Ask Bas Lansdorp About Going to Mars, One Way

NASA's been solicited ideas for exploring Mars, but Dutch entrepreneur Bas Lansdorp is already planning a different kind of trip than is likely to come from the U.S. government. Lansdorp's Mars One project has the goal of putting humans on Mars in 2022, with a twist that might dampen many people's hopes to be a Mars-exploring astronaut: the trip Lansdorp plans is one-way only. That means dramatically less fuel on board, because unlike typical Mars voyage plans, there would be no need (or ability) to carry the mechanism or the energy storage to return to Earth. If you (and three close companions) are willing to go be the first people to die on Mars, you'll also need to give up more than a pinch of privacy, because the Mars One plan to obtain the necessary funding is straightforward: create a media spectacle, and monetize it through advertising. (Note: If Elon Musk's optimistic sounding predictions are right, maybe one-way Marstronauts can get a return ticket, after all.) Many questions about the proposed journey are answered in the project's FAQ; check there before formulating questions. Ask Lansdorp about the practicalities and impracticalities of reaching Mars with as many questions as you'd like, but (lest ye be modded down) please only one question per post.

Comments

will i still have to pay child support?

[alen]

will i still be liable for child support if I move to Mars?

Re:will i still have to pay child support?

[SolitaryMan]

There will be exactly zero law enforcement there. You can kill your fellow crew members in a most spectacular way and then eat their brains. All on national TV and nobody will be able to do anything about that.

Re:Why not shoot yourself into the sun?

[Anonymous Coward]

You could go at night!

Re:Participant Psychosis?

[eam]

Mars will need lawyers & politicians. I suggest we start by sending them.