[Eriamjh]

A One-Way, One-Person Mission to Mars: Who Wants In?

I'd go, but not alone. I'd need at last someone to keep me from going crazy. ...or someone to kill me when I do.

Other than your own personal aspirations, what do you think about this concept? What do you think about a country or organization that actually suggested or planned such a thing? Crazy or genius?

If you launched a person to Mars, the trip would take 18 months. There is a launch window every 26 months, so assuming you actually had enough supplies launched with you (or on a separate rocket), you wouldn't get resupplied for another 44 months. If you traveled alone, it would be at least 44 months before your planet-mate showed up.

Communicating with earth has a 40 minute round-trip delay, so phone calls are not really possible. You couldn't surf the internet with a light-speed 1 billion terabit per second connection. Each click would take 40 minutes!

Imagine what you would see. Assuming you could actually walk on the surface in a spacesuit, you wouldn't get to go far without having to return to base. Unless they shipped you there with a "Mars car" or a mobile facility, you'd be stuck in one place on a planetary wasteland.

Sadly, the most likely result of a one-way trip to Mars, would be a short-term quantity of supplies (like a few months), and you'd die of starvation or run out of air in that time. That would suck.

But then you'd be the first one on Mars and your name would live on forever.

Link with some info.

[mdc]

Not only the first on Mars, you'd be the first person to step foot on a different planet; you'd be famous forever.

I don't think you'd be able to survive on Mars alone for 26 months until someone else arrives. I think you'd would have gone mad and starved long before that. They'd probably give you some cyanide-type tablet which you could use to kill yourself before you starved.

If they could land a moon rover on the moon I assume the least they could do is drop one on Mars with you. Maybe write something into your contract that after you've done their soil samples and other NASA work and shortly before you're going to die you could say good bye and drive off on your Moon buggy; go look for little green men.

I got 26 months alone on Mars since you'd leave and 18 months later you'd arrive on Mars. 8 months after you arrive (26 months since you left) they'd send another person and they'd take 18 months to arrive, thus 26 months alone on Mars and all-in-all 44 months since seeing another person.

[sek929]

I'd rather be the first person to make a grilled cheese on the moon.

[Mithras]

Oh, I'd do it. Would be nicer if there could be some hope of resupply, of course.

In a similar vein, would you take a one-way trip into the future? Say, 100 years, or 1,000, or 10,000?

[::maroma::]

I would do it in a heartbeat. Where do I sign?

[sek929]

At least with you on Mars that sig won't see the light of day again...

[richwig83]

Originally Posted by Mithras 

Oh, I'd do it. Would be nicer if there could be some hope of resupply, of course.

In a similar vein, would you take a one-way trip into the future? Say, 100 years, or 1,000, or 10,000?

No but I'd take a one way ticket back to the 1930s!!! Thats when it was all happening, so many great musicians were around in that era, I'd have a field day!!

[nonhuman]

In a second. I'll take any trip to another planet without a second thought.

Same with the time travel. Either direction.

[::maroma::]

Originally Posted by sek929 

At least with you on Mars that sig won't see the light of day again...

Oh worry not, I would make an AppleScript that logs on to MacNN and posts a random post every day whilst I was on my epic journey.

[Warren Pease]

Yes.

I dreamt I had to go to Mars.

I'm always kidding on about going to Mars for the day
But faced with the reality of it, in a dream, i was terrified.

And it wasn't going to be like a moon trip
There was three of us going, but we couldn't all go on the same ship
We had to go one at a time with a day between us.

I had to go first, and it was the thought of passing through all that black
space
All the darkness with nothing in it, and then being the first one to land there,
all alone... I knew it was supposed to be all dark around, with just a red
surface
But what if I got there and it was light, all civilised and populated and stuff?

So I made a plan.
The other astronauts were going to be my dad and my sister
And my dad would come first after me
So i decided when i landed i would just stay in my seat until he got there
And then we could get out together and have a look around
And see what sort of things were there.

And when I woke up and I was lying in the darkness, I thought I had landed.
And I just lay still for a while, waiting for my dad to get there too.

[sek929]

Originally Posted by ::maroma:: 

Oh worry not, I would make an AppleScript that logs on to MacNN and posts a random post every day whilst I was on my epic journey.

It's this kind of planning that helped you win that game...
Uh-oh, Halo 3 banter is leeching from the Gaming Forum

[@pplejaxkz]

Is there internet on Mars???
-----
I think I'll keep my feet on the ground.

[nonhuman]

If you don't mind an extremely high latency connection, then sure.

[ShortcutToMoncton]

Totally. Instantly.

greg

[MacinTommy]

Give me a few beautiful women, a bunch of alcohol and a video library that has every season of every show and every movie ever put out up until the day I leave. Oh and a guaranteed supply ship at least once a year.

[Chuckit]

The dude says it's risky, but not a suicide mission. What part of "one-way" is he not understanding?

[torsoboy]

Nope, not for me. I would never do something like that. Sure, the idea is "neat", but after a week or two of walking around a barren wasteland I think the thrill would wear off. And then you would have the next few years in the most boring place imaginable. No plants, no animals, no lakes, no people, no technology, no anything. No thank you.

[keekeeree]

Originally Posted by @pplejaxkz 

Is there internet on Mars???

Heh...reminds of this quote I found a while back:

"There are three kinds of death in this world. There's heart death, there's brain death, and there's being off the network." ~Guy Almes

[CollinG3G4]

Not as long as Cohaagen has a monopoly on air.

[l008com]

Call me crazy, but I have no death wish, and there for don't want to be on a one way trip to mars.

Now a 1 hour trip to mars, using an artificial-gravity powered near light speed space ship, sign me up for that.

Now 1000 years in the future... I dunno. I've seen the year 2999, and it's scary. Aliens all over the place. People flying around in tubes. Nibblers pooping out dark matter. Santa clause going around killing people. And robits all over the place. I dunno, I don't trust those robits! What the hell was this thread even about?

[residentEvil]

yes, now. no hesitation. there is no reason multiple ships can't have been launched with supplies before you got there, and during every launch window more take off. be it to support 1 person or 3 (mechanical/electrical engineer, hot slut and me).

seriously, i'd go. supply ships (food, water, building materials, etc) are needed before i even get there and keep them coming. i'll set up camp and put out the welcome sign.

[Cipher13]

Nope.

It'd be great, but I'm a hedonistic mother****er, and there's nothing less hedonistic than being alone on a planet living on rations.

I'm not so concerned about my name living on that I'd sacrifice the rest of my life.

There are so many absolutely incredible things on Earth I've yet to see - I'll take those in first.

The one thing that'd almost make it worth it would be the trip. The stars on the way and the sky of Mars, perhaps. Other than that... I've been to Fowler's Gap, I'm sure the Martian terrain is pretty similar.

[osiris]

No way. At least not on a oneway trip. I'm not that stupid.

[olePigeon]

I'd do it on one condition:

Gene therapy to stop aging.

Then I'd be happy to go.

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by l008com 

Call me crazy, but I have no death wish, and there for don't want to be on a one way trip to mars.

Now a 1 hour trip to mars, using an artificial-gravity powered near light speed space ship, sign me up for that.

Now 1000 years in the future... I dunno. I've seen the year 2999, and it's scary. Aliens all over the place. People flying around in tubes. Nibblers pooping out dark matter. Santa clause going around killing people. And robits all over the place. I dunno, I don't trust those robits! What the hell was this thread even about?

You had me up until Santa. Santa would NEVER hurt a flea.

[Eriamjh]

Originally Posted by Railroader 

You had me up until Santa. Santa would NEVER hurt a flea.

THIS Santa would!

[Sourbook]

It sounds like a great way to become the most famous suicide in history. But I'll have to pass. I'd rather live a long and healthy life as one of many on earth. But if the mission was to be the first settler of a new colony, I'd give it some serious consideration.

[Shaddim]

Sure, I'd go, as long as I can take along whatever entertainment I want. However, the next person they send better be female... and cute, and they better send the latest games and movies with her.

[l008com]

After 26 months of 100% isolation, ANYONE they send will look cute :-D

[Shaddim]

Originally Posted by l008com 

After 26 months of 100% isolation, ANYONE they send will look cute :-D

No way, I'll have some porn with me, I'd still be able to remember what a "cute" looks like.

[@pplejaxkz]

Originally Posted by Eriamjh 

THIS Santa would!

I thought of this santa as soon as I read Railroaders post. I LOVE Futurama

[turtle777]

I nominate abe, Rob, Kevin, SWG and Railroader

-t

[Railroader]

Originally Posted by turtle777 

I nominate abe, Rob, Kevin, SWG and Railroader

-t

Awww. I'm hurt. Right here > *heart*