Go to the moon on a one way trip?

Mr. G

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22146456

uture explorers take note. Applicants must be resilient, adaptable, resourceful and must work well within a team. The whole project will be televised, from the reality TV style selection process, to landing and beyond.

On a visit to the BBC's London office, Mars One's co-founder Bas Lansdorp explains why this would be a one-way flight.

During the seven-to-eight month journey, astronauts will lose bone and muscle mass. After spending time on Mars' much weaker gravitational field, it would be almost impossible to readjust back to Earth's much stronger gravity, says Landsorp.

Successful applicants will be trained physically and psychologically. The team will use existing technology for all aspects of the project. Energy will be generated from solar panels, water will be recycled and extracted from soil and the astronauts will grow their own food - they will also have an emergency ration and regular top-ups as new explorers join every two years.

Solar wind

But is it realistic to believe that individuals could live and prosper on the Red Planet?

Mars is in the firing line of the Sun's high energy particles, called solar wind. The atmosphere of Mars is very thin as the solar wind is thought to have stripped much of it away.

On Earth, we are protected from the solar wind by a strong magnetic field. Without this, it would be much more difficult to survive. Although Mars once had similar protection about four billion years ago, today there is no such shield protecting it.

The Martian surface is therefore extremely hostile to life, says Dr Veronica Bray, from the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, who is sceptical about the project.

There's no liquid water, the atmospheric pressure is "practically a vacuum", radiation levels are higher and temperatures vary wildly, she says.

"Radiation exposure is a concern, especially during the trip. This can lead to increased cancer risk, a lowered immune system and possibly infertility."

To minimise radiation, the project team will cover the domes with several metres of soil, which the colonists will have to dig up.


The settlers will live in two units and additional domes will house food and other emergency supplies

The settlement will grow. The project aims to send another four people into this new space community every two years
"I have no doubt that we could physically place a human being on Mars. Whether they'd be able to survive for an extended period of time is much more doubtful," adds Dr Bray.

Ambassador for the project, Professor Gerard 't Hooft, a recipient of the Nobel Prize for theoretical physics in 1999, admits there are unknown health risks. He says the radiation is "of quite a different nature" than anything which has been tested on Earth.

Technical challenge

"They [the applicants] will be told that there are risks, but it will be our responsibility to keep the risks within acceptable odds."

Nasa astronaut Stan Love knows first-hand the difficulties with technology that his colleagues have experienced on the International Space Station in low-Earth orbit.

The apparatus which recycles human waste and turns "yesterday's coffee into into tomorrow's coffee needs frequent maintenance and would likely not survive years of continuous duty on Mars", he says.

Love has recently returned from Antarctica which he says is a "picnic compared to Mars".

"It's full of water, you can go outside and breathe the air. It's paradise compared to Mars and yet nobody has moved there permanently."

Although dubious about the funding, the technology and the impact of radiation, Love applauds small enterprises like Mars One.

He strongly believes private organisations will help raise awareness and hopefully discover or design some technology which will help future teams reach their goal of landing on Mars.

"We've been dreaming about this for 50 years. The Moon was just supposed to be a stepping stone to Mars. But when you study the problem, you realise it's immensely hard to do this."

Many critics have focused on funding, and whether the project would hold the public's attention for many years. It will cost an estimated £3.8bn ($6bn) to send the first group.

Dr Chris Lintott from Oxford University says that while the project is technologically plausible, he does not think they will find the funding.

"It's about having the political will and the financial muscle to make this happen. That's what nobody has been able to solve so far," he explains.


A rover will land first to scout the best area
But Lansdorp sees no issue with funding. He uses the revenue from the worldwide broadcasting rights of the Olympics as a comparison.

"This will be the biggest thing that humanity has ever done. In 15 years people will still be watching.

"Exploring our world, and now beyond is what humans do, it's in our genome. The settlers' dream of going to Mars will come true."

Whether or not the mission will achieve its goal, the publicity generated from the "big-brother" style televised application process means the world will surely be watching.

So AH if yer 18-40 years of age would ye go? No way back but you wouldn't be on yer own.

Needless to say, I would miss boards.ie too much as internet would be so slow.

Corkfeen

When did Mars become our moon? :eek:

xLexie

Mm would I get coverage up there? I'd go if I did

Mr. G

xLexie wrote: »

Mm would I get coverage up there? I'd go if I did

Say not that rules me out

Mint Sauce

I would go, but the place has no atmosphere.

Uriel.

Why go to the moon when you go to Mars?

PickledLime

Seeing as our species made its first return trip from the Moon almost 44 years ago and that this is actually about a one way trip to Mars, then erm, no.

Fluorescence

God no. There'd be no escape. They'll be at each others' throats in no time. Besides that, the idea of filming it for reality tv is disgusting

Antar Bolaeisk

Mr. G wrote: »

Say not that rules me out

Poor timekeeping as well

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=84291107

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=79080442

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=80700532

akura

What a Fucking stupid idea

paddy147

Those crazy dutch folk and their whacky ways.

Mr. G

Antar Bolaeisk wrote: »

Poor timekeeping as well

http://m.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=84291107

http://m.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=79080442

http://m.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?p=80700532

Ah jayus, I knew it was somewhere

Latchy

Would love to travel outside of the earths atmosphere just so I could look back at our wonderful blue planet ,that would do me but wouldn't really fancy any Moon trip .I'm over 40 so that rules me out anyway .

Rayne Wooney

What are the benefits of putting people on Mars?

Would it not be logical to spend the considerable budget such a mission would require on something more useful, better space technology or something

wretcheddomain

Pretty sure that article was moont to be about Mars instead.

Antar Bolaeisk

Rayne Wooney wrote: »

What are the benefits of putting people on Mars?

Would it not be logical to spend the considerable budget such a mission would require on something more useful, better space technology or something

Such a mission most likely would improve space technology.

wretcheddomain wrote: »

Pretty sure that article was moont to be about Mars instead.

Nah, don't be daft.

The Backwards Man

I always dreamed of being a space cadet when I was a boy.

Rayne Wooney

Antar Bolaeisk wrote: »

Such a mission most likely would improve space technology.

Just from a quick search, it seems they are planning to use Space X type of capsule to get them there, and the apparatus they'll use to recycle waste is the same on the ISS.

What improvements are you thinking?

LaVail

irish-stew wrote: »

I would go, but the place has no atmosphere.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6zXDo4dL7SU

BillyMitchel

Knowing my luck I'd still have to put up with some gimp that would regularly piss me off.

Antar Bolaeisk

Rayne Wooney wrote: »

Just from a quick search, it seems they are planning to use Space X type of capsule to get them there, and the apparatus they'll use to recycle waste is the same on the ISS.

What improvements are you thinking?

You send them up, if it falls apart you know you need to make improvements

Rayne Wooney

Antar Bolaeisk wrote: »

You send them up, if it falls apart you know you need to make improvements

I'm sure 6 billion dollars could be better spent though!

Antar Bolaeisk

Rayne Wooney wrote: »

I'm sure 6 billion dollars could be better spent though!

Better spent than strapping a couple of people to the top of a great big missle, taking aim at Mars and lighting the candle?

I agree it could be otherwise spent but I think endeavours like this (even if the aim at the heart of it is to make good television) are important for humanity as a whole regardless of their immediate returns, tangible or otherwise.

MadsL

Nah. I'd spend the whole trip arguing with the Mrs about who was supposed to check the immersion was off.

Eathrin

I would do it.
I can't imagine it would be a very nice life though.

token101

The Martian surface is therefore extremely hostile to life, says Dr Veronica Bray, from the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary Laboratory, who is sceptical about the project.

Has anyone told Sepp Blatter about this potential new Interplanetary Cup venue?

token101

Antar Bolaeisk wrote: »

Better spent than strapping a couple of people to the top of a great big missle, taking aim at Mars and lighting the candle?

I agree it could be otherwise spent but I think endeavours like this (even if the aim at the heart of it is to make good television) are important for humanity as a whole regardless of their immediate returns, tangible or otherwise.

Why don't we try fixing our planet first? It's not as if it's completely banjaxed like. This whole idea is a bit like leaving your nice comfortable suburban house to move to the Atacama desert because you've heard there might be a hosepipe ban. It's a bit stupid really.

OneArt

You know, all of this Mars/Moon one way trip thing being televised kind of reminds of, well... The Hunger Games.

I do hope someone does an Effie Trinket. What an amusing character.

belcampprisoner

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=euqaOu-cOUo

Antar Bolaeisk

token101 wrote: »

Why don't we try fixing our planet first? It's not as if it's completely banjaxed like. This whole idea is a bit like leaving your nice comfortable suburban house to move to the Atacama desert because you've heard there might be a hosepipe ban. It's a bit stupid really.

They already spend billions on that. Another 6 billion isn't going to suddenly make the world wake up and smell the toxic waste.

Slick50

MadsL wrote: »

Nah. I'd spend the whole trip arguing with the Mrs about who was supposed to check the immersion was off.

Toss a coin and just one of you go... win win.