Maybe it's just me, but I'm at a complete loss here. This article describes a Dutch company's upcoming one-way trips to Mars. Seriously. They're going to recruit "colonists" who want to go to Mars...and stay there.
The thing that confuses me is why the trip is one-way. They're planning on sending up new groups of colonists every two years, so I don't understand why when those people arrive others can't just leave.
Oh, they're also planning on turning this whole thing into a reality TV show. So we'll get to watch as people lose their minds and wish they'd never taken the trip up there.
Anyone thinking about signing up? I can guarantee you I won't be on the list.
IMO this is a ridiculous idea. A reality TV show?!?!!??? And this is supposedly one way. What are they gonna do if something happens that they aren't prepared for
I should clarify that the reality show is a ridiculous idea, not the colony in general
Device(s): White Samsung Galaxy Note 2 AT&T,
Blue Samsung Galaxy S3 VZW,
White Samsung Galaxy S4 AT&T
Carrier: Not Provided
Thanks: 4,309
Thanked 2,004 Times in 1,067 Posts
Perhaps the trip is only a one way journey because after each group of colonists arrive, the vessel that carried them will self destruct? Hey, it could happen!That way, the fuel prices are kept down, and we all know how expensive fuel would be for that trip.
I'd like to submit my own list for that trip!
Device(s): Galaxy S3 (Verizon)
Evo 4G - retired/rooted
Carrier: Verizon
Thanks: 3,024
Thanked 1,721 Times in 1,162 Posts
I heard something about this last summer, and being a bit of a space nerd, I like the idea. Maybe not for a reality TV show, but a Mars colony isn't a bad idea. The Earth won't last forever and getting people to spread out across this little part of the galaxy is a nice idea.
Maybe we'll discover the remains of a Death Star just beyond our reach...
Perhaps the trip is only a one way journey because after each group of colonists arrive, the vessel that carried them will self destruct?
I think the reason is that if it takes forty years to transport living humans there and another forty to bring them back, it’s not worth the effort. It’d be better to let them go forth and multiply.
I can think of a few people I'd like to put on that first flight! Anyway...
I cannot fathom why anyone would want to do this. First, you'd lose years of your life getting to Mars. Just picture what that one part of this would be like. I'd go nuts from the isolation, the distance from Earth, the reality that everyone I know is forever out of reach, etc. Then the desolation once on Mars, combined with the continuing realization that your old life is irrevocably gone.
I think the reason is that if it takes forty years to transport living humans there and another forty to bring them back, it’s not worth the effort. It’d be better to let them go forth and multiply.
According to the article, it'll take ten years:
"Mars One only asks that applicants be at least 18 years of age (they will be 28 by the time they land on Mars), speak English and don’t have any pressing business on Earth — ever. This is a one-way kind of deal."
Also, if anyone can't read the original article I linked to [in the LA Times] because it requires a subscription, let me know and I'll paste its contents here [with full attribution, of course].
Device(s): Samsung Moment, Droid 4, LG Spectrum, 2x Nook Tablet, all rooted.
Carrier: Verizon
Thanks: 54
Thanked 101 Times in 79 Posts
I'd go, but I'm probably too old, I'll be almost 60 by the time I'd get there, even if I was in one of the first groups.
But I concur, most of the people going well have significantly shortened lives once they arrive, if they can land in one piece.
If they were smart, they would build a moon colony first, then launch from there and setup a space station orbiting around mars, then find a way to do landings from the space station.
__________________
LG Spectrum -- Rooted and running CM10.1 official M2 thanks to TDM (and too many others to list).
B&N Nook Tablet 16GB -- running CM10.1 with 10 finger multitouch
Device(s): Galaxy S3 (Verizon)
Evo 4G - retired/rooted
Carrier: Verizon
Thanks: 3,024
Thanked 1,721 Times in 1,162 Posts
Quote:
Originally Posted by finndo77
I'd go, but I'm probably too old, I'll be almost 60 by the time I'd get there, even if I was in one of the first groups.
But I concur, most of the people going well have significantly shortened lives once they arrive, if they can land in one piece.
If they were smart, they would build a moon colony first, then launch from there and setup a space station orbiting around mars, then find a way to do landings from the space station.
10 years seems remarkably slow -Curiosity had a flight time of 8 months. And I don't think we can maintain a closed life support loop for that long, so if that's the flight time (and I've not read the link yet) I'd really not recommend signing up.
Can you imagine spending ten years on the equivalent of a Greyhound bus packed with what start as complete strangers? And then, as reward for that, you spend the rest of your life in one of those tent things, where it’s -200-something outside.
The Following User Says Thank You to jefboyardee For This Useful Post:
Can you imagine spending ten years on the equivalent of a Greyhound bus packed with what start as complete strangers? And then, as reward for that, you spend the rest of your life in one of those tent things, where it’s -200-something outside.
No, I truly can't. Which is why I'd never sign up for something like this--and why I can't grasp why anyone WOULD sign up.
Device(s): Samsung Galaxy S3, HTC Desire Z, Asus Eee Pad Transformer with Keyboard Dock,
Nokia N97
Carrier: Bell
Thanks: 148
Thanked 379 Times in 310 Posts
Quote:
Originally Posted by Hadron
10 years seems remarkably slow -Curiosity had a flight time of 8 months. And I don't think we can maintain a closed life support loop for that long, so if that's the flight time (and I've not read the link yet) I'd really not recommend signing up.
But I really doubt anything will come of this.
The trip will not take 10 years. I checked out the web site and it shows a timeline of the plans spanning into the 2020's. There are several phases with milestones every couple of years to set up the facilities to accept the colonists. Once the facilities are in place, the trip to send the first group of colonists will take less than a year to complete. There will be a group of 4. Then additional colonists will follow every couple of years.
Not sure where the 10 years came from. Possibly for the entire length of the project to get the first colonists. Also, the colonists will need to undergo some training to acclimate themselves to being isolated by putting them in some remote area for a long period of time.
This is definitely an interesting endevour. Personally, I would not volunteer.
I was going by this quote from the original article:
"Mars One only asks that applicants be at least 18 years of age (they will be 28 by the time they land on Mars), speak English and don’t have any pressing business on Earth — ever. This is a one-way kind of deal."
I was going by this quote from the original article:
"Mars One only asks that applicants be at least 18 years of age (they will be 28 by the time they land on Mars), speak English and don’t have any pressing business on Earth — ever. This is a one-way kind of deal."
You're absolutely right! And this is when I get to pull out my favorite excuse for brain farts of this magnitude: It's the brain tumor I had. It affected my ability to think clearly!
Just wondering if any of you who think you WOULD go for something like this, what do you think your life would be like? Do you think you'd go nuts after a while? I know I would. Wouldn't you miss what you've left behind? Knowing that it's not reversible, regardless of what happens to you, your mind, your family, whatever, how would you deal with that?
I love space exploration. And I really love Neil deGrasse Tyson! (I'm an uber fan of his )
Click on the link to the right for this episode to see whether we can make it to Mars. NOVA | Can We Make It to Mars?
__________________
New to the forum? Check out the FAQ Site Rules Problematic Posts -> hit that Report button
Just wondering if any of you who think you WOULD go for something like this, what do you think your life would be like? Do you think you'd go nuts after a while? I know I would. Wouldn't you miss what you've left behind? Knowing that it's not reversible, regardless of what happens to you, your mind, your family, whatever, how would you deal with that?
Depends on whether I'd be able to get a 3G signal.
But I guess it would be a bit like the first immigrants to make the move to North America from Europe, but worse. More like the English prisoners being shipped to Australia, knowing they can never go back.
But I'm sure that for some people it would be a dream come true - SPACE TRAVEL!!! And you could actually call yourself in all sincerity a Martian! It would be like living in a Ray Bradbury story!
You're wrong. Mars already has inhabitants. I work with them daily.
I think I met them. Please tell them to stop putting their tentacles in the chocolate pudding in the cafeteria. I am sick and tired of the flavor it imparts and boy, do not even get me started on the scales they leave behind.
Depends on whether I'd be able to get a 3G signal.
Quote:
But I guess it would be a bit like the first immigrants to make the move to North America from Europe, but worse. More like the English prisoners being shipped to Australia, knowing they can never go back.
Yes, I see it much more as the latter. Kind of like being banished with no way back.
Quote:
But I'm sure that for some people it would be a dream come true - SPACE TRAVEL!!! And you could actually call yourself in all sincerity a Martian! It would be like living in a Ray Bradbury story!
So true, so true.
I wonder if individual doses of cyanide are included among the supplies each colonist will take with them...
How many hotties are going with me? Because I'm not going if its gonna be a sausage fest!
Yes this is the most important question to be asking, if the colonists are indeed expected to "prosper, learn, and grow". Yes a sausage fest would make me miss what I'd left behind.
How many hotties are going with me? Because I'm not going if its gonna be a sausage fest!
If not for the fact that I WOULDN'T want to spend the rest of my life on Mars, I'd go if the rest of the group was all guys. Of course, I don't know how much of a "hottie" I'd be considered at this point in my life... Disabled, out of shape, middle aged... Yeah, let's just scratch the whole idea.
I wonder if individual doses of cyanide are included among the supplies each colonist will take with them...
Baaad plan: a place like that you'll need all of your resources to survive, so removing yourself will endanger everyone else.
I see the point you're making, but suicide will SURELY be part of the aftermath of this project. Once the reality sinks in that there's no way home, you're stuck on Mars with its inhospitable environment, there's virtually nothing to do, almost no one to socialize with, etc., boredom and, most likely, insanity will follow. So if not pre-supplied cyanide, they'll find some other way.
How about if the "preparation" for the first colonists was to set up a great Las Vagas-like resort, focusing on entertainment. So that whenever new colonists arrived, they had a social environment in which to stop going crazy, replete with bars, cinemas, etc. You could easily set up a comms link that would provide the latest cultural products from earth - such as film and music etc. Not to mention androidforums and Facebook.
Imagine the pioneering Martians could even engage themselves in creating the first cultural exports for Earth consumption - Martian Cinema, Martian music.
Admittedly the image on the homepage of Mars One paints a grim picture with the twelve or so little pods to live in, but let's face it, there are a lot of people who spend a lot of time on the internet in their houses, and I don't see it too difficult to imagine they could cope with being cooped up in their prefabricated accomodation as long as they had Internet access.
Admittedly the ping to Earth and back would be diabolical
That's just it, though, @davoid. There's no way the infrastructure up there can possibly be ready for that kind of demanding use by the time the first colonists arrive. And there will only be a handful of them. So there will be neither huge numbers of people to socialize with nor the kind of entertainment you're talking about. And then what happens when their Internet connection goes down?! I'm in the technology epicenter of the world, California, and have had to go for as long as three WEEKS without Internet after rain caused a widespread outage.
What would happen to them if their power failed? or their water source? Of course there will be backup systems in place for everything but, still, redundancy is no 100% guarantee.
Device(s): Samsung Galaxy S3, HTC Desire Z, Asus Eee Pad Transformer with Keyboard Dock,
Nokia N97
Carrier: Bell
Thanks: 148
Thanked 379 Times in 310 Posts
Quote:
Originally Posted by MoodyBlues
That's just it, though, @davoid. There's no way the infrastructure up there can possibly be ready for that kind of demanding use by the time the first colonists arrive. And there will only be a handful of them. So there will be neither huge numbers of people to socialize with nor the kind of entertainment you're talking about. And then what happens when their Internet connection goes down?! I'm in the technology epicenter of the world, California, and have had to go for as long as three WEEKS without Internet after rain caused a widespread outage.
With only 4 people in a confined area, I would think the experience would be pretty dull. There have been a number of astronauts who have spent months in the international space station. However, the trip itself will take a little less than a year. Then you still have to live in a less confined space. I think perhaps the training on earth will involve isolating them for years so they get used to it enough.
The other thing I would wonder about is offspring. How would it be for the child/children growing up in such an environment. With the lower gravity on Mars, their physical development will be different than if they had grown up on earth. These offspring would have difficulty functioning on earth if they every came here as our gravity is higher than on Mars.
Quote:
What would happen to them if their power failed? or their water source? Of course there will be backup systems in place for everything but, still, redundancy is no 100% guarantee.
I guess they'd have to find that Martian reactor and release breathable air into the atmosphere.
The movie 2001 makes sense all of a sudden. They put astronauts to sleep, more like a coma, then woke them when the ship neared its destination. That is, until Hal got feisty.
Device(s): Galaxy Note, Motorola Xoom, HTC Evo V 4g, Galaxy S3
Carrier: Virgin Mobile, T-Mobile
Thanks: 155
Thanked 117 Times in 91 Posts
And have you noticed that until they announced about that asteroid that's supposed to hit us in 2036 or so, that it wasn't a rush to get to Mars? Now they want to have contests, send up supplies and all that. And they're not talking about "astronauts " as normal, but "colonists".
I think perhaps the training on earth will involve isolating them for years so they get used to it enough.
And if it does, I believe many FORMERLY enthusiastic would-be colonists will decide it's not really their cup of tea.
Quote:
The other thing I would wonder about is offspring. How would it be for the child/children growing up in such an environment. With the lower gravity on Mars, their physical development will be different than if they had grown up on earth. These offspring would have difficulty functioning on earth if they every came here as our gravity is higher than on Mars.
I doubt that offspring and their potential problems will be an issue--because I can't convince myself anyone will live long enough up there to HAVE children. I'm just not seeing how the insanity factor won't kick in.
Here's how I see it: Unlike settlers in the US and other countries on Earth, colonists who go to Mars will not have a NATURALLY hospitable, livable environment. Everything about their lives will depend on artificial support. While early settlers in North America had to deal with natural problems like brutally cold winters, at least they could do things like find wood to build fires, make materials for clothing and blankets, grow food, find plenty of sources for fresh drinking water, and so on--and when they got sick of freezing their asses off, they could mosey on out west to find sun and warmth. On Mars, they won't even be able to go outside dressed normally, let alone grow anything, and there won't be anywhere to move TO that'll be better than where they already are.
So, for me at least, it comes down to ultimately realizing they goofed by going up there, and as that reality sinks in more and more, they're either going to turn on each other or themselves.
79Likes
How about a ONE-WAY trip to Mars?
I can guarantee you I won't be on the list.
That way, the fuel prices are kept down, and we all know how expensive fuel would be for that trip.
