Would You Leave Earth to Colonize Mars?

[billchao]

I saw this on Facebook and heard it mentioned on the radio today, so I thought I'd share it.

From: http://www.iflscience.com/space/mars-one-mission-whittles-potential-candidates-down-final-100

Quote:

Almost a quarter of a million humans had the guts to apply, and now, two years on, the names of 100 hopeful space explorers who are still in the running for a one-way ticket to Mars have just been released to the public .

We’ve known for some time that we are exhausting our planet and that Earth’s limited resources cannot sustain our ever-burgeoning population. And while various possible “solutions” have been thrown out, such as building sustainable floating cities in the ocean, migrating to Mars seems to be the most popular idea.

The proposal may seem radical and maybe even unfeasible to some, at least within this half of the century anyway, but there are people who think it’s doable, including big names in space travel like SpaceX’s Elon Musk. In fact, there’s even a project that’s already taking steps toward getting humans to the Red Planet within the next decade, called Mars One , and they’ve been gradually whittling down the Homo sapiens they think would be suitable to help establish a permanent settlement.

They also have a trailer, for umm, something:

So how about it? Would you go? Do you have what it takes to be extraordinary?

[SavvySwede]

Those people going to Mars must be dumb.

1. No golf courses on mars.

2. No matter how much screening is done to find the right people somebody is still going to go postal and murder everybody up there.

3. Did I mention no golf?

[Phil McGleno]

Those people going to Mars must be dumb. 1. No golf courses on mars. 3. Did I mention no golf?

That is like retiring to the Bahamas to find the only golf there is boring and expensive.

[Lihu]

I voted yes just to see the vote count. All expenses paid to Mars seems like a cool idea. I'm sure it could also end up just a little bit worse than what happened to the Donner party in NorCal more than a century ago. :-D

[Shorty]

Would I want to be sent into space to face certain death where nothing we can relate to exists, following a period of extreme claustrophobia and discomfort - never to see anyone I love ever again?

No.

The people who have volunteered for this are all morons who don't even know what they've signed up for.

It won't happen anyway.

[Abu3baid]

This was an easy no. The trip takes between 6-8 months depending on when they leave, so in an emergency don't expect help any time soon. So they want to colonize Mars? It would never work with random volunteers. I would think you need doctors.. and some R&D; type pharmacist for sure. Then you would need some Botanists, specifically an agronomist if you want to have a fighting chance at not starving. Then you need technical space engineers and of course a few scientists. You also need a couple psychologist and most importantly someone with a gun to be able to apply the rule of law up there. Maybe I'll think of other things later.

[Shorty]

Maybe I'll think of other things later.

The food would be wonderful.

Extraordinary that some people seem to be taking this nonsense seriously.

[cipher]

Would I want to be sent into space to face certain death where nothing we can relate to exists, following a period of extreme claustrophobia and discomfort - never to see anyone I love ever again? No. The people who have volunteered for this are all morons who don't even know what they've signed up for. It won't happen anyway.

QFT.

[David in FL]

Proof that if you ask enough people, and spin it just right, some would volunteer to stand in front of a firing squad! That's a resounding no for me.

[billchao]

Family and friends issues aside, lack of gravity would be a big concern. Six to eight months traveling in zero gravity would cause muscles and bones to atrophy, similar to space station astronauts. Then you're landing on a planet with 38% of Earth's gravity, so whatever you do manage to recover would be less than what you would have back on Earth. Who knows what the damage to the human body would be. Oh and there's quality of life issues, viability of the mission, chances of success or simply survival, and so on. Mars is not for me (or humans, in general) :-P It's old, but here's an article on the effects of low gravity on the human body: [URL]http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2001/ast02aug_1/[/URL]

[14ledo81]

No for me.

[David in FL]

Family and friends issues aside, lack of gravity would be a big concern. Six to eight months traveling in zero gravity would cause muscles and bones to atrophy, similar to space station astronauts. Then you're landing on a planet with 38% of Earth's gravity , so whatever you do manage to recover would be less than what you would have back on Earth. Who knows what the damage to the human body would be. Oh and there's quality of life issues, viability of the mission, chances of success or simply survival, and so on. Mars is not for me (or humans, in general) :-P It's old, but here's an article on the effects of low gravity on the human body: [URL]http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2001/ast02aug_1/[/URL]

Low gravity and no atmosphere. Think how far you could hit a golf ball though! ;-)

[RandallT]

[quote name="billchao" url="/t/80257/would-you-leave-earth-to-colonize-mars#post_1107470"]Family and friends issues aside, lack of gravity would be a big concern. Six to eight months traveling in zero gravity would cause muscles and bones to atrophy, similar to space station astronauts. Then you're landing on a planet with 38% of Earth's gravity , so whatever you do manage to recover would be less than what you would have back on Earth. Who knows what the damage to the human body would be. Oh and there's quality of life issues, viability of the mission, chances of success or simply survival, and so on. Mars is not for me (or humans, in general) :-P It's old, but here's an article on the effects of low gravity on the human body: [URL]http://science.nasa.gov/science-news/science-at-nasa/2001/ast02aug_1/[/URL]

Low gravity and no atmosphere. Think how far you could hit a golf ball though! ;-)[/quote] Yes but on mars, is accuracy more important than distance? Lots of sand. All comes down to Separation Value, and I'll wait for the Mars edition of LSW.

[billchao]

Low gravity and no atmosphere. Think how far you could hit a golf ball though! ;-)

Still, Mars ain't the kind of place to raise your kids. ;-)

[jsgolfer]

Not a chance for me.

[Lihu]

[QUOTE name="Abu3baid" url="/t/80257/would-you-leave-earth-to-colonize-mars#post_1107452"] Maybe I'll think of other things later.[/QUOTE] The food would be wonderful. Extraordinary that some people seem to be taking this nonsense seriously.

Are you saying that you need a group of tasty volunteers, just in case they run out of food?:-D

[Shindig]

I'm good, thanks. I remember enjoying a few books about colonizing Mars (science fiction, not planning guides) in the past. Maybe I'll read them again at some point. That's about how close I'll get to this. I don't see the appeal in a one-way trip.

[Patch]

We had the telescopes out last night, and then I see this thread this morning. I voted "Yes". Of course I would have a few long discussions with my immediate family members to get their opinions. With their approval, if I were chosen, and the trip really did take place, I'd be the first one on the bus. There's just some opportunities you can't let pass. Plus, I have never been one to be fearful of the unknown. Respectful of it, but never afraid. Then again, this will never happen is my life time, so that makes it even easier for me to say yes.