One way mission to Mars

[Dr Mindbender]

Theres been a bit of hub bub in the papers about this the last week (admittedly the gutter press, but ah well) so i was surprised no one posted a thread.

Would you go? I'd be tempted, theres fuck all on Earth anyway.

http://www.marsdaily.com/reports/A_One_way_Ticket_To_Mars_999.html

[Revy]

No. There is too much wild eyed enthusiasm for manned missions and not enough practical plans for robotic missions which prepare for a manned presence on the planet.

I think it is better to let the technology progress to better plan a manned mission while sending robots to Mars than to haphazardly put together a glorified bottle rocket merely as a PR feel good stunt, have a few people walk around and come home with rocks.

New Martians are going to need shelter, food, and other basic essentials built for them. Autonomous robotic construction crews are the best means to build bases on the Moon and Mars. Robots are the best means to explore planets as well.

Let's consider why, 40 years after humans first set foot on the Moon, there is no base or human presence. The focus was putting people on the Moon and bringing them back, not having a lasting presence. So after everyone was awed by the achievement, nobody at NASA gave a damn about doing anything more than what they had already done.

[ÑóẊîöʼn]

We have the capability to land people on other planetary bodies, but as of yet we lack robots that are reliable and sophisticated enough to construct a long-term habitat for humans.

The best approach would involve first the launching of an unmanned mission loaded with all the supplies needed that would not immediately be available, including a modular base consisting of prefabricated parts that can be slotted together relatively easily - doing physical labour in current spacesuits is really hard work.

[Ele'ill]

They could design robotics to assist human labor in getting a station set up- I'm sure they've already done this but they should do mock missions where they set everything up in the suits with the robotics etc.. to see how easy it would be.

The training involved in this interests me more than training involved in moon landings.

Would it be a suicide mission- where there's no way to get back?

That would be pretty surreal.





Just think- in 50 years there will be interplanetary wars with dropships and space marines.

[Hit The North]

I would think there would be no end of volunteers to go on a one-way mission. Especially if they had the means to broadcast pictures back. The ultimate reality game show. How long before there was a Celebrity version?

The idea of firing useless, waste-of-air celebrities into the cold reaches of outer space is actually quite a sweet idea. Let's do it!

[Sasha]

i'm actualy already half convinced most celeberties are martians anyway.

[Ele'ill]

Surprisingly this idea raises no immediate issues with me regarding animal rights.

[ÑóẊîöʼn]

They could design robotics to assist human labor in getting a station set up- I'm sure they've already done this but they should do mock missions where they set everything up in the suits with the robotics etc.. to see how easy it would be.

I think that colonising the more inhospitable areas of the Earth - such as Antarctica, the oceans, underground and the upper atmosphere - would give us considerable experience in supporting human life comfortably in significantly-less-than-ideal conditions, enabling us to reserve our heavy launch capability for the purposes of industrialising space.


Would it be a suicide mission- where there's no way to get back?

Not necessarily, if you could find enough people willing to go such that you have a viable breeding population. There's no reason why we couldn't occasionally send new colonists every century or so to maintain genetic diversity. Colonising the Solar System will be a multi-generational project.


Just think- in 50 years there will be interplanetary wars with dropships and space marines.

I'm thinking it will be more like 100 years before it's possible, and more like 1000 years before it's politically viable and practical. It's very difficult to project power when even EM transmissions (radio, microwave, laser etc) take many hours to reach their destination.

[Os Cangaceiros]

Living on Mars sounds really depressing to me.

[ÑóẊîöʼn]

Living on Mars sounds really depressing to me.

That's because you have no sense of adventure. I'd be pretty fuckin' stoked about actually making a living on another world.

[Q]

That's because you have no sense of adventure. I'd be pretty fuckin' stoked about actually making a living on another world.
I think it would become quite boring after a few years.

[Amphictyonis]

I'd go. I'd want a HAL 9000 and a good supply of alcohol though. "I can't let you do that Dave".

But seriously, I'd volunteer for a long term one way trip mission into deep space, perhaps to Gliese 581 g.

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=97739&page=1

[ÑóẊîöʼn]

I'd go. I'd want a HAL 9000 and a good supply of alcohol though. "I can't let you do that Dave".

But seriously, I'd volunteer for a long term one way trip mission into deep space, perhaps to Gliese 581 g.

http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/story?id=97739&page=1

I wouldn't go before receiving more data from an unmanned precursor probe; at least with Mars, we know enough about the place to know what we need to bring with us.

I mean, it would suck to find out that Gliese 581 g is an ocean planet and we didn't bring so much as a pair of water wings with us.

[Le Corsaire Rouge]

I mean, it would suck to find out that Gliese 581 g is an ocean planet and we didn't bring so much as a pair of water wings with us.
So long as I had one of those floating loungers and a nice cocktail I think I could cope.

[Ele'ill]

I think it would become quite boring after a few years.

It would be boring for a few years until we lose contact with the archaeological and mining operations on Demos and Phobos with the only intelligence being recieved before the loss of contact being that they discovered an arc of some sort that they believe acts as a portal- Several squads of space marines are dispatched immediately but never report back so the fate of humanity then rests on the shoulders of a space marine that was sent to the brig (on a spaceship in orbit around Mars) who then goes and finds his crush and comrade Arlene Sanders by following 'A.S.' markings on the walls while gunning down zombie ex marine friends, pinkys and fire flinging Imps.

Yeah let's do this.

[CallMeSteve]

That's because you have no sense of adventure. I'd be pretty fuckin' stoked about actually making a living on another world.

Surely you'd be bored shitless after a short while? The novelty would eventually wear off.

Frankly, I can't see why there is so much focus on going to Mars. Seems that we as a species consider it 'progressive', and to some extent that is true, but what does it progress towards? Such a huge amount of (wo)manpower going into the project that could surely be concentrated elsewhere and for better communal benefits.

[Ele'ill]

Surely you'd be bored shitless after a short while? The novelty would eventually wear off.

Frankly, I can't see why there is so much focus on going to Mars. Seems that we as a species consider it 'progressive', and to some extent that is true, but what does it progress towards? Such a huge amount of (wo)manpower going into the project that could surely be concentrated elsewhere and for better communal benefits.

There would be plenty of resources freed up to undertake such tasks while keeping things on earth stable (or maybe even improving conditions)

In order to become proficient at something you have to engage in the activity- space exploration isn't just going to come to us- we need to start somewhere. Why not Mars?

We'd learn an immense amount in the process.

Hopefully most of the people on earth can leave through portals so I can run around the ruined cities in a loin cloth by myself. That is a dream. :wub:

[Os Cangaceiros]

That's because you have no sense of adventure. I'd be pretty fuckin' stoked about actually making a living on another world.

It's more the fact that all of Mars looks more or less like this:

http://www.brianconn.net/images/vlpan22.jpg

Plus the fact that I'd become nostalgic for Earth. :crying:

[Dr Mindbender]

Frankly, I can't see why there is so much focus on going to Mars.
I think theres 2 main factors here.
1- first and foremost, apart from Earth, Mars is the least hostile place in known space to humans and the most obvious place where terraforming may even be remotely possible.
2-the other factor is distance, while the Moon and Venus may be closer, the atmosphere and temperature are far less appropriate for human activities. At present, with current technology Mars is a 6-8 month trip which is just about doable for a physically able human. Prolonged exposure to zero gravity conditions has a negative effect on the human body. The next planet out, Jupiter, is at least 5 times farther away than Mars. The human body would simply not tolerate such a huge journey. To sum up the answer, the reason Mars is interesting is because its REACHABLE and going to bring back the maximum reward in settling there in terms of both science and comfort.



It's more the fact that all of Mars looks more or less like this:

http://www.brianconn.net/images/vlpan22.jpg

Plus the fact that I'd become nostalgic for Earth. :crying:

I dont think thats fair. Mars has some record breaking geological features. Olympus Mons, is the tallest mountain in the solar system. With Martian gravity being about a third of Earth, even a person of modest physical ability should be able to reach the summit. Imagine the views at the top. Then there is the Valles Marineris which is the deepest canyon in the solar system, and from one end to the other it is as wide as the united states. Again, the views must be absolutely breathtaking.

Besides which, with Mars's relatively temperate climate (in astronomical terms), distance from sun, prescence of water and high concentration of carbon dioxide it should be possible to organically grow plant life in the open air. I'd be quite excited about the prospect of being among the first to introducing new life which could go on to produce the first indigenous martian plants. Perhaps within a lifetime it may even start to look somewhat earthlike.

[Ovi]

Besides which, with Mars's relatively temperate climate (in astronomical terms), distance from sun, prescence of water and high concentration of carbon dioxide it should be possible to organically grow plant life in the open air. I'd be quite excited about the prospect of being among the first to introducing new life which could go on to produce the first indigenous martian plants. Perhaps within a lifetime it may even start to look somewhat earthlike.
I'd like to see a plant that can survive in an atmosphere that has a pressure less than 1% than found on Earth and completely devoid of oxygen.

[Ovi]

How do we pay for all of this? Given that NASA's not going to do this, I think that ultimately this would have to be an international collaboration or some sort of commercial venture. Nobody is going to set up a permanent presence on Mars without having some sort of commercial arrangement.
The discoveries that would be made by people working on Mars would have to be patented, there would have to be a cash flow that would pay for this. Imagine the TV rights - think of what people pay for football rights - I mean, huge sums of money.

So the reason we would do this is entertainment? Like circus? And any discoveries should be patented so that capitalists make a profit out of it? Fuck that.

[Dr Mindbender]

I'd like to see a plant that can survive in an atmosphere that has a pressure less than 1% than found on Earth and completely devoid of oxygen. .
Admittedly that is unlikely to happen right away. The first Martian farms will probably be pressurised tents, which will eventually grow into biospheres. Once there is greater biological activity this will have an effect on the local environment and soil enabling plants to grow outside.
You should probably read this- http://www.nasa.gov/centers/goddard/news/topstory/2005/mars_plants.html
http://www.niac.usra.edu/files/library/meetings/fellows/mar05/944Boss.pdf



So the reason we would do this is entertainment? Like circus? And any discoveries should be patented so that capitalists make a profit out of it? Fuck that.

I think just getting there would be a major bound forward for the human race. While we reside entirely on one world, we are leaving ourselves at greater risk from extinction should a catastrophe strike this planet, if i can refer to the 'eggs in one basket' proverb. Yes, its a pity that we'd rely on capitalist means to get there but i cant think of any non capitalist organisations or nations that have both the means and political will to do it. Unless you are a China fanatic. To me it is unimportant which comes first, scientific conquest or political change because ultimately the end game will be the same thing.