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design219 · Nov 1, 2009, 08:29 PM

A One-way Ticket to Mars

The idea has some appeal... if you're crazy... which apparently many of us are.

nonhuman · Nov 1, 2009, 08:48 PM

Yes.

Where do I sign up?

ghporter · Nov 1, 2009, 09:17 PM

That depends on who'd go with me and what resources I'd have when we got there. You couldn't surf the 'net there (too far for a voice conversation, so data would also be more laggy than any gamer could possibly imagine!), so I'd need plenty to read, and theoretically plenty of jobs to do as well.

The company would be the most important part, though. Not just "a right person" or right people, but THE right person or people. That will be the diciest part of crew selection no matter what type of mission goes to Mars. Oh, and Mars needs women. Seriously.

turtle777 · Nov 1, 2009, 09:19 PM

Originally Posted by ghporter

Oh, and Mars needs women. Seriously.

Have you thought about going to Venus ?

-t

Laminar · Nov 1, 2009, 09:47 PM

Originally Posted by ghporter

Oh, and Mars needs women. Seriously.

Yes. Yes.

nonhuman · Nov 1, 2009, 10:00 PM

Oh man, that takes me back.

residentEvil · Nov 2, 2009, 07:45 AM

I've been ready to go to Mars for years. There is no reason why, taking volunteers...for any space exploration...shouldn't be viewed as anything other than a "good thing".

Spending all this time, money and effort, in simulators and "tests" is crap. Take volunteers and have at it. Want to know if something works in the real world? Do it in the real world!

One way ticket or not; I'd go in a heartbeat.

Oisín · Nov 2, 2009, 08:13 AM

Nah. I get cranky when the temperature goes below –100°.

ghporter · Nov 2, 2009, 08:31 AM

Originally Posted by residentEvil

I've been ready to go to Mars for years. There is no reason why, taking volunteers...for any space exploration...shouldn't be viewed as anything other than a "good thing".

Spending all this time, money and effort, in simulators and "tests" is crap. Take volunteers and have at it. Want to know if something works in the real world? Do it in the real world!

One way ticket or not; I'd go in a heartbeat.

I agree with you almost 100%. But unfortunately, there are a majority of "nervous Nellies" who think that anyone getting a hangnail doing anything new should mean that whatever that new thing is should be banned. Since NASA needs public funding, they have to be very careful so as not to muss the astronauts' hair or cause indigestion.

I think "exploration" is a dangerous job for volunteers. Of course every astronaut is a volunteer, but they are also very highly qualified people. Are those qualifications really essential to the job? Does it take a PhD in physics to be able to read instruments and report the findings? Does it take graduate work in anything to do the manual tasks current astronauts are doing? I think not. These specific requirements are there so as to identify the smartest, quickest, and most broadly educated people they can find, so that the crew has the most chance of seeing and correcting a problem early.

Once the basic systems are designed and proven (in space, with PhD astronauts), THEN I think less well-schooled volunteers would be appropriate - and acceptable to the nervous Nellies.

One thing that I don't think can be relaxed though is a very high standard of fitness. Not just because fit people are stronger, faster and quicker (physically and mentally), but because they're biologically more efficient and far less prone to injury or illness. Of course that lets me out of the running, with worn out knees and the resultant "larger than I like" waistline, I'm certainly not the picture of fitness that is needed for a long-duration job like just getting to Mars. But that doesn't mean that I don't support people who haven't (yet) worn out THEIR knees lining up for a chance.

osiris · Nov 2, 2009, 09:52 AM

Yes, I'd take that ticket. Then I'd promptly sell it on eBay.

finboy · Nov 2, 2009, 08:50 PM

Originally Posted by ghporter

Once the basic systems are designed and proven (in space, with PhD astronauts), THEN I think less well-schooled volunteers would be appropriate - and acceptable to the nervous Nellies.

The opportunities won't be there once all that prototyping has been done, I'm afraid. Other nations are going to supplant our efforts, or that's how it looks at this point.

design219 · Nov 2, 2009, 09:00 PM

I think there is a huge difference in pioneers coming to the new world and pioneers going to Mars. At least they knew there was air in the new world.

Shaddim · Nov 2, 2009, 11:53 PM

Mars? Hell no.

msuper69 · Nov 3, 2009, 06:42 AM

I wouldn't do it but I can think of one very, very, very prominent politician here in the USA that I would LOVE to send to Mars on a one way ticket.

ghporter · Nov 3, 2009, 07:26 AM

Originally Posted by finboy

The opportunities won't be there once all that prototyping has been done, I'm afraid. Other nations are going to supplant our efforts, or that's how it looks at this point.

Here's the thing: it's not like our R&D is exactly public. Other nations attempting to get to Mars before us would have to work like mad to just develop crew spaces that would work, let alone work well. I don't think any other country is in a position to get there first-at least not successfully.

And getting there first will be the mission the PhDs prove themselves on. Every probe we've sent to Mars has discovered something odd or otherwise unexpected that has made major changes in how the mission of the probe ran. For example, the two rovers with an expected life of 90 days are still sending back data how long after that? Those doctorate-astronauts will have to think fast to adapt to stuff when they get there, and then develop plans and routines that take everything about the place into account. Once they figure out the big issues, (first, maybe second mission), then the people who will exploit our being there first will be ready to go-people with solid skills and a willingness to get dirty in "the last frontier." Yep, it'll be a contest alright-for second place.