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Final Mars One Numbers Are In, Over 200,000 People Applied
An anonymous reader writes "The first round of the Mars One Astronaut Selection Program has now closed for applications. In the 5 month application period, Mars One received interest from 202,586 people from around the world, wanting to be amongst the first human settlers on Mars."
But there's no beer on Mars.
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
all of them are mothers-in-law.
how many pairs of boxer shorts should you own?
I'm personally of the opinion that anyone with an inclination to volunteer to take what will invariably amount to a one-way trip to Mars based on the technology that we have so far is probably somebody that the world may be better off without.
Sadly, those we would most like to send, are probably the least likely to apply.
A feeling of having made the same mistake before: Deja Foobar
Will these people get paid for the seven years they train? I'm in a pessimistic mood today, so I'm assuming that they will not actually reach Mars - just wondering what they will get for the seven years they put in.
I'm personally of the opinion that anyone with an inclination to volunteer to take what will invariably amount to a one-way trip to Mars based on the technology that we have so far is probably somebody that the world may be better off without.
They are people with "the right stuff". While the Apollo astronauts knew the plan was to come back, they must have been ready to face a one way trip, as the probability of that was, or must a least have seemed high.
I believe the application fee was $35, so they have already raised a whopping $7 million that I assume will be leveraged for more publicity stunts in raising further money for the mission.
The main speciality of the Mars One project is fundraising and public relations, not space travel.
Sig: I stole this sig.
Lemmings.
putting the 'B' in LGBTQ+
Here's why people apply and who applies: Some do it for the 15 minutes of fame, surely, but many others are serious about it. They know the risk, they know it's a one-way ticket, but their lives are going nowhere on this planet, they've got nothing to lose and this may be just the ticket for them to do something useful for humanity.
Others may have a successful life already but they don't think in terms of "me" and "my" but in terms of humanity and its long-term goals over several generations.
And even if the mission fails, one learns from mistakes and at least they've done something to improve the next mission's chances. Both categories of applicants are real heroes. Live or die.
Really? Why? Every single one of us is going to die of something, someday. I didn't apply, but thinking about it now, it's tempting. Getting to stand on another planet? Maybe even breaking ground for those who will come later? Really, that's kind of awesome. It's fine to say that maybe someday the technology will exist to make this safer, or even routine, but I'm pretty certain to die of something else before that happens.
. . . to fertilize King Barsoom II's lawn and flower gardens! MARS NEEDS MULCH!
But seriously: Initial training for the would-be colonists will consist of living for five years in trailer homes buried beneath the soil of Antarctica's "dry deserts." People who can't cope with the psychological pressure, or who are judged insufficiently entertaining by the casting group of the MARS LIVE! production company and its advertisers and charter sponsors, will be summarily kicked off of the program. (They will receive copies of the home game, which consists of a refrigerator box equipped with fake controls and a framed color print of a Mars probe landing site.)
Just find someone who is addicted to single-player turn-based strategy computer games. They'd complain about the trip being too short. ... my friend, not me.
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They are people with "the right stuff". While the Apollo astronauts knew the plan was to come back, they must have been ready to face a one way trip, as the probability of that was, or must a least have seemed high.
The difference being that this trip IS a "one way" trip.
If you want news from today, you have to come back tomorrow.
Six dollars of game, $400 of laptop, and a couple spare solar fins on the ship to keep the battery charged.
Day 422: I seem to be the only Mars One colonist to notice that we have actually landed on Mars. I found one of the old Mars Rovers and have taken to behaving as if it was a stubborn pet dog to stay sane. While my garden is growing almost as well as the test garden did on earth, I have no idea where the other colonists manage to keep finding the Mountain Dew and beef jerky that provides their sustenance.
Convince each of these 220k people to each donate $1mil to get a spaceship built...
What, they'll build Australia 2: Outback Harder?
I want to live forever. Or at least long enough that I don't want to anymore. The problem is, that's not an option. When I was young(er) and (more) naive, I believed that maybe we finally live in a time where technology and medicine would advance fast enough that I wouldn't have to suffer death, at least not for a long, long time. It's become apparent that that's not the case. Why not do something fantastic before the inevitable?
Why? People die doing things all the time now. Climbing mountains. Racing cars. Swimming. Running. Sleeping.
I don't know, I think I'd be chuckling to myself thinking yep, I'm dying, just like every one of you schlubs will. But I'm doing it on Mars.
More to the point, they would try to influence the preparation to ensure that by the time they get there, the colony would be almost self-sustaining already. There's no reason it can't be done. Drop a bunch of large modules with breathable air and CO2 scrubbers, and verify remotely that they are all functioning before you send people. Then drop enough spare parts to scrub the air for at least a few decades, along with enough non-perishable food to last a similar period of time. Then drop enough building materials to build a huge, sealed, glass habitat to serve as a greenhouse for plants. Then drop equipment needed to build it (think "electric crane"). Then drop bags and bags of dirt. Then drop crates of seeds. Then drop enough solar panels to cover the state of Rhode Island and enough wire to hook it all up. Then remotely control all the equipment to make sure everything is working correctly. Then send the people to put it together. By that time, you've launched a dozen or more unmanned missions over the course of a decade, so you're sure of the launch vehicle and the landing craft. You've provided enough materials to create a sustainable living space, and you've provided enough materials to survive until they finish creating that space.
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This is purely publicity and funding for the "Program." Let's be serious. Donating their $35 does not in any way make them eligible for anything. Everyone knows that, or they are delusional. If anyone is going to Mars, they will be chosen based a long sequence of qualifications and skills, and sending in $35 is not one of those.
The only thing worse than a Democrat is a Republican.
I'm someone with close friends, good family, and active social life, a couple of different fulfilling hobbies, and a steady career that I'm 15 years into and 20 years from retirement from.
And I signed up.
I began my application by listing a myriad different ways the mission could fail, from exploding on launch, to losing air on the way there, to crashing into the planet, to starving to death on the surface, to the most likely: the project running out of money before ever leaving the ground. These are not 200,000 delusional people. These are not 200,000 people who think they're signing up for a quick trip on the Millennium Falcon Many, if not most, of these people know what they're getting into, as much as it can be known at this point. And we've signed up, to go to Mars.
The project will probably fail. Simply because most ambitious projects fail.But some succeed. The probability of failure is not a reason not to be ambitious.
But why go? I can't speak for everyone who signed up. But for myself, the answer is simple. We have to go. We have to expand beyond our planet. Here's somebody trying to do something about it. And I can't pass up the opportunity to be part of it. 47 years ago today the words "To boldly go where no man has gone before" were first uttered in public. And no, you don't need to point out that the show was fiction. But the words meant something.
There are always people willing to go new places. And people willing to go with them.
Columbus wasn't alone on his ship to America. Shackleton had to turn down almost 5000 volunteers for his South Pole expedition. Going to Mars is an even bigger deal. I'm not surprised they got 200,000 applicants. And it's OK that you can't imagine wanting to go. I can't imagine *not* wanting to go.
And yeah, the project will likely fail. But even if it does, something will be learned. Something new will be gained. And eventually, someone will use those lessons and succeed. And I'd be glad to be part of one step of that process. That's why I sent in my application.
If the masses can keep you down, you're not the Ubermensch.