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Sending Astronauts On a One-Way Trip To Mars
The Narrative Fallacy writes "Cosmologist Lawrence M. Krauss, director of the Origins Initiative at Arizona State University, writes in the NY Times that with the investment needed to return to the moon likely to run in excess of $150 billion and the cost of a round trip to Mars easily two to four times that, there is a way to reduce the cost and technical requirements of a manned mission to Mars: send the astronauts on a one way trip. 'While the idea of sending astronauts aloft never to return is jarring upon first hearing, the rationale for one-way trips into space has both historical and practical roots,' writes Krauss. 'Colonists and pilgrims seldom set off for the New World with the expectation of a return trip.' There are more immediate and pragmatic reasons to consider one-way human space exploration missions including money. 'If the fuel for the return is carried on the ship, this greatly increases the mass of the ship, which in turn requires even more fuel.' But would anyone volunteer to go on such a trip? Krauss says that informal surveys show that many scientists would be willing to go on a one-way mission into space and that we might want to restrict the voyage to older astronauts, whose longevity is limited in any case. "
Just make sure my wife's on board.
The added bonus is that they don't have broadband at home, so they'll accept an 8 minute ping from Mars.
Just make sure my wife isn't on board.
The real problem is radiation exposure. 6 months there, 500 days on the surface, 6 months back.
So just transfer some auxiliary power to the deflector shields. Geez, do I have to figure everything out for you?
I want peace on earth and goodwill toward man.
We are the United States Government! We don't do that sort of thing.
Tell them that there are 72 unspoiled virgins waiting for them.
But I wonder what would happen when they get very old.
This is just a guess mind you, but I'm pretty sure they would die.
All they need is a fabrication shop which is built entirely from parts which the shop itself is capable of manufacturing.
What if the part that breaks made the part that broke?
Unless of course Mars is actually the cure for aging.
You can't take the sky from me.
And call it the B-Ark!
bickerdyke