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One-Way Ticket: Mars One Project Applicants Top 100,000

Posted by timothy on from the I'd-like-to-help-pick-'em dept.

Bas Lansdorp's projected trip to Mars has a well-known catch: the ticket to space is free (rather than the millions of dollars for the more conventional kind of space travel available to civilians), but it's one-way only. That's a downside for any potential astronauts who'd like to do things like visit the beach or ever see their Earthside family again in person. Still, the Mars One project announced this week that more than 100,000 volunteers have announced their willingness to forsake this planet in favor of the next. The application process is ongoing; have you signed up?

37 of 240 comments (clear)

  1. what happens if the chick get pregnant? by alen · · Score: 5, Interesting

    will they sterilize the women first or will they risk children being born on Mars?

    1. Re:what happens if the chick get pregnant? by sentientbeing · · Score: 5, Funny

      Mars aint the kind of place to raise a kid

      --

      ------
      beware he who would deny you access to information, for in his mind he dreams himself your master
    2. Re:what happens if the chick get pregnant? by Opportunist · · Score: 3, Funny

      Why? Virtually no crime, pretty much nonexistent unemployment, lots of free space, no environmental issues, no civil unrest or wars anywhere on the horizon... it's THE place to be!

      --
      We used to have a Bill of Rights. Now, with the rights gone, all we have left is the bill.
    3. Re:what happens if the chick get pregnant? by lxs · · Score: 3, Funny

      In fact it's cold as hell.

    4. Re:what happens if the chick get pregnant? by __aaltlg1547 · · Score: 4, Informative

      The OP is probably referring to the fact that conception and gestation are likely impossible on Mars due to it's low gravity.

      That's not a fact. That's unfounded speculation.

      1. The child will be unable to travel to Earth, because the higher gravity of earth will kill him or her.

      More speculation. There's no data on which to base that conclusion. No person have ever been in gravity between 0 m/s2 and 9.8 m/s2 for more than a few days.

      2. If the child is part of this group then it will die of starvation or whatever, just as they will, except of course, they chose to die, and the child didn't. It's an ethical minefield.

      That's pretty likely.

      Mars will be in a very disadvantageous position WRT to Earth. They will lack power, industrial skills, economies of scale freedom of movement, everything that goes to making a society prosperous. Mars has nothing the Earth dwellers want or need, and craves the things the Earth can provide. ... Mars lacks the water and sunlight to be competitive or even self sufficient agriculturally, it lacks the power, and likely, the metals needed for industrialisation, it cannot support a population large enough for a diversified economy. Mars will be a ghetto. Unemployment and crime will be rampant.

      That also seems likely.

    5. Re:what happens if the chick get pregnant? by __aaltlg1547 · · Score: 2

      One unsterilized woman can get pregnant. One unsterilized man can get all the women pregnant.

    6. Re:what happens if the chick get pregnant? by interval1066 · · Score: 2

      Wars, maybe not, because there will never be enough people there to ever go to War, and the classic geographical style war is impossible anyway.

      People will engage in war under any circumstances, geography is hardly a factor. A more likely scenario is that war will be difficult due to the scarcity of resources on Mars. War requires the squandering of vast amounts of resources, weather its money, goods, materials, or people. Far more likely is guerilla insugency, backed by earthly powers (countries) with some kind of vested interest in the social disruption of Martian society. Crime will be a given with the same scarcity of resources.

      --
      Python: 'And then suddenly you have a language which says "we're all stuck with whatever the whiniest coder wants".'
    7. Re:what happens if the chick get pregnant? by interval1066 · · Score: 3, Insightful

      The main problem with your analysis is that the kind of people they will (or ought to) send will be very easy-going, non-violent, kind, highly intelligent and well educated.

      Quite likely. For a working model we could actually use the early internet. Back before the arpanet became the internet there were fewer users and most were highly educated researchers. Forward to the present and we know what we have now.

      --
      Python: 'And then suddenly you have a language which says "we're all stuck with whatever the whiniest coder wants".'
    8. Re:what happens if the chick get pregnant? by Provocateur · · Score: 2

      will make for one hell of a reality show

      --
      WARNING: Smartphones have side effects--most of them undocumented.
    9. Re:what happens if the chick get pregnant? by ahem · · Score: 2

      Because then the kid might come back and form the Church of All Worlds, which would piss off the Fosterites.

      --
      Not A Sig
    10. Re:what happens if the chick get pregnant? by Dereck1701 · · Score: 2

      "High radiation levels"

      You might want to do a little research, Curiosity has only recorded radiation levels equivalent to being aboard ISS, and that is without any shielding (I believe). Astronauts on ISS itself receive about 1 millisievert per day, whereas people in Colorado for example are probably exposed to 9-15 millisievert per year. So it is quite an increase from Earth normal, but even astronauts with long duration space stays only have a few percent higher risk (3% I believe). There is no doubt that inhabitants of Mars will have a higher incidence of Cancer (even with decent shielding), but they're not going to drop in 9 months. With even basic shielding 98% of people are going to live for decades, with decent shielding they're going to live quite normal lives. If you go extreme, with subterranean facilities for example, cancer risks for Long term Mars inhabitants could actually be below that of "Earthlings".

    11. Re:what happens if the chick get pregnant? by tuxgeek · · Score: 2

      Virtually no crime

      What planet are you from? General human nature makes us all selfish self centered pricks. Here, on earth, you put two people within 100 yards of each other and you're going to get some form of confrontation. Theft, argument, fight or death. That's just the way it is, was and has always been. Will pretty much be the same on mars as well.

      Although I would like to nominate my ex wife to be on the next shuttle when it leaves ..

      --
      "Suppose you were an idiot...and suppose you were a member of Congress...but I repeat myself." Mark Twain
    12. Re:what happens if the chick get pregnant? by voidptr · · Score: 2

      Fun fact: having a child on Earth also means inflicting an uncertain existence upon them including certain death. That fact doesn't appear to have stopped significant numbers of earthers from breeding either, even in conditions most of us wouldn't want to spend a day in let alone a lifetime.

      --
      This .sig for unofficial government use only. Official use subject to $500 fine.
    13. Re:what happens if the chick get pregnant? by 93+Escort+Wagon · · Score: 2

      And there's no one there to raise them if you did.

      --
      #DeleteChrome
    14. Re:what happens if the chick get pregnant? by nukenerd · · Score: 2

      Virtually no crime

      What planet are you from? General human nature makes us all selfish self centered pricks. Here, on earth, you put two people within 100 yards of each other and you're going to get some form of confrontation.

      Funny you should say that. I live in a backwood area (remote by UK standards) and my nearest neighbour is 1/4 mile away, four times your distance, separated by forest, and not even in sight. He is a guy with a tractor for hire. I never met him until four months after moving here, when he dumped a truckload of building gravel in a forest entrance near my house, incidentally blocking one of my two rights of way to my house. Basically, he started using the area as a storage yard. So we had a bit of a confrontation.

      There will always be issues between people. The number of people simply determine the scale of it.

    15. Re:what happens if the chick get pregnant? by Belial6 · · Score: 2

      On what planet? Here on Earth, sterilization for both men and women is an outpatient procedure with a recovery time of a few days.

    16. Re:what happens if the chick get pregnant? by KeensMustard · · Score: 2

      The OP is probably referring to the fact that conception and gestation are likely impossible on Mars due to it's low gravity.

      That's not a fact. That's unfounded speculation.

      Not exactly: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15607544. The premise of the study is logical: to stave off the effects of low gravity, martians need to rigorously exercise. Constantly. Fetuses cannot do that. The need to exercise will increase dramatically during developmental phases. That is, in utero and childhood.

      Of course, there have been no experiments that confirm these observations but we are choosing between 2 contrasting speculations:

      (a) that despite our observations of the effects on post development adults, developing humans will be unaffected by low gravity or

      (b) based on our observations of the effects on adults, developing humans will also be affected, severely and detrimentally, more so if the cannot be made to exercise.

      Out of those speculations, we should pick the one that is logical.

    17. Re:what happens if the chick get pregnant? by KeensMustard · · Score: 2

      Fetuse in flotation, which is pretty much the same as zero G except for the resistance provided by the aqueous medium. There is no reason to expect that the minute differences would affect fetuses.

      So you imagine that somehow, amniotic fluids cancel out gravity waves? *facepalm*

      Just an FYI - uteruses aren't anti gravity devices. Foetuses feel gravity just the same as born people do.

      There's also no logic in either of your false choices. First, because there are no observations of effects of fractional gravity on adults and because there could be effects is not the same as there would be severe and detrimental effects.

      You're in denial.

  2. That's OK, You Can Go First! by theodp · · Score: 2, Interesting

    How a Mission to Mars Could Kill You

  3. As a bonus by countach · · Score: 4, Funny

    All 100,000 get honorary darwin awards.

    1. Re:As a bonus by oodaloop · · Score: 4, Funny

      And the remaining 7 billion people left on this dying planet get them as well.

      --
      Tic-Tac-Toe, Global Thermonuclear War, and relationships all have the same winning move.
    2. Re:As a bonus by JoshuaZ · · Score: 4, Insightful

      And it wouldn't surprise me if someone said something similar about the humans who first moved out of Africa. And it applies as well to those who went on voyages of exploration, or those scientists who selflessly used their own bodies for medical tests (a category often underappreciated and discussed Lawrence Altman's excellent book "Who Goes First"). We progress by taking risks and we should be grateful for those willing to do so.

    3. Re:As a bonus by Vanderhoth · · Score: 5, Interesting

      It's funny how we claim in western culture that we should be free to do as we please as long as it's not hurting anyone else, but there are so many that feel the need to jump in and stop others from go on what could be the greatest adventure any of us could ever go on, possibility for the betterment and all mankind, but everyone and their dog feel it's absolutely necessary to try and stop them.

      I find it very disheartening

    4. Re:As a bonus by ewibble · · Score: 3, Insightful

      No they thought they might fall off the end of the world. Anyway you are right they will most certainly die (relatively quickly) but I am sure many previous explorers had a high change of death.

      But in the end, if we ever want to expand to other planets some people are going to have to take incredibly risky step of being the first people to go.

      Can we wait until we have better technology, yes, but at some point we will go (or at least I believe so).

      Their deaths will provide invaluable knowledge about next time, in a much quicker fashion than laboratory tests, and simulations.

      Think of it this way people climb deadly mountains http://gearjunkie.com/worlds-10-most-dangerous-mountains the worst has 41% death rate and what for? Someone has already climbed it, you aren't going to live there. At least with going to Mars are knowledge of colonizing planets will be increased, and if they will be famous for a very long time.

  4. Comment removed by account_deleted · · Score: 5, Funny

    Comment removed based on user account deletion

  5. How to build a better world by gmuslera · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Reject all those applications and send to Mars the 100.000 that are in the top 0.1%. Uh, and later send a second batch with lawyers.

  6. Mars One torn to shreds by their own AMA by Quiet+Sound · · Score: 5, Interesting

    These people know nothing about space travel and are completely incapable of answering technical questions about the project. They aren't legitimate.

  7. I'm sure she'll be fine. by Andunelen · · Score: 5, Funny

    No, but I signed my mother-in-law up.

  8. Re:DOA by jkflying · · Score: 2

    I heard one idea of using the water supply as shielding. If we could get the water from the moon it would save a lot of energy lugging it out of the gravity well.

    They could do a 'reverse-slingshot' maneuver to bleed off speed using one of Mars's moons.

    As to landing, yeah, thruster-based is really the only option. Maybe some way of using some of that shielding as a propellant would work to cut down weight. If they land in the right spot they can dig for more water once they are down.

    If a comet comes along at the wrong angle, the human race is toast. I really think our best bet is to get some people off this planet, and self sustaining, ASAP. Maybe if we stopped killing each other for a while we might have the resources to do so.

    --
    Help I am stuck in a signature factory!
  9. Re:DOA by drinkypoo · · Score: 4, Insightful

    One solar flare pointed in the wrong direction and they will fry before they get there. Without science fiction, there is no practical shielding tech that offers a solution (a room with 6 inch think lead walls is heavier than you think).

    sigh, and also sigh. It's called water. You need it anyway. It's good for everything.

    Are they going to land on the surface? I doubt it. The atmosphere makes it very hard to land anything larger than the rover without making a new crater. If you landed, you would have supplies for a few hours before death. You can't do it with parachutes. You need a big rocket to slow you done

    You missed some punctuation there: "You need a big rocket to slow you. Done."

    It goes on and on. Mars is distraction. Money and energy should be spent on more practical projects.

    Yes. Like asteroid mining. Which would give us the mass in orbit necessary to build meaningful interplanetary missions.

    We'll all be dead from a antibiotic resistant super-bug before we have any hope of putting someone on Mars.

    Unfortunately, aerospace engineers aren't very useful in solving that problem. Probably we should still let them work on getting us off this mudball before the impactor arrives.

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  10. Re: So, wait... by drinkypoo · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The religious idiots had an advantage : they could slaughter the inhabitants and just seize already cultivated land and resources and eat all the animals they could find. Settling 'Murica was probably the easiest in the history of mankind.

    The advantage they actually had was that the native Americans had already been decimated (in the modern sense; actually, they were reduced to the tenth man, not by him) by contact with the diseases of the Spanish.

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  11. Not that bad by SuperKendall · · Score: 4, Informative

    They will need radiation shielding on Mars too.

    In a talk on current measurements for radiation levels on Mars I attended, the scientists responsible for the radiation measurement instrumentation said the rough dose you would get per year is around 100 x-rays worth. That's quite a lot, but not going to kill you anytime soon.

    That was with little solar activity, but you could provide a shielded area to retreat to if something happened to hit while the sun was up.

    --
    "There is more worth loving than we have strength to love." - Brian Jay Stanley
  12. Re:DOA by drinkypoo · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Can you define a value of "us"? How many people is that?

    I mean the species. But if we had space elevators, and we stopped breeding, and we built sufficiently large ships, we could probably get a significant portion of the population out of here.

    Do you realize how little difference there is between you and a regular doomsday cult?

    Yes. The only difference is that most of them are worried about something that will probably never happen, whereas I am concerned about something that will probably happen eventually.

    --
    "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
  13. Re:DOA by DamonHD · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The "we must not do anything speculative until all more mundane problems are totally solved" view is broken on many fronts, not least of which is ignoring the potential parallelism in progressing our culture and expertise, and the actual practical intractability of many of the "simple" problems especially if they are even defined in relative terms.

    Life is neither binary nor single-threaded.

    Rgds

    Damon

    --
    http://m.earth.org.uk/
  14. Stop giving this scam free press! by notanalien_justgreen · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I really wish people would stop posting MarsOne propaganda. It's a scam, pure and simple. It's been pointed out time and time again that their team is primarily artists and PR people. Just look here for yourself:

    http://www.mars-one.com/en/about-mars-one/team

    Of the 7 people listed there's: an artist, an editor, a communication specialist, a communications director, and an MD. There's only 2 people who could conceivably have any expertise on getting to Mars.

    They did an interview (AMA) on reddit and were torn apart:

    http://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/ufb42/ama_i_am_founder_of_mars_one_sending_four_people/

    STOP FEEDING THESE PEOPLE FREE PRESS!

  15. forget the humans by ebno-10db · · Score: 2

    Never send a man to do a robot's job.

  16. Re:DOA by jkflying · · Score: 2

    The awesome thing about humans is that we have these people called Scientists and Engineers who make things which haven't been done before. No really, true story. /snark

    Stop being such a downer. If you had your way we'd be sending these messages to each other on papyrus scrolls.

    --
    Help I am stuck in a signature factory!