You can be first person on Mars -- if you agree to not come back

[The Yen Man]

Originally Posted by Locke

Thinking about it rationally, knocking a chick up on route to Mars is probably the worst survival scenario imaginable.

I remember watching this one episode of a series called "The Universe" that talked about sex in space. Apparently there's big challenges to conceiving in a zero gravity environment.

[Locke]

From another standpoint this whole concept is pretty morbid. These people arent going to start a long-term colony, they arent establishing a society or anything, they're just going there to struggle by until they die.

Really, thats all this is, watching hopeless people die on TV. I think the only thing that makes this legal would be the fact that its happening on Mars and as such it wouldnt be bound by any laws.

Again, another really good reason to send the cast of the Jersey Shore.

[Hemi-Cuda]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

But if all your eggs are in one basket, wouldn't it be better to make it the best and most secure basket you can, instead of hurling your eggs in a hail mary attempt and hope they land securely in another basket (one of unknown quality at that)?

doesn't matter how nice that one basket is if it gets nailed by an extinction level asteroid, or if the Yellowstone super-volcano erupts, or if we lose our magnetic field (or any number of other plausible doomsday scenarios). we're the first species in the history of the planet with the ability to prevent our own extinction, to not try and do so is foolish

[Sr. Mints]

Originally Posted by Sliver

Wonder if they're going to call the colony Fata City?

Or Port Joe Smith.

Everybody knew the Arachnids Space is dangerous, but a group of Mormon Dutch extremists game show contestants insisted on establishing a colony deep in Arachnid quarantine zone Mars.

[Nehkara]

Originally Posted by Locke

From another standpoint this whole concept is pretty morbid. These people arent going to start a long-term colony, they arent establishing a society or anything, they're just going there to struggle by until they die.

Really, thats all this is, watching hopeless people die on TV. I think the only thing that makes this legal would be the fact that its happening on Mars and as such it wouldnt be bound by any laws.

Again, another really good reason to send the cast of the Jersey Shore.

The same could be said of early explorers of North America.

The people will know the risks associated going in, first of all.

Secondly, assuming they choose only younger people for this, which is logical, and assuming life expectancy is not what it is on Earth which is also logical. You can expect someone to survive (assuming nothing goes horribly awry) for probably 30-40 years. The colony by 30 years in will consist of 64 individuals (assuming they continue sending 4 people every 2 years as is the plan). After 40 years it is 84 people. That's not much a community on Earth but for a colony on another planet, that is getting to be a significant number.

In terms of radiation, one of the first plans once on Mars is for the astronauts to begin manufacturing bricks (supplies for this ability will be sent). They will then build a much larger habitat out of brick, sealed with plastic sheeting and several feet of soil. This habitat will have a few advantages, not only will it be bigger but it will deal with most of the radiation exposure.

Just going by what I read.

Also, the $6 billion is for everything up to and including the first 4 astronauts landing on Mars. They are only using existing technologies so it is possible they can do it.

As for testing everything first, they will be setting up a "colony" identical to the one going to Mars, in a very harsh environment on Earth (likely the far North) to test equipment and more importantly to test the people involved.

I am not at all certain they can do it, I just think it would be very interesting if they did.

[troutman]

Ben Bova has written a few credible SF books about exploring Mars:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ben_Bova

Mars, Return To Mars, and Mars Life.

See also, The Mars Trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kim_Sta...e_Mars_trilogy

[Daradon]

Originally Posted by Locke

From another standpoint this whole concept is pretty morbid. These people arent going to start a long-term colony, they arent establishing a society or anything, they're just going there to struggle by until they die.

Really, thats all this is, watching hopeless people die on TV. I think the only thing that makes this legal would be the fact that its happening on Mars and as such it wouldnt be bound by any laws.

Again, another really good reason to send the cast of the Jersey Shore.

I would think that would be right up your alley?! Jersey Shore or not. Maybe just a bunch of hobos?

[troutman]

Originally Posted by Daradon

I would think that would be right up your alley?! Jersey Shore or not. Maybe just a bunch of hobos?

Australia was colonized by Britain's unwanted criminals.

[Daradon]

Originally Posted by troutman

Australia was colonized by Britain's unwanted criminals.

Oh good, let's give the criminals a whole planet! And not just a planet, but the first one we try to colonize!

This has the makings of the beginning of an awesome sci-fi story.

[photon]

Originally Posted by Flacker

Is this where they are determining that they resupply every two years? Is that the approximate time between launch windows for a earth/mars transfer?

Probably, launch windows for Earth->Mars transfer orbits are far apart is all I remember, a couple of years doesn't seem unreasonable.

[troutman]

Originally Posted by Daradon

Oh good, let's give the criminals a whole planet! And not just a planet, but the first one we try to colonize!

This has the makings of the beginning of an awesome sci-fi story.

Clans of the Alphane Moon is a 1964 science fiction novel by Philip K. Dick. It is based on his 1954 short story Shell Game, first published in Galaxy Science Fiction magazine.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Clans_of_the_Alphane_Moon

Here, the moon is inhabited by different communities of mentally ill people.

[MarchHare]

Originally Posted by photon

Probably, launch windows for Earth->Mars transfer orbits are far apart is all I remember, a couple of years doesn't seem unreasonable.

According to wikipedia, there's roughly 780 days between Earth-Mars launch windows.

[Daradon]

Yeah I thought there were a few along the same lines. I think I've even read one a while back.

I'll have to see if I can remember it.

Along those lines, I wonder how long it would take for people to become different. Obviously evolution would be a slower more subtle process, but thinks like change of height, weight, gait, and many other things could change in just a few generations with differences in gravity, light, temp, etc. Just the way people live even and how they face their challenges.

[TorqueDog]

Originally Posted by Daradon

Oh good, let's give the criminals a whole planet! And not just a planet, but the first one we try to colonize!

This has the makings of the beginning of an awesome sci-fi story.

The ISA versus the Helgans! Killzone 3!

[saskflames69]

I would rather go to the moon. You could return home from the moon in less than a day (assuming that today's technology is better than what they used during the Apollo missions), put that in contrast with the 7 months it takes to travel from Mars.

[Locke]

Originally Posted by saskflames96

I would rather go to the moon. You could return home from the moon in less than a day (assuming that today's technology is better than what they used during the Apollo missions), put that in contrast with the 7 months it takes to travel from Mars.

I think you are missing the bit about 'never coming back.'

[saskflames69]

Originally Posted by Locke

I think you are missing the bit about 'never coming back.'

...

Well, if that's the case then.. still no.

[FlamesAddiction]

Originally Posted by Hemi-Cuda

doesn't matter how nice that one basket is if it gets nailed by an extinction level asteroid, or if the Yellowstone super-volcano erupts, or if we lose our magnetic field (or any number of other plausible doomsday scenarios). we're the first species in the history of the planet with the ability to prevent our own extinction, to not try and do so is foolish

I still think we should be looking inward instead of outward. There has never been an extinction level event on this planet that wiped out all life. Some animals were always able to adapt. The key is to figure why those animals survived and follow that direction. I could see having an escape vessel ready just in case, but putting our planet's resources into developing another planet just doesn't seem right. If it fails (and it likely would), then you just end up wasting resources that belong here and could be helping people here.

Anyhow, extinction is inescapable no matter what. You can't stop the process of evolution and eventually, we will be an exctint ancestor species for whatever our decendents evolve into.

[Sliver]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

I still think we should be looking inward instead of outward. There has never been an instinction level event on this planet that wiped out all life. Some animals were always able to adapt. The key is to figure why those animals survived and follow that direction. I could see having an escape vessel ready just in case, but putting our planet's resources into developing another planet just doesn't seem right. If it fails (and it likely would), then you just end up wasting resources that belong here and could be helping people here.

Anyhow, instiction is inescapable no matter what. You can't stop the process of evolution and eventually, we will be an instict ancestor species for whatever our decendents evolve into.

It's not like we'd be blowing our wad on this Mars thing. It'd probably use something like 0.00000000000000000000000000000000000000000000001% of our available manpower and wealth. As for the earth's resources, it'll use basically none.

[Daradon]

Originally Posted by FlamesAddiction

I still think we should be looking inward instead of outward. There has never been an instinction level event on this planet that wiped out all life. Some animals were always able to adapt. The key is to figure why those animals survived and follow that direction. I could see having an escape vessel ready just in case, but putting our planet's resources into developing another planet just doesn't seem right. If it fails (and it likely would), then you just end up wasting resources that belong here and could be helping people here.

Anyhow, instiction is inescapable no matter what. You can't stop the process of evolution and eventually, we will be an instict ancestor species for whatever our decendents evolve into.

Sorry, have to... If it was once then probably not but...

EXTINCT not INSTINCT
EXTINCTION no INSTINCTION (whatever that is)

As for the post, I dunno. Your points are correct for this planet, but there's a good possibility we've just been lucky, like we have with so many things that led to our eventual evolution. It's quite possible that disasters like that are far more common to other planets and other forms of life.

I think it's a risk we have to take eventually, we might as well get started.

I do agree with the emotion of your post though, we definitely need to take care of this planet and it's people better. But going to the stars may end up being easier than having a self sustaining peaceful culture here. As humans we have evolved to explore, conquer, and act on greed. Filling up the petri dish then jumping out seems a lot more like us than learning to live within the petri dish.