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Millionaire Plans Mission To Mars In 2018

Posted by samzenpus on from the mars-needs-millionaires dept.

littlesparkvt writes in with news about the possibility of a privately funded Mars mission. "Millionaire Dennis Tito became the first paying customer to make a trip to the International Space Station and now he wants to launch a privately funded mission to Mars in 2018. Dennis paid a reported 20 Million to ride aboard a Russian rocket to the International Space Station and has since stayed out of the spotlight, until now. There’s no word whether the trip will include humans, there will be more information on that fact next week. Considering there is little time to train a crew for the mission the flight in 2018 will most likely be an unmanned probe. There’s also a possibility that the first mission to Mars from this private investor will harbor supplies for future astronauts. Plants and food are a possibility as they would take much less space than a full human crew."

3 of 97 comments (clear)

  1. Tito presenting paper on *crewed* flight in March by Saint+Aardvark · · Score: 5, Informative

    From http://www.newspacejournal.com/2013/02/21/new-insights-on-that-private-crewed-mars-mission/:

    This publication obtained a copy of the paper Tito et al. plan to present at the conference, discussing a crewed free-return Mars mission that would fly by Mars, but not go into orbit around the planet or land on it. This 501-day mission would launch in January 2018, using a modified SpaceX Dragon spacecraft launched on a Falcon Heavy rocket. According to the paper, existing environmental control and life support system (ECLSS) technologies would allow such a spacecraft to support two people for the mission, although in Spartan condition. âoeCrew comfort is limited to survival needs only. For example, sponge baths are acceptable, with no need for showers,â the paper states.

    The IEEE Aerospace Conference is in March -- next month. That's pretty interesting timing.

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  2. He better be a billionaire... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    with a 'b' if he intends to go to and return from Mars.

  3. Re:Microsoft Plans Mission To Mars by SteveFoerster · · Score: 5, Funny

    Just tell people you put the "sexy" in "dyslexia".

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