Out of Pod Experience

Hello folks.
Earlier today i found something pretty interesting and (and scary.)
I dont know if im supposed to think it's cool or whatever, i just wanted to share it here on EVE. (Since it is a space sci-fi, right?) and it would probably be a sweet discussion about it. And it looks really good. I dont know if its a hoax or not or if this will happen, but if you look at all the people who are willing to go its looks solid. But i dont know.
(OBS, i dont know if this is the right forum or not)

This is about Trips to mars. Here's the scary part, its about staying.

- From the website.

Link to website: Mars-One
Link to story @ BBC: BBC NEWS

Sorry to be a party pooper but I read about this well over a year ago.

Yes, it's a real thing.

If there are chances of making technological advancement, I am in favor of it.

I'll stay here and wave.

Like Kryxtal stated, Mars-One has been around for quite some time and has been a subject of discussion multiple times in OOPE. Their approach is basically sending small groups of people on a one way trip to the planet to basically live in a couple of pods that are about as akin to 2 camp trailers welded together. Oh, and they'll be part of a reality show for the rest of their lives as well.

Personally I'm more akin to Space-X's approach, partially because they have an idea that is almost identical to a design my group made for our Capstone. The CEO wants to launch rockets to the planet first that will deploy a solar power biodome, which in theory will give astronauts not only more walking room but the ability to actually grow crops in Martian soil.

In our capstone, along with creating our own Biodome rocket we also created a orbiting space craft that would be capable of making multiple trips between Earth and Mars to ferry supplies and crew. We came up with the MTM. It's designed so that once it reaches it's destination it would launch 3 cargo containers from it's underbelly that consist of a main habitat (air tight inflatable structures would attach to it afterwards), a rover and communications array, and a supply bin. After that all drops the crew leave in 2 Apollo like lunar modules which they can use to return to the MTM at a later time.

I probably wouldn't do it just because this is a private thing not looking for the best people so it's going to end in disaster

It is legit but the chances of it happening are extremely slim in mine and others opinions.

They've grossly underestimated the costs and I think that will be their fatal flaw.

I'd love to see it happen and see the human race colonize Mars, but I don't think it's going to be this company and certainly not by 2023. Of course, a lot can happen within 10 years, but unless they seriously re-think their funding and get realistic numbers and sponsors to fulfil those numbers, it ain't gonna happen.

There should be good mining opportunities there, which is probably the only way your going to interest private (aka venture capital) investment in a long term manner.


I'm not really sure how colonisable mars is as a long term venture, the lack of a magnetic field and significant atmosphere pose high risks to long term habitation.

Costs need to come down as well .... space is still too expensive at the moment

That's the primary reason for the Orbiters and rovers out there atm.
Gathering intel and mineral composition data.

Don't forget Mars isn't very big, which means it has a lower escape velocity.
A mass driver could be a feasible payload launch system.

There's interesting research currently on going into rocket tech, but it's still a fair trek out there atm.

Still colossal compared to a NEA. You can escape orbit of a NEA by walking too quickly, the energies involved are orders of magnitude less, and its easier to haul back as its closer to Earths gravitational well.

Planets are the endgame, but we've not even gotten the board setup yet, still reading the "how to walk on the moon" rulebook.

Why bring the idiocy of our race to yet another planet ?

Colonists will just faction off eventually into those who want to remake, industrialize and profit, and those who want to preserve it pristine, ala Kim S. Robinson.