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Child Item

Irish man shortlisted for Mars mission. (one way ticket only)

Banjo String

An amazing opportunity, no doubt about it.

Growing up on a small farm in Kildare, Joseph Roche spent many clear nights gazing at the stars, dreaming of becoming an astronaut. He couldn’t have known that, 20 years later, he would be undergoing a medical examination as part of the selection process for a manned mission to Mars.

Last week, a private space exploration company called Mars One announced that it has shortlisted 1,058 people from 200,000 applicants who wanted to travel to Mars. Roche is the only Irishman on the list. The catch? If he goes, he can never come back.

If you think the whole thing sounds crazy, you wouldn’t be the first. Even the man behind the project admits it’s a gargantuan task. Bas Lansdorp, a Dutch engineer and entrepreneur, aims to land a colony of four astronauts on the surface of Mars by 2025

http://www.irishtimes.com/news/science/life-on-mars-irish-man-signs-up-for-colony-mission-1.1648449

Admittedly, he's still only one of 1k odd people to be shortlisted, but to make it that far from 200k+ is pretty good going.

Personally, with a wife and kids, I'm happy enough to pass away on on earth, and spend the rest of my life watching them grow up up etc.

Opinions please?

Would you go to Mars given the opportunity, knowing full well when that rocket blasts off, you're essentially leaving the only world you've ever known (in fact the human race has ever known) for good?

Poll coming up.

Edit. To make the thread a bit more interesting.

What one thing from earth, would you miss that you won't find on mars?

Mine would be the smell of the rain, falling on earth after a period of hot, dry weather.

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Maximus Alexander

Plazaman wrote: »

Why can't the crew come back? It's a 210 day flight not like light years away. Go off to Mars, have a laugh for 5 years, come back, write a book and spend the rest of your life sitting rocking in restaurants drooling and mumbling "Mars was never this busy, it wasn't like this in Mars".

It's got nothing to do with the time it takes to make the trip (well it is, in a roundabout way), it's to do with how much fuel you can carry due to the rocket equation.

You need fuel to launch mass. The more mass, the more fuel you need. Fuel has mass, so the more fuel you bring, the more fuel you need to launch that fuel. It's impractical if not borderline impossible to send a manned return mission to the surface of Mars with current or near future technology.

Sending people means sending all of the very heavy gear they need to survive the 18 month round trip. This means lots of fuel just to get there, but far more if you need to get back too. Add to that the fact that Mars has is a reasonably large gravity well, so landing means bringing even more fuel to launch again.

ttoppcat

I'm all for space exploration but I always get depressed at the thought of space colonisation. We've done more than enough fecking damage to this planet I'd hate to see us get loose on another! The Emotional Fish line always comes to mind "a bit like what heaven must have looked like before man fingered the moon"

Maximus Alexander

ttoppcat wrote: »

I'm all for space exploration but I always get depressed at the thought of space colonisation. We've done more than enough fecking damage to this planet I'd hate to see us get loose on another! The Emotional Fish line always comes to mind "a bit like what heaven must have looked like before man fingered the moon"

I can understand your concerns about Earth but the Mars is only a rock falling around the sun. Why would you care what we might do to it? I don't get that at all.

Personally I'll get excited about space colonization when they figure out how to extend human lifespans considerably. There's no point being excited about something that won't happen until I'm long dead otherwise.

jimgoose

ttoppcat wrote: »

I'm all for space exploration but I always get depressed at the thought of space colonisation. We've done more than enough fecking damage to this planet I'd hate to see us get loose on another! The Emotional Fish line always comes to mind "a bit like what heaven must have looked like before man fingered the moon"

Jerry Fish is a wanker. You can't see any trace of the moon missions without a pretty beefy telescope.

Wurzelbert

ttoppcat wrote: »

I'm all for space exploration but I always get depressed at the thought of space colonisation. We've done more than enough fecking damage to this planet I'd hate to see us get loose on another! The Emotional Fish line always comes to mind "a bit like what heaven must have looked like before man fingered the moon"

come on, the earth will be all grand again in a few hundred million years if left alone after humans are gone...to a planet homo sapiens is really just like a wee rash that passes quickly...

ttoppcat

Maximus Alexander wrote: »

I can understand your concerns about Earth but the Mars is only a rock falling around the sun. Why would you care what we might do to it? I don't get that at all.

Personally I'll get excited about space colonization when they figure out how to extend human lifespans considerably. There's no point being excited about something that won't happen until I'm long dead otherwise.

To be honest I don't really care about Mars too much...its more the chat about moon colonisation and the selling of plots that gets on my goat...far fetched and all as it is, I hate the thought of people "owning" the moon (its my hippy side I think:o)
I do however think we've made and are continuing to make an absolute mess of the earth and would rather see us investing in trying to repair some of the damage rather than galllivanting round the universe like a plague of locusts!

Truth wins

I will setup an Indian take away:D:D:D:D

ttoppcat

jimgoose wrote: »

Jerry Fish is a wanker. You can't see any trace of the moon missions without a pretty beefy telescope.

In my younger days I thought he was the bees knees...now I just admire his moustache:pac:

Muise...

Wurzelbert wrote: »

come on, the earth will be all grand again in a few hundred million years if left alone after humans are gone...to a planet homo sapiens is really just like a wee rash that passes quickly...

not exactly 'grand' - just utterly different, and then gone forever - in one or more of a variety of endings.

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20140105-timeline-of-the-far-future

the_monkey

I think Starbucks will open there soon ...

But sure didn't they already find a dishwasher on Mars ?

Chazz Michael Michaels

jhegarty wrote: »

It's not going to happen.

This. I recommend people read the wiki article on this. It is almost certain to not 'lift off'.

Sorry for the pun...

Truth wins

I wouldnt mind running dominos or four star pizza

Adamantium

You know what is a fascinating notion that one day children will be born on Mars and they will see themselves not as Earthlings but Martians. That will be their identity, in a sort "but of course" way.

They'll grow taller and look different because of gravity simply because they know nothing else. They'll look at Earth as alien to them; as Mars is to us.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OS0laJvgVxo

murphym7

EdwardCastle wrote: »

Ehhhh....training perhaps.

10 years of training to sit on their hole and be bored for the rest of their lives?

Sweet, I am trained already. Maybe I should go.

michael.dublin

I Heart Internet wrote: »

Elaborate reality tv show - ultimately going nowhere.

true. yet to see any reality TV show go anywhere

ZiabR

You would be dead in a few years with radiation poisoning due to the lack of an atmosphere so no thanks.

L.Jenkins

I'd go. Wouldn't miss all the stupid people on this planet.

Chazz Michael Michaels

Assuming this actually went ahead, the isolation and confinement would drive them all mad. Furthermore, should their ability to grow food be threatened in any way, there is only one food source left. Can anyone guess what it is?

MilanPan!c

Before I had a wife and kids I probably would have said yes. Now I answer no.

stoneill

The exploration of another world is a fantastic opportunity - but a one way ticket is a silly idea.

Knasher

MonaPizza wrote: »

It is never going to happen.

For starters how long does it take to get to Mars? A year maybe?

It usually takes about 130 days for robots at the moment. However because we don't particularly care about bored robots, we send them in the most fuel efficient way possible, for people we would probably put more of a priority on getting them there a bit quicker, there are experimental engines like the VASIMR engine which apparently could do it in 39 days.

Its the same with trips to the moon by the way, the Apollo missions had a transit time of about 2-3 days, where as the recent Chinese rover took 14 days to reach it.

MonaPizza wrote: »

Do they plan on recycling piss back into drinking water? Is that even possible?

That is what they are drinking up on the ISS at the moment.

MilanPan!c

stoneill wrote: »

The exploration of another world is a fantastic opportunity - but a one way ticket is a silly idea.

It's not actually. It's sad in a way, but explorers often knew it was a one way trip. Besides, you might die, but if you make it to Mars your name and story will live for as long as humans exist.

Chazz Michael Michaels

MilanPan!c wrote: »

It's not actually. It's sad in a way, but explorers often knew it was a one way trip. Besides, you might die, but if you make it to Mars your name and story will live for as long as humans exist.

Especially if you are last man standing after the inevitable murder and cannibalism.

MonaPizza

B.A._Baracus wrote: »

You would want to be crazy to go up there with no way to return

Yeah I know, it would be a great experience to see mars, but to spend the rest of your days there? Only talking to 3 other people, missing out on the little things in life? ... Actually missing out on pretty much everything in life!

Agreed.

It would make more sense to extend the offer to those serving life without the possibility of parole. At least these guys are already mentally prepared.

The whole enterprise (no pun intended) doesn't bear thinking about. I think it's horrific.

How would you train someone to psychologically deal with this situation?

Most animals in the zoo who are removed from their natural habitat are mentally fcuked as are inmates facing perpetual detention.

Chazz Michael Michaels

MonaPizza wrote: »

Agreed.

It would make more sense to extend the offer to those serving life without the possibility of parole. At least these guys are already mentally prepared.

The whole enterprise (no pun intended) doesn't bear thinking about. I think it's horrific.

How would you train someone to psychologically deal with this situation?

I know. Its such a horrible concept that only naive imbeciles could believe in.

Wurzelbert

Chazz Michael Michaels wrote: »

I know. Its such a horrible concept that only naive imbeciles could believe in.

so it’s just perfect for today's western world…

Wurzelbert

Muise... wrote: »

not exactly 'grand' - just utterly different, and then gone forever - in one or more of a variety of endings.

http://www.bbc.com/future/story/20140105-timeline-of-the-far-future

yes i know…what i meant is pollution by humans and homo sapiens in general will no longer be an issue for the planet… interesting graph, lots of speculation involved - especially regarding the fate of humanity - apart from some scientific facts like a certain end to earth and sun and some comets and all that…

[Deleted User]

Well it is only supposed to be 4 people for the start, if it was successful they could send more.

Plus they will also have a serious amount of scientific work to do once they get there, so if they were serious I'd say it would only be limited to field scientists and engineers I'd guess

[Deleted User]

Chazz Michael Michaels wrote: »

I know. Its such a horrible concept that only naive imbeciles could believe in.

He does have a phd in astrophysics you know, naive possibly, but he's no imbecile

Chazz Michael Michaels

riffmongous wrote: »

He does have a phd in astrophysics you know, naive possibly, but he's no imbecile

I mean lack of common sense. Seriously, this expedition is almost guaranteed to break your mind. The monotony of the martian landscape, being confined to quarters, same people all the time, isolation from Earth/nature, the reality of all of this will truly set in once enough time is spent there and finally realizing that there really is no way out. Depression and suicides are a very real possibility. This doesn't even factor in having to live in a 20 person society, and the problems that brings. And food security is such a huge risk. If it fails, they will face eating each other and/or starving to death.

I would strongly advise this guy not to go. It could go very badly, quite unlike the dream of skipping around the Martian surface, smiling, playing astronaut. It's like Christopher McCandless all over again.