It's 2013...Soon you can apply to colonize Mars

I'm all for one to go into space. Heck I'd be right there in the back with my hand up jumping up and down but going on a one-way trip to a seriously desolate planet with nothing to do, I'm good.

There must also be tons of perils as well out there. First the incredibly long and boring trip in a tuna can, then setting up shop some how, and how would people (and plants) deal with the constant radiation? Not to mention the differences in temps.

This is an absolutely crucial step in the advancement of humanity.. both in terms of space exploration moving away from a government-based system, and in terms of becoming familiar with dealing with living on other planets.

There is a high likelihood that things will fail and they'll be royally screwed, but at the end of the day - I thank whoever goes for their contribution. I'd love to go, but there's no way I am fit enough to qualify, my academic record is somewhat... crap. If I'd gotten my # together before going to university, rather than being expected to go straight from school, then perhaps things would have been different.
Most of you may see a desolate nothing.. but to certain scientific fields mars is the most interesting place to be.

The plan to keep sending 4 every 2 years... what happens when the economy collapses?


I sure hope the first guys that are sent have enough stuff to last them their entire life, cos I would not be relying on repeat visits in the near future...

where will they be setting up camp?
Cydonia hopefully

reply to post by Ireminisce


I would do it.

As well as volunteer for DARPAs mind machine interface program, their nano enhancement technology and, there was an article not too long ago, about how people 40 and under, may live up to 1,000 years with organ cloning and artificial augmentations. then there is telomere lengthening...etc

So, given that chance of a possibility, I'm game. 100 years to mining operations, and another towards surface construction.

I'd go in a new york second, but i dont have any skills they can use

reply to post by HomerinNC


I call BS, you can type obviously, and read. Those are two important skill sets.



Can you learn, yes.. Well holy cow, your above average. We can work with you, sign right here.

Originally posted by Ireminisce

Within the settlement are inflatable components which contain bedrooms, working areas, a living room and a 'plant production unit', where they will grow greenery. They will also be able to shower as normal, prepare fresh food (that they themselves grew and harvested) in the kitchen, wear regular clothes, and in essence lead typical day-to-day lives.

So, apparently they think food can be grown. Also, according to the site, this is going to be like a reality show. They're already selling Tshirts and other merchandise so money might not be an issue. Also, they plan on sending four more people up every 2 years and having the astronauts build additional housing from Mars clay.

Yea, it sounds like something is going to go horribly wrong.

Mars One

edit on 8-1-2013 by Ireminisce because: (no reason given)

No, people having been living in and testing biodomes for years preparing for this kind of thing. They wouldn't even try if complete self sustainability wasn't possible, personally I think they should try somewhere more interesting, like Europa for example.

Apparently, traveling the normal speed of 25,000 mph, it would take you 14912.9 hours, or 621 days, or 1 year and 8 months at that constant speed for the time when Jupiter and Earth are aligned. If they were opposite in orbit, it would take 40,000 hours, or 1667 days, or 4 and a half years.

mars-one.com...

Been reading this a lot today, everyone's saying "no not for me"
But as far as I'm concerned this would be bigger and more incredible than man being on the moon. The human race needs to do this kind of thing IMO

If I wasnt otherwise engaged to be married , Id be doing this , Before I was engaged I wrote a letter to both ESA and NASA and told them I willingly donate my living body and conscioussness to the development of science and human race to send me to mars , not caring whether I lived or died they didnt reply ! !

The reason being I would be forever remembered as long as the human race existed as the first human to set foot on mars !

I just cant understand why this project isnt going by Zubrins plan , and why he isnt involved in this or the mars society isnt involved!

Surely Zubrin would be all over this !

His plan seems the best and most likely chance of succeeding in developing a colony on mars.

reply to post by Wongbeedman


I personally think that the whole big brother show was a secret government project to test and monitor how humans interact in closed environments for long periods of time , to study our behaviour and our psychological conditions to determine the best way to ensure that things can be done without someone losing the plot and killing everyone !

reply to post by rickymouse


Well, send me with a new version of the ASF battallion (Antarktische Siedlungnsfrauen), tall, blond blue eyed woman with the mission to populate mars I will not disapoint you !

reply to post by skullandbonesband


Well if your going to be like that. I'll lead the other colony for red heads with green eyes.



Willing volunteers of course...sheesh, what sort of caveman do you think I am.

lol

A few ATSers have wondered why this mission chose Mars instead of the Moon. Here's the answer from the FAQ on the Mars One website:

Why Mars? Why not another planet?

After the Earth, Mars is the most habitable planet in our solar system. Its soil contains water and it isn't too cold or too hot. There is enough sunlight to use solar panels and its gravity is 38% that of our Earth's, which is believed by many to be sufficient for the human body to adapt to in a healthy fashion. It has an atmosphere, albeit a thin one, that offers protection from cosmic and the Sun's radiation. An important point is also the day/night rhythm, which is very similar to ours here on Earth: a Mars day is 24 hours, 39 minutes and 35 seconds.

The only other two celestial bodies in orbits near the Earth are our Moon and Venus. There are far fewer vital resources on the Moon, and a Moon day takes, well, a month. It also does not have an atmosphere to form a barrier against radiation. Venus is an veritable purgatory. The average temperature is over 400 degrees, the barometric pressure is that of 900 meters underwater on Earth, and the cherry on top comes in the form of occasional bouts of acid rain. It also has nights that last for 120 days. Humans cannot live on Mars without the help of technology, but compared to Venus it's paradise!

Source

Apply to whom? Martians? The rightful owners? Who would that be that has the authority to grant you permission? Who owns the moon, other planets, the solar system or the entire galaxy? Is the creator accepting applications for anything?

i hope the app process is open to the public i would love to go mars for good. the earth only has 20 or 30 years left to live anyway.

reply to post by ajay59


No person can own the moon, but they can own the rocket that will take you there.

reply to post by avocadoshag


I missed that in the site somehow. Thanks for posting it.

Originally posted by Ireminisce
reply to post by ajay59

 

No person can own the moon, but they can own the rocket that will take you there.

I was alluding to the comment about applying for colonization of Mars. It goes without saying that no individual owns any piece of any body in the universe, though there will always be some nut-job out there who tries to convince us otherwise.

Originally posted by Ireminisce
reply to post by avocadoshag

 

I missed that in the site somehow. Thanks for posting it.

Ireminisce, thank you for creating this thread! I'm very excited about this mission; hadn't heard about it until your post. At first I was skeptical, but the more I read on their website the more convinced I am that they'll succeed. It seems to be a well-thought out plan...yes, there are roadblocks up ahead that they haven't yet imagined but they seem to be proceeding rationally and intelligently.

My first hesitation was about funding; the whole "reality TV" idea seemed like a bad idea to me. But on reflection I think it's brilliant; people will watch this mission in unprecedented numbers and ad revenues could easily pay for the mission.

To be honest, the only *real* issue I see is the unpredictability of the foundation that will support the colony from earth. Eventually, the colonists should be self-sufficient and not reliant on earth to help out. But the first few years after 2023, when supply ships and more colonists are to be sent regularly, are critical. Any interruption in the shipments (due to economic meltdowns, wars, who knows?) could be disastrous to the mission. In order to be successful, the Mars One foundation must have contingency plans in place to allow for the missions to proceed uninterrupted.

I wish Isaac Asimov was alive to witness this; the concept sounds like something from his Foundation series of books.

There is a chance that one of my future lives is going to be on Mars, as a housekeeper, except I might be a clone. In the future, you still have to take orders from other humans, only this time they are so far away that you can't exact justice if they do you wrong. Not a lot going for that place except digital living and science research for the ultra wealthy who don't abide by Earth politics.

I can barely tolerate the concept of living outside my national boundaries, or in a climate where it's too cold. How to tolerate a lower gravity desert environment, living in hamster tunnels, never being allowed to really touch the environment there? How to live without oceans or seeing clouds?

There would be greater chances of colonizing the major deserts of Earth than to succeed on Mars. Your colony would be permanent, and how people pick candidates these days, you're likely to be put on a reality TV show to see who cracks first. A military would turn them into an experiment. It's basically a recruitment for a slave lab.

That said, where do I sign up and how much is the pay?

Originally posted by severdsoul
a group of 4 going to mars with only what
they take with them, no way to come back
and people are wanting this?

NOOOOooo way , not me...
If mars had a atmosphere where one could
grow food, tree's, and such, then i would consider
such a idea a good one,
but i see this as nothing more than sending people to
their death.
It's just a matter of time before they run out of supplies.
then what? not like you can go build a cabin in the woods
and hunt for your food and rough it... there is nothing
on mars.

I see this as a waste of money. Would be a much better idea
to save the cash and when we find a planet that has a atmosphere
that can support life, as well as running water, tree's for oxygen
then send a group there, at least they would have a fighting chance
to survive.

This is just a death sentence for them... there is no real way
to sustain them for long term. What the company is going to
send up a rocket every year with supplies?

Our govt cant even keep people fed here on earth, where food
is abundant, i would not think a company could keep a team fed
and healthy that far away.

There are a few here on this thread that commented on the "waste of money" in sending people to Mars. Yet this quote from the late great Carl Sagan puts it all in perspective:

Yet by many standards, such missions are inexpensive. Mariner Jupiter/Saturn costs about the same as the American aircraft shot down in Vietnam in the week in which I am writing these words (Christmas 1972). The Viking mission itself costs about a fortnight of the Vietnam war.

Mars and the Mind of Man

Governments in the middle ages spent huge sums of gold fighting territorial wars, while others spent money for the exploration of new trade routes, new lands, etc. It's easy to see in hindsight which was the better investment.