Why? Excel is great for manipulating large sets of data. I've used it for a number of stats projects and it is a huge time-saver. You give it the data and the formulas and it does all the grunt work just as well as a TI-8x, except in a more portable format. Don't like the.xls or.xlsx format? Save as a CSV file. Even better, you can copy the data from Excel into Minitab (Yes, I'm aware that this software is not free, but it is effective, and happened to be required for the class I was taking at the time.) and start generating nice graphical representations of that data. I don't know what your beef with using Excel (or spreadsheet apps) for statistics is, but your comment certainly doesn't merit an "insightful" mod without anything to back it up. By the way everything I've just said can be applied to whatever FOSS alternative you prefer.
Why would they want to pay for those USB sticks (and any shipping fees that might be involved) when they have a perfectly good network already in place to send the data in a secure manner? There are too many variables involved in using USB sticks as a means of transferring back-up data. Sticks could get damaged, lost, stolen, etc, not to mention that the server at each store would need to allow USB access which could potentially open them up to other security risks. Just imagine if someone at a store decided to plug in their own USB stick and swipe a few files. Nice idea, but there are too many risks involved with a physical transfer of data.
I want to thank everyone for all of your excellent advice. It's obvious there are some very experienced folks here, and it sounds like the way most of you have learned how to freelance is through the School of Hard Knocks. I'm sure I'll be putting some time in there myself, but hopefully not too much;-)
It sounds like there are a lot of good arguments for and against billing by the hour and fixed-rate quotes, and that may just be something I'll have to try on a case-by-case basis until I find my groove. I can see value in both methods depending on how big or small the job is. I also see a lot of posts about setting up a some form of standard contract and from a CYA perspective that makes total sense to me. All in all I have a lot to consider (this is a good thing), and hopefully someone else who may be in the same boat that I am will benefit from this discussion as well.
This is my first AskSlashdot submission, and after reading through the responses it makes me realize again just how many intelligent and helpful people hang out on this site:-D
I might've worded it poorly, but I wasn't trying to say that those languages don't work on Windows. What I was trying to say to is that those are languages which were not created by Microsoft. C#, VB.NET, VBScript, etc were all created by Microsoft, whereas C, Perl, Python et al were not. While it is true that the latter can just as easily be used in Windows they are more closely associated with 'nix-based development.
This is being modded as flamebait but it is actually a valid suggestion considering that the OP is coming from a MS background. Mono will allow the OP to ease their way into development in in a 'nix environment without having to jump in headfirst with a language or languages that bear little semblance to the tools they're already using. It's all well and good to suggest that the OP start learning C, Python, Perl, $_nonMSLanguageOfChoice but looking at it practically it makes more sense to transition more slowly.
It is also worth pointing out that the parent didn't say anything inflammatory like "Don't, just stick with MS and.NET," or "Linux is for phags!!!!1" They simply offered another option with the suggestion that they start with something familiar. Disagreeing with someone doesn't mean your mouse should instantly jump to the flamebait or troll options.
You could go around quoting robotic things like "would-you-like-to-play-a-game-[?]", or configure yourself to sound like GLADDoS or that machine thing from robo cop.
Oh yeah, I can't wait to make myself sound like a [growling tiger|squealing pig] when I do fall down or aim at someone!
Heck, if we're talking about giving ourselves robotic voices I want to shout "EXTERMINATE!" in a shrill voice whenever I see a British man with bad teeth, a brown coat, and an outlandishly long and colorful scarf.:-D
Unless you sign a written copyright transfer agreement, the copyright will be yours no matter what they think and what is common practise. Sign nothing and your work belongs to you.
Well, yes and no. IANAL (I don't use that phrase very often, but I think there should be a five-use/day minimum around here;-) ), but as far as I know if you're hired to do a job (i.e. write this code for our project) then in all likelihood they'll end up owning the code at the end of the day. You can certainly take them to court over it, and believe me if you don't get it in writing and there is a dispute most companies won't hesitate to take you to court over it. At that point it always seems to become a game of chicken to see who runs out of money first, and nine times out of ten it will be the little guy. It makes much more sense to get it in writing to begin with, even if it means reminding them of their side of the deal in the process. No copyright disputes, no outrageous court costs, no misunderstandings between partners. It just makes better business sense to get these things hammered out beforehand, that way you know what you're getting into and they do too.
You are slowly being cooked by solar radiation here on Earth. Cosmic radiation is even getting you right now. The reality is that the radiation problem is more of a minor hurdle. But misinformed or non-informed people fear it because Hollywood tells them to.
"Minor hurdle" sure isn't the terminology that NASA seems to be using when they speak about radiation. In fact they seem to be fond of the term "show stopper". Also according to the same article I just cited: "A 2-1/2-year trip to Mars, including six months of travel time each way, would expose an astronaut to nearly the lifetime limit of radiation allowed under NASA guidelines.".
Fact: The earth's (eroding) ozone layer protects us from a number of different types of harmful UV radiation.
DId you know the space station leaks? yet they manage. Again, "Hollywood Science" FTL.
Yes, they manage, and it helps a lot that if worse comes to worse they can always just hop the next shuttle back to good old planet earth for all the air they could ever need. No such option on a 6 month trip. On the trip you'd also have to worry about having enough supplies for repairs.
If you can;'t hack small confines for months at a time, then stay here. Believe it or not, most people who do those things do not go nuts. Some do, and Hollywood capitalizes on that very small subset. Even those who do, tend to do it alone.
I hate to break it to you chief but this issue has been given serious consideration. Just because it was mentioned by Hollywood at some point doesn't mean that it isn't a valid concern. I'm sure the folks who actually go on the first trip will be acutely aware of the dangers of crewmates losing their nerve along the way.
Mars is far less inhospitable than hard vacuum of space. It *has* and atmosphere. A dome with a diameter of a mere 50 meters would take days to weeks to deflate if you fired a 50 caliber bullet into the dome, for example. The atmosphere it does have provides magnitudes more radiation and temperature buffer than you'll find in open space. Plus it actually has resources. Open space is well, just open space.
Yes, Mars *has* an atmosphere, one which is less than 1% of the surface pressure of earth and composed of 95% carbon dioxide. As to your assertion that a 50m dome would "take days to to weeks" to deflate I'd like to see some citation on this. With such a huge difference in air pressure I am much more inclined to believe that there would be rapid, significant air loss, not to mention that the temperature (which averages between -60 and -50 degrees Celsius) would quickly affect any inhabitants and equipment within such a structure.
Seriously, the first people to go to Mars will not have a deathwish. Those types of people make missions of any kind other than suicide ones (and even some of those) a disaster waiting to happen.
that if you're a PM (and not something closer to a team lead) who is being asked to "get more hands-on" with the development you have bigger problems to worry about than setting up a proper dev environment. Your situation sounds very similar to the company I just got laid off from who let more than 60% of their IS consultants go (in an environment where 90% of the devs are consultants). They're now so top-heavy that it will be a wonder if there is any kind of release in the next 6 months.
Also you didn't exactly provide a lot of detail regarding what kind of development you need to do. Personally I have a single LAMP server set up for my own projects with Subversion for version control and a couple of Bash scripts for nightly backups to an offsite location.
a- Not a problem with a modest amount of HDPE shielding and strategically pointing the thickest parts of the ship (the main thrusters?) towards the sun.
I'm assuming you're talking about High-density polyethylene? That is great for living quarters and fully enclosed spaces, but what about EVAs? Astronauts will almost certainly be required to leave the ship to perform some kind of maintenance or other activities along the way, not to mention that once they reached Mars they would also (presumably) be active on the surface of the planet for extended periods of time. If it was a long term mission (years or decades) the chances of being affected by radiation go up drastically. I'm not saying it is impossible to survive, but I don't think that using HDPE is going to mitigate the overall risk.
b- What is with people and vacuums? The ship will be at something like.8-.9 atmospheres. Outside will be about 0 atmosphere. Take a submarine down 32 feet underwater and you've recreated the same pressure differential. A good post a month back or so figured out that a small hole in the ISS would take several weeks to drain all the air out (you have to account for the decreasing pressure difference).
A few weeks is more than enough time for all of the air to leak out, especially on a mission that would take months just to reach Mars.
c- If a bunch of 19-year-old submariners, 17th-century fur trappers, and overwintering south pole scientists can deal with it, so can you.
There is a huge difference between making a months-long trip through a vacuum to another planet in a relatively small vessel and being on a submarine or trekking through the arctic or antarctic. The submariners can always surface (in a breathable atmosphere at that), 17th-century fur trappers didn't have to worry about radiation (and could always scavenge food) and scientists in the south pole could always leave if they wanted to. Once you're on that ship and under way there is no turning back and you better hope to hell that everything is functioning the way it should and will continue to function.
d- Your habitat upon landing will most likely be nicer than the ship. In all likelihood it will be the first long, hot shower in gravity that you've had for a long time. The comfort of walking on your feet. Looking at a sky. Oh, and your living modules would most likely be completely assembled and tested by the time you arrive.
True enough, assuming that your base and quarters were all set up ahead of time, which I think is a safe assumption because it makes sense that we would plan for that. However, explorers would still be faced with being confined inside most of the time, and even when they were able to go outside it would always be within an airtight, insulated suit, and I as I mentioned earlier they would have to worry about radiation exposure in the long term. Not to mention that Martian dust would get into everything, including the living quarters and your lungs.
Deathwish? Ask the hundreds of thousands (millions?) of soldiers still alive today who volunteered for combat duty. I deploy back to iraq in a week, and I was the first name on the sign-up roster. I don't know what the fuck is wrong with me, but it could very well go wrong with you, too, if only you worked on it a bit.
I have nothing but respect for the men and women who volunteer to go over there, that really takes balls of brass. Really man, I hope you come back safe:-)
To quote Tyler Derden: "Like a monkey, ready to be shot into space. Space monkey! Ready to sacrifice himself for the greater good. From now on, all those with shaved heads: 'Space Monkeys.'"
Honestly, live another 10 years or so and you'll see there is a lot worth living for. A wife, kids, a career; these are all things that most people crave whether or not they want to admit it. A trip like that one is a huge decision, and I wouldn't be so quick to throw my life away just to be able to say I did it.
Are you kidding? Don't you think that if we could've cryogenically frozen any number of major historical figures and brought them back now that we would jump on the chance to do so? Think of the historical value there would be in speaking face to face to say, Aristotle or Plato (to name a couple off the top of my head). Even if we were to resurrect a foot-soldier from the Crusades (to use your example) we could learn a great deal from them.
Why is nobody trying to convince Wisconsin to start their own Mars mission to send five kilos of cheese into Mars orbit along with some clothes from Lands' End and fifteen or twenty kilos of brats and cheese bread?
There is no reason that we need to wait years and years before we'll be ready to send low-G cheese, for crying out loud.
So, really what you're saying here is that when future travelers to Mars arrive and are asked why they came they can legitimately say "For the cheese." (I'll be really surprised if anyone gets that reference;-) ).
Leaving aside your obviously pro-cheese stance (Would Martian cheese be red instead of green?) I agree with you that private industry and cooperating countries will probably be the key to future exploration. I don't believe any single entity would be able to handle the effort of continuously sending supplies to a permanent station on Mars (certainly not the US in its current economic state). On the other hand, what would be the major incentive to get private and other entities involved? Bragging rights? Advertising space? I can imagine it now:
Wisconsin Cheese Company: We have cheese on Mars and all the interplanetary billboard space we could ever need!
I guess what I'm really trying to say here is that there doesn't seem to be much in the way of resources or economic gain to motivate organizations to work together in order to make a major manned mission to Mars worth it.
Hmmmmm, given the choice between living in abject poverty and being sent to a frozen hell with an unbreathable atmosphere with an almost zero chance of ever returning and giving up everything familiar and even remotely comfortable I think I would take the abject poverty. Living in a sterile tincan (or a hole in the ground) and not being able to step outside without an airtight, insulated and heated suit for the rest of my life doesn't exactly sound appealing. There is always a chance you can get out of poverty (especially in the US), and even if people did jump at that chance to go they would be out of their minds..... then again that was the point I was making to begin with;-)
If we could find volunteers who have a shortened life expectancy (terminal cancer, etc), would it be terribly unethical to send them?
I wouldn't think it would be unethical as long as they are fully aware of what it is they are being asked to do, but would they necessarily be the type we would want to send on a mission as important and costly as this would be? It would be commendable if someone decided to dedicate their remaining time to such a cause, but what happens if their illness takes a turn for the worse and the mission ends prematurely? Any goals which were dependent on their survival up to a certain point couldn't be met, and the whole thing could be a wash.
Not a bad idea, but it sounds like a lot could go wrong with it. If something did go wrong just how costly would it be in terms of money, resources and time? Think about how costly the rover missions have been, and then probably quadruple that amount (if not more). I mean, we're not talking about roaming with a relatively small robot, we're talking about establishing semi-permanent housing for people which can't have any mistakes in the construction process. Two years also sounds like a very long time to have the habitats established before the arrival of humans, I would say 10 months maybe (I think I remember 9 months being the estimated travel time to Mars?) which would give us enough time to call the project off if there was a problem.
It also isn't a bad idea to harvest any kind of water we can from glaciers, as well as any other resources we can dig up while we're there. I would say that that that approach would be absolutely necessary to a successful manned mission. This goes along with what I was saying earlier about the cost of the pre-established habitat. Whatever supplies we sent ahead would be extremely expensive monetarily as well as in terms of storage and fuel spent getting it there.
All in all it would be an extremely costly and dangerous prospect, and there would have to be some serious gains to be made to make it worth anyone's time. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for exploration in the name of science, but it doesn't change the fact that a mission such as this wouldn't be a walk in the park.
Why is this being modded flamebait? Your points are all valid (I'll even give you a if you're talking about dying of exposure) in regards to the new world. The folks who made the trip would probably be the first to tell us it was hell. Also, nothing says you can't be a hero and still have a deathwish;-)
Great series, admittedly I had the first part of Red Mars in my head while I was typing that post up. Anyone for eating dirt and joining the new Martian cult?;-)
Building underground is probably best idea to avoid radiation (this is probably a good idea for a moon base as well), but I would hope that by the time we are seriously considering manned missions to Mars that we have better protection against radiation.
Yes indeed, you first! I'll be satisfied to have myself cryogenically frozen (Did I happen to mention you first for that too?) and thawed out in a generation or three when the colonization effort is well under way. Guess I'm not much for a.) getting slowly cooked by solar radiation b.) constantly worrying about a hole the size of a pinprick sucking all the atmosphere out of the ship, c.) either losing my sanity in the confines of ship I can't leave for months on end or waiting for my fellow shipmates to do the same and d.) finally arriving at my destination which is even less hospitable and almost certainly more dangerous than life on the ship.
Seriously, the first people to go to Mars would almost have to have a deathwish to do so.
Re:Those are america's problems
on
American Nerd
·
· Score: 3, Informative
Ummm, you do realize the book is called American Nerd right? I mean, it's right there in the title of the article.
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Why? Excel is great for manipulating large sets of data. I've used it for a number of stats projects and it is a huge time-saver. You give it the data and the formulas and it does all the grunt work just as well as a TI-8x, except in a more portable format. Don't like the .xls or .xlsx format? Save as a CSV file. Even better, you can copy the data from Excel into Minitab (Yes, I'm aware that this software is not free, but it is effective, and happened to be required for the class I was taking at the time.) and start generating nice graphical representations of that data. I don't know what your beef with using Excel (or spreadsheet apps) for statistics is, but your comment certainly doesn't merit an "insightful" mod without anything to back it up. By the way everything I've just said can be applied to whatever FOSS alternative you prefer.
Yeah but boxing games will be great! Except for the whole "replacing your monitor after every session" bit.... :-D
Why would they want to pay for those USB sticks (and any shipping fees that might be involved) when they have a perfectly good network already in place to send the data in a secure manner? There are too many variables involved in using USB sticks as a means of transferring back-up data. Sticks could get damaged, lost, stolen, etc, not to mention that the server at each store would need to allow USB access which could potentially open them up to other security risks. Just imagine if someone at a store decided to plug in their own USB stick and swipe a few files. Nice idea, but there are too many risks involved with a physical transfer of data.
Survival horror isn't going extinct, it's just waiting for the next sequel... and this time it's gonna be personal!
Please excuse me for replying to my own post.
I want to thank everyone for all of your excellent advice. It's obvious there are some very experienced folks here, and it sounds like the way most of you have learned how to freelance is through the School of Hard Knocks. I'm sure I'll be putting some time in there myself, but hopefully not too much ;-)
It sounds like there are a lot of good arguments for and against billing by the hour and fixed-rate quotes, and that may just be something I'll have to try on a case-by-case basis until I find my groove. I can see value in both methods depending on how big or small the job is. I also see a lot of posts about setting up a some form of standard contract and from a CYA perspective that makes total sense to me. All in all I have a lot to consider (this is a good thing), and hopefully someone else who may be in the same boat that I am will benefit from this discussion as well.
This is my first AskSlashdot submission, and after reading through the responses it makes me realize again just how many intelligent and helpful people hang out on this site :-D
Thanks everyone!
I might've worded it poorly, but I wasn't trying to say that those languages don't work on Windows. What I was trying to say to is that those are languages which were not created by Microsoft. C#, VB.NET, VBScript, etc were all created by Microsoft, whereas C, Perl, Python et al were not. While it is true that the latter can just as easily be used in Windows they are more closely associated with 'nix-based development.
This is being modded as flamebait but it is actually a valid suggestion considering that the OP is coming from a MS background. Mono will allow the OP to ease their way into development in in a 'nix environment without having to jump in headfirst with a language or languages that bear little semblance to the tools they're already using. It's all well and good to suggest that the OP start learning C, Python, Perl, $_nonMSLanguageOfChoice but looking at it practically it makes more sense to transition more slowly.
It is also worth pointing out that the parent didn't say anything inflammatory like "Don't, just stick with MS and .NET," or "Linux is for phags!!!!1" They simply offered another option with the suggestion that they start with something familiar. Disagreeing with someone doesn't mean your mouse should instantly jump to the flamebait or troll options.
Oh yeah, I can't wait to make myself sound like a [growling tiger|squealing pig] when I do fall down or aim at someone!
Heck, if we're talking about giving ourselves robotic voices I want to shout "EXTERMINATE!" in a shrill voice whenever I see a British man with bad teeth, a brown coat, and an outlandishly long and colorful scarf. :-D
Well, yes and no. IANAL (I don't use that phrase very often, but I think there should be a five-use/day minimum around here ;-) ), but as far as I know if you're hired to do a job (i.e. write this code for our project) then in all likelihood they'll end up owning the code at the end of the day. You can certainly take them to court over it, and believe me if you don't get it in writing and there is a dispute most companies won't hesitate to take you to court over it. At that point it always seems to become a game of chicken to see who runs out of money first, and nine times out of ten it will be the little guy. It makes much more sense to get it in writing to begin with, even if it means reminding them of their side of the deal in the process. No copyright disputes, no outrageous court costs, no misunderstandings between partners. It just makes better business sense to get these things hammered out beforehand, that way you know what you're getting into and they do too.
get it in writing.
He hasn't built himself any beautifful robot daughters...
Farmer:... You can sleep in the barn. Just don't be a-touchin' my three beautiful robot daughters. Y'hear?
Fry: Robot daughters?
[He points to his robot daughters outside the house.]
Farmer: This here is Lulabelle 7.
Lulabelle 7: Yoo-hoo!
Farmer: Daisy-Mae 128K.
Daisy-Mae 128K: Yoo-hoo!
Farmer: And the Crushinator.
[The Crushinator is a huge pink thing with tracks instead of legs.]
Crushinator: (mechanical voice) Yoo-hoo.
Fry: Whoa!
Thank you for the early Christmas present, that thought makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside!
This will be sooooo much fun.
"Minor hurdle" sure isn't the terminology that NASA seems to be using when they speak about radiation. In fact they seem to be fond of the term "show stopper". Also according to the same article I just cited: "A 2-1/2-year trip to Mars, including six months of travel time each way, would expose an astronaut to nearly the lifetime limit of radiation allowed under NASA guidelines.".
Fact: The earth's (eroding) ozone layer protects us from a number of different types of harmful UV radiation.
Fact: Mars has no ozone layer to speak of, and has absolutely no magnetic field. In 2001 Mars Odyssey detected radiation levels 2.5 times higher than that found on the International Space Station.
Yes, they manage, and it helps a lot that if worse comes to worse they can always just hop the next shuttle back to good old planet earth for all the air they could ever need. No such option on a 6 month trip. On the trip you'd also have to worry about having enough supplies for repairs.
I hate to break it to you chief but this issue has been given serious consideration. Just because it was mentioned by Hollywood at some point doesn't mean that it isn't a valid concern. I'm sure the folks who actually go on the first trip will be acutely aware of the dangers of crewmates losing their nerve along the way.
Yes, Mars *has* an atmosphere, one which is less than 1% of the surface pressure of earth and composed of 95% carbon dioxide. As to your assertion that a 50m dome would "take days to to weeks" to deflate I'd like to see some citation on this. With such a huge difference in air pressure I am much more inclined to believe that there would be rapid, significant air loss, not to mention that the temperature (which averages between -60 and -50 degrees Celsius) would quickly affect any inhabitants and equipment within such a structure.
Because, you know, astronauts have never been known to lose it.
that if you're a PM (and not something closer to a team lead) who is being asked to "get more hands-on" with the development you have bigger problems to worry about than setting up a proper dev environment. Your situation sounds very similar to the company I just got laid off from who let more than 60% of their IS consultants go (in an environment where 90% of the devs are consultants). They're now so top-heavy that it will be a wonder if there is any kind of release in the next 6 months.
Also you didn't exactly provide a lot of detail regarding what kind of development you need to do. Personally I have a single LAMP server set up for my own projects with Subversion for version control and a couple of Bash scripts for nightly backups to an offsite location.
I'm assuming you're talking about High-density polyethylene? That is great for living quarters and fully enclosed spaces, but what about EVAs? Astronauts will almost certainly be required to leave the ship to perform some kind of maintenance or other activities along the way, not to mention that once they reached Mars they would also (presumably) be active on the surface of the planet for extended periods of time. If it was a long term mission (years or decades) the chances of being affected by radiation go up drastically. I'm not saying it is impossible to survive, but I don't think that using HDPE is going to mitigate the overall risk.
A few weeks is more than enough time for all of the air to leak out, especially on a mission that would take months just to reach Mars.
There is a huge difference between making a months-long trip through a vacuum to another planet in a relatively small vessel and being on a submarine or trekking through the arctic or antarctic. The submariners can always surface (in a breathable atmosphere at that), 17th-century fur trappers didn't have to worry about radiation (and could always scavenge food) and scientists in the south pole could always leave if they wanted to. Once you're on that ship and under way there is no turning back and you better hope to hell that everything is functioning the way it should and will continue to function.
True enough, assuming that your base and quarters were all set up ahead of time, which I think is a safe assumption because it makes sense that we would plan for that. However, explorers would still be faced with being confined inside most of the time, and even when they were able to go outside it would always be within an airtight, insulated suit, and I as I mentioned earlier they would have to worry about radiation exposure in the long term. Not to mention that Martian dust would get into everything, including the living quarters and your lungs.
I have nothing but respect for the men and women who volunteer to go over there, that really takes balls of brass. Really man, I hope you come back safe :-)
To quote Tyler Derden: "Like a monkey, ready to be shot into space. Space monkey! Ready to sacrifice himself for the greater good. From now on, all those with shaved heads: 'Space Monkeys.'"
Honestly, live another 10 years or so and you'll see there is a lot worth living for. A wife, kids, a career; these are all things that most people crave whether or not they want to admit it. A trip like that one is a huge decision, and I wouldn't be so quick to throw my life away just to be able to say I did it.
Are you kidding? Don't you think that if we could've cryogenically frozen any number of major historical figures and brought them back now that we would jump on the chance to do so? Think of the historical value there would be in speaking face to face to say, Aristotle or Plato (to name a couple off the top of my head). Even if we were to resurrect a foot-soldier from the Crusades (to use your example) we could learn a great deal from them.
So, really what you're saying here is that when future travelers to Mars arrive and are asked why they came they can legitimately say "For the cheese." (I'll be really surprised if anyone gets that reference ;-) ).
Leaving aside your obviously pro-cheese stance (Would Martian cheese be red instead of green?) I agree with you that private industry and cooperating countries will probably be the key to future exploration. I don't believe any single entity would be able to handle the effort of continuously sending supplies to a permanent station on Mars (certainly not the US in its current economic state). On the other hand, what would be the major incentive to get private and other entities involved? Bragging rights? Advertising space? I can imagine it now:
Wisconsin Cheese Company: We have cheese on Mars and all the interplanetary billboard space we could ever need!
I guess what I'm really trying to say here is that there doesn't seem to be much in the way of resources or economic gain to motivate organizations to work together in order to make a major manned mission to Mars worth it.
Hmmmmm, given the choice between living in abject poverty and being sent to a frozen hell with an unbreathable atmosphere with an almost zero chance of ever returning and giving up everything familiar and even remotely comfortable I think I would take the abject poverty. Living in a sterile tincan (or a hole in the ground) and not being able to step outside without an airtight, insulated and heated suit for the rest of my life doesn't exactly sound appealing. There is always a chance you can get out of poverty (especially in the US), and even if people did jump at that chance to go they would be out of their minds..... then again that was the point I was making to begin with ;-)
I wouldn't think it would be unethical as long as they are fully aware of what it is they are being asked to do, but would they necessarily be the type we would want to send on a mission as important and costly as this would be? It would be commendable if someone decided to dedicate their remaining time to such a cause, but what happens if their illness takes a turn for the worse and the mission ends prematurely? Any goals which were dependent on their survival up to a certain point couldn't be met, and the whole thing could be a wash.
Not a bad idea, but it sounds like a lot could go wrong with it. If something did go wrong just how costly would it be in terms of money, resources and time? Think about how costly the rover missions have been, and then probably quadruple that amount (if not more). I mean, we're not talking about roaming with a relatively small robot, we're talking about establishing semi-permanent housing for people which can't have any mistakes in the construction process. Two years also sounds like a very long time to have the habitats established before the arrival of humans, I would say 10 months maybe (I think I remember 9 months being the estimated travel time to Mars?) which would give us enough time to call the project off if there was a problem.
It also isn't a bad idea to harvest any kind of water we can from glaciers, as well as any other resources we can dig up while we're there. I would say that that that approach would be absolutely necessary to a successful manned mission. This goes along with what I was saying earlier about the cost of the pre-established habitat. Whatever supplies we sent ahead would be extremely expensive monetarily as well as in terms of storage and fuel spent getting it there.
All in all it would be an extremely costly and dangerous prospect, and there would have to be some serious gains to be made to make it worth anyone's time. Don't get me wrong, I'm all for exploration in the name of science, but it doesn't change the fact that a mission such as this wouldn't be a walk in the park.
Why is this being modded flamebait? Your points are all valid (I'll even give you a if you're talking about dying of exposure) in regards to the new world. The folks who made the trip would probably be the first to tell us it was hell. Also, nothing says you can't be a hero and still have a deathwish ;-)
Great series, admittedly I had the first part of Red Mars in my head while I was typing that post up. Anyone for eating dirt and joining the new Martian cult? ;-)
Building underground is probably best idea to avoid radiation (this is probably a good idea for a moon base as well), but I would hope that by the time we are seriously considering manned missions to Mars that we have better protection against radiation.
Yes indeed, you first! I'll be satisfied to have myself cryogenically frozen (Did I happen to mention you first for that too?) and thawed out in a generation or three when the colonization effort is well under way. Guess I'm not much for a.) getting slowly cooked by solar radiation b.) constantly worrying about a hole the size of a pinprick sucking all the atmosphere out of the ship, c.) either losing my sanity in the confines of ship I can't leave for months on end or waiting for my fellow shipmates to do the same and d.) finally arriving at my destination which is even less hospitable and almost certainly more dangerous than life on the ship.
Seriously, the first people to go to Mars would almost have to have a deathwish to do so.
Ummm, you do realize the book is called American Nerd right? I mean, it's right there in the title of the article.