Post by slayernz on Sept 25, 2013 0:11:40 GMT -5
So I have to do a speech tomorrow night - and I've decided to spend 7 minutes of my life talking about the Mars One endeavor. I thought that since it's kind of space-related, I'd share it with you all because feedback is always important and let's face it, I hate speeches!
It takes its name from the Roman God of War, has the tallest volcano of any planet in the solar system, and averages a mere 225m km from here. Mars. Our second-closest neighbor in the solar system, and the only planet that we have found that at least had the potential for life. Dozens of probes and robotic devices have been sent to this planet over the years, and the overarching question they wanted to answer is “Is there life on Mars?”
In 2023, the Not-for-profit organization, Mars One certainly hopes the answer will be Yes! Admittedly, they’re cheating a little, because their plan is to fly people to the planet to live!
Recently, Mars One invited applications for would be colonists. I imagine the pitch went something like this: “Wanted; 4 curious men and women who are prepared to leave everything behind to go on a one-way trip to Mars on an untested rocket and habitat. Significant hazards with a distinct possibility of death exist, oh, and no benefits like super are included.”
Obviously there are some really amazing reasons for wanting to go on this trip. It gives you the chance to boldly go where no one has gone before. It would be a trip of discovery, adventure, and amazing experiences, not to mention plain old bragging rights. I guess the perceived rewards outweighed the risks because at close of applications, over 200,000 wannabe Martian colonists signed up.
As you can imagine, getting a colony set up on mars involves scarily big numbers. Mars One estimates that it will cost 6 billion dollars to get the first 4 people onto the planet. That estimate includes launching nine rockets over 4 years. The first eight missions will be unmanned with an objective of setting up a base for the 4 colonists who will fly over in mission 9. After that, every two years, 4 more people will fly over. Launches can only occur every 2 years due to the orbits of Earth and Mars.
How do you think Mars One will fund this adventure? Think Reality TV! This is going to be Big-Brother on Steroids meets the Apprentice. The global audience will help select the team for the first launch, then watch the whole time during launch, flight, landing and settlement. Mars One hopes that the broadcasting rights will generate more revenue than the Olympics, which is currently around 4 billion dollars. Sponsorship should cover any remaining funding gap.
Even if all of the unmanned flights were successful, and funding was secured, it is not a risk-free endeavor. During the flight over to Mars, the four crew members will spend 7 long months in a small tin can, hurtling along at over 35 thousand km/h. They will potentially receive 10 times as much radiation every day as the average person gets in a year. Mars One hopes that the food, water, and fuel stores will help shield the crew during this voyage.
In terms of reliability, astronaut John Sheppard once said “It's a very sobering feeling to be up in space and realize that one's safety factor was determined by the lowest bidder on a contract”. There have been numerous disasters in previous space flights including Apollo 13, and the two shuttle disasters. In terms of trips to mars, the numbers are even more grim. Of the 40 launches destined for mars, only 16 actually succeeded. The good news though is that in the last 10 years, there has only been a 16% failure rate, so we’re getting better!
With Mars One, there’s no room for error. Unfortunately there is only enough fuel to get to Mars, and if there is any problem, a return trip is out of the question. Worse, because of the 2 yearly launch windows, there is no chance for a rescue if something does go wrong.
Getting to Mars is still the easy part. Once you’re on Mars, things get a whole lot trickier! The atmosphere is almost non-existent, being less than 1% of Earth’s pressure and made up of 95% carbon dioxide. That means when you’re not in your habitat module, you’ll need to wear a pressure suit or your eyes would probably pop out like they did in the movie Total Recall. Speaking of movies, almost every movie made about the red planet involves aliens, disasters, death, and general ickyness. Nobody has really made a movie about finding paradise on Mars.
Because Mars doesn’t have any significant magnetic fields, there is nothing to stop the same radiation that disrupted your flight from affecting you on the planet surface. Mars One believes that dirt can be used to successfully shield you against radiation. This means you’ll be living in pressure suits and under a couple of meters of dirt to avoid the radiation.
Then there is the average minus 60 degree temperatures to worry about. Nothing will grow, even in the modular greenhouses without additional heat and light that is powered by 3,000 square meters of solar paneling. That solar power also powers production of your only oxygen and water supplies. So you’re living in pressure suits, a couple of meters under the dirt, and hanging onto your heaters.
Don’t forget there are dust storms that crop up every now and then, lasting weeks to months at a time. The wind and dust by themselves are hazards, because they tear up the flimsy solar panels, stop any activities outside of the habitats, and even worse, block significant amounts of sunlight. This last thing means that the habitats will need to rely on the battery backups and hope that the dust clears before the batteries give out.
Let’s see. You’re living in pressure suits, a couple of meters under the dirt, in the dark, hoping that the dust clears in time for you to take your next breath.
Finally, there are long delays in any communication you have with earth. You’re communicating at the speed of light, but even though that’s really REALLY fast, it still takes between 3 and 22 minutes for a signal to go from Mars to Earth, and that’s when Mars isn’t behind the sun.
You’re living in pressure suits, a couple of meters under the dirt, in the dark, waiting for the dust to settle, and having a lousy phone conversation.
Life on Mars is beginning to sound extremely daunting. Don’t forget that if something breaks down, you will need to wait for the next launch window, which could be anywhere up to 2 and a half years away, and unlike other expeditions, there is no return. You’re there for life.
Despite the huge hurdles that Mars One has to overcome, and the scary hazards the first colonists will have to face, I still really hope that they are successful, because they are out there, actually trying to push the boundaries of technological and human limits. They are the equivalent of Columbus, and Cook, Edison, and Einstein, and that clever student who invented whipped cream in a can. All of these amazing people would have had their detractors – naysayers who would say it can’t be doneThere are so many things that can go wrong, but if they are successful, the world might just be a better place because of it.
Astronaut Dave Scott summed it up in a single sentence. "Man must explore ...and this is exploration at its greatest"
It takes its name from the Roman God of War, has the tallest volcano of any planet in the solar system, and averages a mere 225m km from here. Mars. Our second-closest neighbor in the solar system, and the only planet that we have found that at least had the potential for life. Dozens of probes and robotic devices have been sent to this planet over the years, and the overarching question they wanted to answer is “Is there life on Mars?”
In 2023, the Not-for-profit organization, Mars One certainly hopes the answer will be Yes! Admittedly, they’re cheating a little, because their plan is to fly people to the planet to live!
Recently, Mars One invited applications for would be colonists. I imagine the pitch went something like this: “Wanted; 4 curious men and women who are prepared to leave everything behind to go on a one-way trip to Mars on an untested rocket and habitat. Significant hazards with a distinct possibility of death exist, oh, and no benefits like super are included.”
Obviously there are some really amazing reasons for wanting to go on this trip. It gives you the chance to boldly go where no one has gone before. It would be a trip of discovery, adventure, and amazing experiences, not to mention plain old bragging rights. I guess the perceived rewards outweighed the risks because at close of applications, over 200,000 wannabe Martian colonists signed up.
As you can imagine, getting a colony set up on mars involves scarily big numbers. Mars One estimates that it will cost 6 billion dollars to get the first 4 people onto the planet. That estimate includes launching nine rockets over 4 years. The first eight missions will be unmanned with an objective of setting up a base for the 4 colonists who will fly over in mission 9. After that, every two years, 4 more people will fly over. Launches can only occur every 2 years due to the orbits of Earth and Mars.
How do you think Mars One will fund this adventure? Think Reality TV! This is going to be Big-Brother on Steroids meets the Apprentice. The global audience will help select the team for the first launch, then watch the whole time during launch, flight, landing and settlement. Mars One hopes that the broadcasting rights will generate more revenue than the Olympics, which is currently around 4 billion dollars. Sponsorship should cover any remaining funding gap.
Even if all of the unmanned flights were successful, and funding was secured, it is not a risk-free endeavor. During the flight over to Mars, the four crew members will spend 7 long months in a small tin can, hurtling along at over 35 thousand km/h. They will potentially receive 10 times as much radiation every day as the average person gets in a year. Mars One hopes that the food, water, and fuel stores will help shield the crew during this voyage.
In terms of reliability, astronaut John Sheppard once said “It's a very sobering feeling to be up in space and realize that one's safety factor was determined by the lowest bidder on a contract”. There have been numerous disasters in previous space flights including Apollo 13, and the two shuttle disasters. In terms of trips to mars, the numbers are even more grim. Of the 40 launches destined for mars, only 16 actually succeeded. The good news though is that in the last 10 years, there has only been a 16% failure rate, so we’re getting better!
With Mars One, there’s no room for error. Unfortunately there is only enough fuel to get to Mars, and if there is any problem, a return trip is out of the question. Worse, because of the 2 yearly launch windows, there is no chance for a rescue if something does go wrong.
Getting to Mars is still the easy part. Once you’re on Mars, things get a whole lot trickier! The atmosphere is almost non-existent, being less than 1% of Earth’s pressure and made up of 95% carbon dioxide. That means when you’re not in your habitat module, you’ll need to wear a pressure suit or your eyes would probably pop out like they did in the movie Total Recall. Speaking of movies, almost every movie made about the red planet involves aliens, disasters, death, and general ickyness. Nobody has really made a movie about finding paradise on Mars.
Because Mars doesn’t have any significant magnetic fields, there is nothing to stop the same radiation that disrupted your flight from affecting you on the planet surface. Mars One believes that dirt can be used to successfully shield you against radiation. This means you’ll be living in pressure suits and under a couple of meters of dirt to avoid the radiation.
Then there is the average minus 60 degree temperatures to worry about. Nothing will grow, even in the modular greenhouses without additional heat and light that is powered by 3,000 square meters of solar paneling. That solar power also powers production of your only oxygen and water supplies. So you’re living in pressure suits, a couple of meters under the dirt, and hanging onto your heaters.
Don’t forget there are dust storms that crop up every now and then, lasting weeks to months at a time. The wind and dust by themselves are hazards, because they tear up the flimsy solar panels, stop any activities outside of the habitats, and even worse, block significant amounts of sunlight. This last thing means that the habitats will need to rely on the battery backups and hope that the dust clears before the batteries give out.
Let’s see. You’re living in pressure suits, a couple of meters under the dirt, in the dark, hoping that the dust clears in time for you to take your next breath.
Finally, there are long delays in any communication you have with earth. You’re communicating at the speed of light, but even though that’s really REALLY fast, it still takes between 3 and 22 minutes for a signal to go from Mars to Earth, and that’s when Mars isn’t behind the sun.
You’re living in pressure suits, a couple of meters under the dirt, in the dark, waiting for the dust to settle, and having a lousy phone conversation.
Life on Mars is beginning to sound extremely daunting. Don’t forget that if something breaks down, you will need to wait for the next launch window, which could be anywhere up to 2 and a half years away, and unlike other expeditions, there is no return. You’re there for life.
Despite the huge hurdles that Mars One has to overcome, and the scary hazards the first colonists will have to face, I still really hope that they are successful, because they are out there, actually trying to push the boundaries of technological and human limits. They are the equivalent of Columbus, and Cook, Edison, and Einstein, and that clever student who invented whipped cream in a can. All of these amazing people would have had their detractors – naysayers who would say it can’t be doneThere are so many things that can go wrong, but if they are successful, the world might just be a better place because of it.
Astronaut Dave Scott summed it up in a single sentence. "Man must explore ...and this is exploration at its greatest"
