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How To Die On Mars

Posted by Soulskill on from the get-your-coffin-to-mars dept.

An anonymous reader writes: Many space-related projects are currently focusing on Mars. SpaceX wants to build a colony there, NASA is looking into base design, and Mars One is supposedly picking astronauts for a mission. Because of this, we've been reading a lot about how we could live on Mars. An article at Popular Science reminds us of all the easy ways to die there. "Barring any complications with the spacecraft's hardware or any unintended run-ins with space debris, there's still a big killer lurking out in space that can't be easily avoided: radiation. ... [And] with so little atmosphere surrounding Mars, gently landing a large amount of weight on the planet will be tough. Heavy objects will pick up too much speed during the descent, making for one deep impact. ... Mars One's plan is to grow crops indoors under artificial lighting. According to the project's website, 80 square meters of space will be dedicated to plant growth within the habitat; the vegetation will be sustained using suspected water in Mars' soil, as well as carbon dioxide produced by the initial four-member crew. However, analysis conducted by MIT researchers last year (PDF) shows that those numbers just don't add up."

8 of 278 comments (clear)

  1. They're missing the point... by narf0708 · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The point of a permanent Mars settlement is the fact that some of us would rather die on Mars. I don't understand why people are finding any problems with that.

    --
    "Violence is not the answer. Violence is the question. The answer is yes."
    1. Re:They're missing the point... by Immerman · · Score: 4, Insightful

      But that's pretty much always the case with colonists. Unless you're incredibly wealthy, you buy a one way ticket to a new land, with the near-guarantee that you will die there, and a very real risk that your death will be relatively soon thanks to unknown dangers and a lack of infrastructure. The only exception being if you become wealthy enough to buy return passage - and if the new land is that kind to you, you're probably not going to be in any hurry to leave.

      And it's still just the "some" who decide to emigrate. Most of the "all" will always stay behind, where life is generally easy, and they will be unaffected by the deaths of the colonists.

      --
      --- Most topics have many sides worth arguing, allow me to take one opposite you.
    2. Re:They're missing the point... by SuricouRaven · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Option one: You live a long but uneventful life in an unremarkable job. You are loved by friends and family,but after your death your memory soon begins to fade. You accomplish little of any lasting effect upon the world.
      Option two: You life a life of adventure and challenge, and die young in one of the many tragic accidents that your inhospitable environment causes on a regular basis. You pioneer a new way of life, and there's a good chance of your name going down in history books. You contribute to something that may change the course of history.

      Either way, you end up dead - but for a lot of people, option two looks more appealing.

    3. Re:They're missing the point... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      We are talking billions of dollars that have much better uses here on Earth.

      Yeah, like getting misused by corrupt government agencies instead of spending it on the important stuff

  2. Re:Hobbit by TWX · · Score: 4, Insightful

    It always amazes me how so many proponents of 3d printing have no concepts of the centuries of technological developments and infrastructure necessary to support the culture that wants to use a 3d printer.

    A colony on Mars that strives for at degree of self-sufficiency will involve lots of nasty jobs, like mining, ore processing, large-scale smelting, chemical refining, basic terrain grading and construction, along with all of the other dangerous aspects of being on Mars, like that the planet not being suitable for life as we know it.

    If you want to know who to to talk to when designing your infrastructure for supporting a colony, speak with Caterpillar, or Komatsu, or Hyundai, or Honda, or John Deere. If you want to know how to deal with mineral extraction contact Freeport McMoRan or 3M or any of a large number of other mining conglomerates, or look to any of the universities that specialize in mining engineering.

    And that isn't even getting to manufacturing or to food production, both of which would be required for a colony to succeed.

    --
    Do not look into laser with remaining eye.
  3. Obvious first step by penguinoid · · Score: 4, Insightful

    How to die on Mars:
    1) Go to Mars
    2) Wait

    No one has yet figured out step 1.

    PS: You should go to Mars! It's a real paradise -- there's no crime, no disease, no oppression, no pain, and no death. And no taxes, either.

    --
    Don't waste your vote! Vote for whoever you want, unless you live in a swing state it won't matter anyways
  4. Voluntarily by h33t+l4x0r · · Score: 3, Insightful

    At a feast for your water brothers, who will grok you in fullness as you go on to become an old one.

  5. Re:Mars One Plan by murdocj · · Score: 3, Insightful

    You mean since the USA landed rovers on Mars, orbited Jupiter, Saturn, Mercury, Venus, sent out two interstellar probes, has a probe about to fly by Pluto... that USA?