like 40 years to reach some distant star, and then about 10 minutes before you get there another ship appears and it turns out earth just discovered how to do faster then light travel

Ok, its illegal to try to take your own life, but to go on a mission of no return, well its alright to kill yourself that way.

Well I always thought it would be a great idea to make space exploration experiences with convicts on the death row... ya know... all those murderers, psychos, rapists and pedophiles... like, send a probe with a human inside towards the sun, and monitoring the human behavior and physical response until possible...

Or just send one of them in an automated ship and shoot it though the galaxy... if he wants to live he has to "report" if he doesnt just cut the oxygen supply or crash it against a near-by moon when the research was over... or make him travel through the Kuiper Belt...

I thought that would never happen... now I see a light at the end of the tunnel. YES do sacrifice some humans for humanity's knowledge please. Theres so much unneeded people walking this earth.

This is really one of those thoughtful threads.

On one hand i'd be happy to go. To be the first person to go that far into space and to see things people can only imagine (and some things people cannot imagine).

But like someone pointed out earlier, theres only so many stars and UFO's etc you can see without getting bored. It's not as if you get to venture onto these planets, you'd be stuck in a bubble essentially. I predict after 5 years AT MOST you'd become suicidally bored.

If The mission i would be taking would last long enough for me to reach a good old age then i would do it. Only if it would actually accomplish something, like discovering life or introducing new theories to advance human understanding.

If I went, I would need an internet connection and a free World of Warcraft account.
I've been clean for 2 years, but I think thats a good reason to start back up again...

seriously though, I'm sure there are a ton of people who would love to do this. But it would suck if you were stuck with someone in the crew you didnt get a long with... and then what happens when other people start to die around you?

reply to post by halfmanhalfamazing


Doesn't say anything about NASA looking for volunteers!!!

As i said in another thread here a trip in outter space would be the ultimate journey and exploration..... i'd definately volunteer myself and i'm sure there would be comms to use internet so like the crew could beam back live images of what they are doing on the ship....... it would be cool!! As long as you got on with all the crew it would be safe.... even if you didn't you could always go to your room for a while or a different part of the ship...... I also don't see why all the crew would need to be trained professionals.... why? I'm not a trained professional but i know about alot of stuff because i've had experience of life so i'd be pretty good up there.... just need to use my head in situations..... of course you would need an engineer, doctor, electrician, Technician but believe me they would also need some people who have lived in the real world and who are creative at thinking and using their mind......... sharp & tactical.... people who would have quick reactions and quick thinking ability!

[edit on 24-7-2009 by TruthxIsxInxThexMist]

reply to post by Odessy


You see what i said above about quick thinking?

You could always eat the dead if your own food supply had finished....

I didn't read through the entire post and I do apologize if someone else has posted the same thoughts as I.

My first impression is that someone will be held liable for homicide or at least assisted suicide.....yes?

My second thought is that, yes, they would be able to have you return in lieu of above...or third, they know that there is a welcoming committee out there and that you would arrive safely.

And, of course, it could just be an absolutely ridiculous plan. Hmmm.....

Just another NASA bonehead idea!

Make a Death Star for me and off I GOOOO.

Originally posted by Melbourne_Militia
Yep, sign me up.....

one way to Mars......as long as I can take my family with me.....id start my own clan/race of humans there....woo hoo!

if you're only taking your family and you wish to populate an area, you're looking at incest my friend

nice article. makes me think about if i'd want to

Where do I Sign up?! As long as I would have a crew with me I would be good, I would gladly go and do something that no one has done before as long as I get to tell everyone back home the truth about what I experience there. Which I doubt NASA would let anyone do.

this is very cool, but things are going good for me on planet earth and i would never be able to leave my family. I think id rather stay here and enjoy my time with my family and cats.

Sorry, I didn't read all of the responses, but I was just watching yesterday about the trip to mars. 6 months there and back plus the astronauts will have to stay on mars for a year and a half. Why such a long time there? The astronauts will actually have to mine raw materials for fuel to get home along with growing their own food. We are talking real pioneer business here. They said it would make the moon trip look like childs play.

Key-eye....no thanks.

if they made a giant multi-generational space ark that was spacious and had different levels so it wasnt claustrophobic i could see it being pretty cool,kinda like star trek or mass effect. except one moment you look out past jupiter and see an alien fleet would you be worrying. lol, but they should build the ark in space,then ferry the volunteers or families to it.

reply to post by Odessy


What happens when you're the last one...? Do you go mad? Die from grief? Soldier on?

If you do Soldier on how do you go about it? Do you go on spiritually like in The Fountain? I think that's how I'd choose. Lots of meditation. Writing, Painting, You'd make lots of recordings just to listen back to them after awhile and know that you still exist and that you existed before. Identity becomes meaningless but you cling to it because it's all you have, or maybe you abandon it because you've given up things like Identity and Speech and Time. Does Time even matter anymore at that point? Who's judging what an hour is any longer? You? What good does it do you? Do you really have a true destination at this point? Sure the boys on Earth say, "your mission is to head to this place now." But why do it? It's not like going the other direction will have you finding something any less amazing. You have no destination, no need for time, no need for self, no need for anything really. You just keep moving. Hoping to find the unfindable.

It's kind of epic.

I'm not sure if I would go or not. At 22 it's unlikely, I'd like to see a few things around here first at the very least.

Originally posted by muzzleflash
I think we can solve our prison population problems this way.

Just send all violent offenders.

They get outta jail free, we get to advance mankind (and reduce prison expenses).

WIN WIN WIN

Certainly could be a option for lifers...hey, spend life in a cell or on a ship with relative freedom, scrubbed record, and a place in history...I think most of em would jump for the opportunity

reply to post by halfmanhalfamazing


He sure is taking a stupid approach towards Mars. We see govt, and possibly alien craft that can travel to the moon and back in 5min or less. Carr built a craft that was able to do this. This world needs new management.

reply to post by Renegade Bison

one way to Mars......as long as I can take my family with me.....id start my own clan/race of humans there....woo hoo! if you're only taking your family and you wish to populate an area, you're looking at incest my friend

Well, that's how Kentucky and West Va got populated.... *runs off snickering*

Seriously... Why bother with 'wondering' if some far off space mission would need volunteers? Basically we're all just sitting around playing "I wanna be when I grow up...". No one in the know cares about what we think- no space agency is gonna pick us for a one way trip... they're far too happy sending tinkertoys into space so they can send back grainy, hard to figure out pictures. If they did more, people would start to think and dream again, and ya cant have that, now, can you? So- it's gonna be a very long time of 'thoughts' of manned missions, and watching the govt 'stop funding' or whatever, and let people sink back into their recliners for more trash from the flicker box.