Final Mars One Numbers Are In, Over 200,000 People Applied 176
An anonymous reader writes "The first round of the Mars One Astronaut Selection Program has now closed for applications. In the 5 month application period, Mars One received interest from 202,586 people from around the world, wanting to be amongst the first human settlers on Mars."
I would have... (Score:4, Funny)
But there's no beer on Mars.
Re:I would have... (Score:5, Funny)
But plenty of nougat, caramel and chocolate.
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And Wensleydale cheese.
Or.. wait a sec, did I sign up for the wrong interplanetary settlement mission? CRAP!!!
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I'm pretty sure this is being styled as a BYOB party.
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Bring Your Own Body.
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Re:I would have... (Score:5, Funny)
Well, at least the hard part is over now. Now all we have to do is build a rocket and living quarters to get there and stay.
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Well, at least the hard part is over now. Now all we have to do is build a rocket and living quarters to get there and stay.
I agree. Once we've proved you can safely get to mars colony, it's all downhill from there. Just FYI: Don't be on the second ship out. We already know what fate the B Ark ship will serve...
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There is no beer now, but you gota look at it this way. What is the first thing any respectable settlers have done throughout history? They figure out how to make beer, wine, or some other spirit from the available food stuffs and materials; that's what. There are good odds that if any of the get to Mars at all one of these applicants will be the first Martian Brewmeister.
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Mars needs IPAs.
Re: I would have... (Score:2)
coincidentally (Score:5, Funny)
Re:coincidentally (Score:5, Funny)
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I almost wish I knew what you were going on about.
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I'll wager the people signing up for this endeavor assign no particular political value whatsoever to the mission. In stark contrast, politicians make careers of twisting the heartfelt dreams and acts of others to convince the masses that said acts represent this or that "cause" that bears little or no resemblance to the original act.
You dare to claim insight into the minds of 200k people and distill their motives into a neat little cup to suit your own whims. You must be a politician.
Mod parent troll. Shou
Re:coincidentally (Score:5, Insightful)
I believe we are all terminally ill
Salaried? (Score:5, Insightful)
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An experience of a life-time, and some controlled food and shelter. This is the most transformative health program available.
Which raises the question: will they still be willing to go die on Mars, after spending seven years turning their life around?
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Which raises the question: will they still be willing to go die on Mars, after spending seven years turning their life around?
Some will, some won't. With that many applicants, you can pick a larger group than you need for the final mission precisely to account for people bowing out of the program.
Of course the application wasn't free (Score:5, Insightful)
The main speciality of the Mars One project is fundraising and public relations, not space travel.
Re:Of course the application wasn't free (Score:5, Funny)
I doubt they turned a profit on that. $35 probably barely covered the cost of reviewing the application.
Re:Of course the application wasn't free (Score:4, Insightful)
Wait...you think they actually reviewed the applications? They're likely scanned into a database for "future use".
I'm just jealous I didn't think of a stunt like this.
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Yes, because at this point they're still hoping to actually do this. So, somebody needed to review the applications. Sure, they might have made some profit on this, but it's not like they're getting to keep all that money. Which even if they did, the $7m or so would be a drop in the pool of funding needed to even try this.
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That's the point. They're NOT going to even try this. The whole organization is nothing more than an attempt to extract money from suckers. That's $7Million they can bank without barely lifting a finger.
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Do you have evidence to back that up? I think it's more likely that they're going to fail because of technological reasons than not trying. Plus, the reality here is that if this is a scam, that they'll be found out when they don't actually build anything. A project with that much attention is just not a viable method of scamming people.
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Yeah.. and nobody can build a new successful electric car company... and nobody can build commercial space vehicles that are successful.
Re:Of course the application wasn't free (Score:4, Informative)
Nice strawman.
Successful commercial launch systems already exist. And soon, in a few years probably, commercial man rated launch systems will exist too. No one here is refuting this.
Mars One is an out and out scam. That is the claim. Anyone who thinks Mars One is legit needs to familiarise themselves with what a real manned space mission looks like and what is really involved, the time, cost, and expertise, of a manned space mission. I suggest start here [wikipedia.org]. And save yourself the bother of arguing that Apollo was 40 years old and with todays methods make it easier. Here are some mind boggling facts to get your head around and hopefully instil some badly needed incredulity:
1. We have not returned to the moon or even left orbit of the planet since 1972
2. Apollo cost $170b in todays rough figures. 30 times more expensive than Mars One
3. Apollo at its peak employed over 400 thousand people. Mars One - today is a dozen or so and most of them are Marketing/PR types who know fuck all about problem domain they are working in
4. Apollo mission profile is significantly simpler than Mars One. Although the return journey complicated the mission profile,the mission profile of Mars One incurs its own complications : extended stay in deep space and the necessity to provide life support and supplies for extended period of time
5. Apollo delivered in about 8 years along the way they had real and incremental work outputs to show for it. Mars one have been going from about 2011 and they have no tangible outputs to show for it other than martketing/PR spin
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They have about 100 grand or so (according to Wikipedia), which is nowhere near what they need. Even if they raised 100 times this amount, each year, for the next 10 years (based on a launch in around 2023) they'll still have less than 5% of the 6 billion dollars they're supposed to need for this. Even then, 6 billion seems pretty optimistic.
The advisory board has some interesting names attached to it. Even so, this smells like a boondoggle. I just don't see how they can meet their funding targets and someh
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I believe the application fee was $35, so they have already raised a whopping $7 million that I assume will be leveraged for more publicity stunts in raising further money for the mission. The main speciality of the Mars One project is fundraising and public relations, not space travel.
Agreed. It struck me as a reality show, rather than as a serious space mission (that's a mission into serious space).
Re:Of course the application wasn't free (Score:5, Informative)
I post this every time another MarsOne piece of fundraising comes up. So here goes again....
I really wish people would stop posting MarsOne propaganda. It's a scam, pure and simple. It's been pointed out time and time again that their team is primarily artists and PR people. Just look here for yourself:
http://www.mars-one.com/en/about-mars-one/team [mars-one.com]
Of the 7 people listed there's: an artist, an editor, a communication specialist, a communications director, and an MD. There's only 2 people who could conceivably have any expertise on getting to Mars.
They did an interview (AMA) on reddit and were torn apart:
http://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/ufb42/ama_i_am_founder_of_mars_one_sending_four_people/ [reddit.com]
They lack any coherent plan on how they're going to even test their technology, let alone actually get people to Mars. Stop looking towards entertainers to do what you know will require a massive engineering effort. These people are after free press and free money.
STOP FEEDING THESE PEOPLE FREE PRESS!
Getting budget is the hardest part of space flight (Score:2)
The main speciality of the Mars One project is fundraising and public relations, not space travel.
Isn't that exactly what the nerds of NASA suck at: getting enough funding? NASA only get 17 billion per year (approx.). The global media advertising business is approx. worth 500 billion $ per year (source: http://www.plunkettresearch.com/entertainment-media-publishing-market-research/industry-and-business-data [plunkettresearch.com]).
Do you have any idea of the value of such a Mars mission in terms of advertising? It would be insane. I do not think it is unrealistic to assume you can get 10% of that global advertising money (50
Re:Of course the application wasn't free (Score:5, Funny)
No, too original. Needs a tie in to an exsiting franchise.
Beverly Hills Chihuahua 4: Stars on Mars
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A microscope is a science tool. Can that count as evidence?
202586 (Score:5, Insightful)
Lemmings.
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Re:202586 (Score:5, Interesting)
I'm pretty sure that being picked as one of the lucky few does not suddenly rob you of the right to say you've changed your mind when you see the rocket put together by the cheap brand of duct tape. On the other hand, this publicity stunt might actually make people in power realize that there are people out there who will volunteer despite the risk, and that maybe it's worth a try after all.
Re:202586 (Score:5, Interesting)
True, but it's a decision you'd want to make earlier-than-later.
Deciding to at least start the program is a life-changing thing. For example, I doubt you'd be able to keep your job so that means losing your job AND your home since you couldn't afford payments past X months.
So let's say they talk a great game and it looks like they have their "act" together. They have scientists, their mockups look sound, etc.
A hypothetical 2 years period goes by while you're training and what-not... and you realize WOW these people do NOT know what they're doing. Their ships aren't going to be able to get 10ft off the ground let alone make it to Mars. These conditions are not going to last more than X months let alone the planned Y decades. These people have no idea what they're doing.
So you quit... and now what. You're unemployed and homeless... and when asked about the 2 year gap on your resume you labeled a psycho for thinking that Mars One (now known as a cluster-f#@k) was actually going to happen.
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So you quit... and now what. You're unemployed and homeless... and when asked about the 2 year gap on your resume you labeled a psycho for thinking that Mars One (now known as a cluster-f#@k) was actually going to happen.
I assume you're just being polemic here- this sort of initiative (and the prestige of beating out over 200,000 others) is a positive, not a negative.
Trust me.
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Don't get me wrong... I think the venture is a big positive for humanity.
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Granted, on Mars they'd need something more advanced than a polytunnel for their veggies...
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Modern era Mayflower (Score:5, Insightful)
Here's why people apply and who applies: Some do it for the 15 minutes of fame, surely, but many others are serious about it. They know the risk, they know it's a one-way ticket, but their lives are going nowhere on this planet, they've got nothing to lose and this may be just the ticket for them to do something useful for humanity.
Others may have a successful life already but they don't think in terms of "me" and "my" but in terms of humanity and its long-term goals over several generations.
And even if the mission fails, one learns from mistakes and at least they've done something to improve the next mission's chances. Both categories of applicants are real heroes. Live or die.
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Agree 100%. I can't think of the pilgrims wanting to come back to Europe.
Re:Modern era Mayflower (Score:5, Insightful)
The difference being of course that the Mayflower settlers had a good chance of being self sustained. They didn't change planet to one totally inhospitable towards humans. They believed that they would be able to survive by simple using the same techniques as in England. This turned out to be wrong but it was more a lack off knowledge than anything else that killed them off - the place apparently supports life since people live there to this day.
Going to Mars is a totally different ballgame. You can't support yourself on Mars, at least not from the beginning. You have to trust that provisions come from Earth. If your supplies doesn't come, you starve or die from suffixation.
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But you realize that the Mars One scheme is not planning for "enough resources", right? Even if their incredible low ball budget were to get a crew to Mars, their plan provides absolutely no way to sustain them. That is being left as a problem to others, and is not even discussed in Mars One "plans".
When the various ships of settlement landed in the New World there was already air, raw materials easily fashioned into shelter and clothing, plenty of food, and people whose methods you could copy to live a co
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And even if the mission fails, one learns from unforeseenmistakes
Knowing that something will fail and doing it anyway is just stupid.
By the way they are not the Modern Mayflower. Many of the Mayflower passengers were fleeing religious persecution due to their Puritanism. The trip to Mars, which will not happen any time soon, has nothing to do with that.
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The Puritans were not 'fleeing' religious persecution. Being 'Puritans', they strongly disapproved of the increasing liberalism in Europe. They traveled to the new world so that they could enforce their views in the new colonies.
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According to this [telegraph.co.uk] they did flee persecution;
In 1620, a group of English separatists, who became known as the Pilgrims, set sail for America to escape religious persecution amid the volatile religious and political climate. under James I.
Under the 1559 Act of Uniformity, their rejection of the Church of England was declared unlawful leading many members of their East Midlands congregation to flee to Holland.
However, concerned with losing their cultural identity, the group set out to create a new colony in North America and chartered the Mayflower, a cargo ship, for the purpose. They departed from a site near Mayflower Steps in Plymouth, Devon in September 1620.
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Who is that? (Score:3)
While I agree with some of your statements, this one seems false. If someone was truly concerned about the long-term prospects of humanity I doubt they would conclude the best thing for them to do is die in one of the first colonies on mars. Realizing their rarity, I should thing they'd wait until a functional colony is established and only THEN
Re:Who is that? (Score:4, Insightful)
More to the point, they would try to influence the preparation to ensure that by the time they get there, the colony would be almost self-sustaining already. There's no reason it can't be done. Drop a bunch of large modules with breathable air and CO2 scrubbers, and verify remotely that they are all functioning before you send people. Then drop enough spare parts to scrub the air for at least a few decades, along with enough non-perishable food to last a similar period of time. Then drop enough building materials to build a huge, sealed, glass habitat to serve as a greenhouse for plants. Then drop equipment needed to build it (think "electric crane"). Then drop bags and bags of dirt. Then drop crates of seeds. Then drop enough solar panels to cover the state of Rhode Island and enough wire to hook it all up. Then remotely control all the equipment to make sure everything is working correctly. Then send the people to put it together. By that time, you've launched a dozen or more unmanned missions over the course of a decade, so you're sure of the launch vehicle and the landing craft. You've provided enough materials to create a sustainable living space, and you've provided enough materials to survive until they finish creating that space.
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Plants don't need the full spectrum, so maybe it is possible to use solar panels that are space-rated to produce electricity, put the gardens underground protected from solar flares, and use LED lamps that don't have green to grow the plants. I've seen a picture somewhere. Aren't the Russians (IMBP) doing exactly the same thing (what did they eat on the Mars 500 [mars500.imbp.ru] experiment? IIRC it was a little bit of fresh vegetables as well as the co
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I'm not talking about the living areas. That's what the prefabricated pods are for. I'm talking about a partially pressurized dome as a place to grow food. Tents don't conduct light, ergo, plants don't grow. With tents, your power requirements go through the roof, because you have to both artificially light and heat your greenhouse. With glass (or plexiglass), you can get away with heat, and maybe not even all that much of that. Solar panels produce less and less power over time; a greenhouse will co
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That has to be the funniest thing I've read all day.
Obligatory! (Score:2, Interesting)
I have a hard enough time on this planet, much less going it on the next farthest rock out!
On a serious note... as long as I had tasks and hobbies to entertain myself on the trip to Mars, I think I'd be fine. Getting along with people is the least of my problems. To me repititious boredom would appear to be the real killer. There is also that little psyche bit of knowing that you're on a one way ticket to an uninhabittable barren wasteland.
Of course, having a sense of adventure would probably help that!
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Futile (Score:3, Funny)
So... they think they can escape the divine judgment by running away to Mars...
Really pointless, as they will find out.
Hardly enough enough bodies . . . (Score:5, Funny)
. . . to fertilize King Barsoom II's lawn and flower gardens! MARS NEEDS MULCH!
But seriously: Initial training for the would-be colonists will consist of living for five years in trailer homes buried beneath the soil of Antarctica's "dry deserts." People who can't cope with the psychological pressure, or who are judged insufficiently entertaining by the casting group of the MARS LIVE! production company and its advertisers and charter sponsors, will be summarily kicked off of the program. (They will receive copies of the home game, which consists of a refrigerator box equipped with fake controls and a framed color print of a Mars probe landing site.)
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I only read the first Artemis Fowl book, and it didn't make much of an impression.
Was a later one set on Mars?
Celebs (Score:2)
I only heard about this because Pee-Wee Herman shared the news of it, and of his application, some time ago. I'd like to say I hope he makes it, but then we'd be without Pee-Wee Herman here on Earth.
I forwarded the news to Jane Wiedlin (Guitarist for The Go-Gos) who said she'd be interested in going, but I never saw anything on her FB that said she had filed the paperwork.
I tried to get a couple of other celebs interested but so far all I know is Pee-Wee Herman put in his application. Wouldn't it be interes
Futurama should be a sponsor (Score:3)
I don't want to live on this planet anymore. - Professor Hubert J. Farnsworth
Hope they bring there towel (Score:2)
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$35 and a mouse click are meaningless (Score:3)
Build the rocket and ask who wants to actually take the trip. Lots of people are willing to indulge in a hypothetical sacrifice. BTW, I'm planning to stop eating red meat any day now.
I would have signed up but (Score:2)
I heard you still have to take off your shoes during pre-boarding.
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I heard you still have to take off your shoes during pre-boarding.
Who are you - Frank Costanza?
Step 2: (Score:4, Interesting)
And now it's time for a name change (Score:2)
If I were 20 I would have signed up (Score:2)
If I was 20 and single again, I'd do it. But I'm 34 and have family responsibilities, so that's impossible.
One way trip (Score:2)
Don't Call Us (Score:4, Insightful)
This is purely publicity and funding for the "Program." Let's be serious. Donating their $35 does not in any way make them eligible for anything. Everyone knows that, or they are delusional. If anyone is going to Mars, they will be chosen based a long sequence of qualifications and skills, and sending in $35 is not one of those.
Time for step one! (Score:2)
We need to start building a REALLY BIG trebuchet...
Where Is Their Engineering Document? (Score:2)
When Elon Musk publicized his Hyperloop scheme he provided a fairly detailed technical presentation of how it was all going to work to justify its feasibility, and his claimed price tag of $7 billion.
Musk's document provided a pretty good prima facie validation of the concept, although at the time a large number of /.ers piled on with criticisms without even bothering to look at the report. But by putting a specific proposal out there Musk had the guts to give serious critics the material they needed to cr
Re:Can't we just send them all? (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm personally of the opinion that anyone with an inclination to volunteer to take what will invariably amount to a one-way trip to Mars based on the technology that we have so far is probably somebody that the world may be better off without.
Sadly, those we would most like to send, are probably the least likely to apply.
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We could always offer to commute any death row inmates' sentences if they'll agree to go. But I think they'll probably catch on to the ruse pretty quickly, not to mention the damage they might cause when they realize the real implications of a "one-way trip" when it comes to Mars.
Re:Can't we just send them all? (Score:5, Interesting)
What, they'll build Australia 2: Outback Harder?
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IT comes down to are you the experiment, or the experimenter, in the case of these applicants, they're the former.
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I'm personally of the opinion that anyone with an inclination to volunteer to take what will invariably amount to a one-way trip to Mars based on the technology that we have so far is probably somebody that the world may be better off without.
Sadly, those we would most like to send, are probably the least likely to apply.
I understand there will be a need for telephone sanitizers [wikipedia.org] on mars...
If only we hadn't sent off the Telephone Sanitizers I would have been in better health this past weekend. Well, never mind. Have to keep in top shape to do battle with that Star Goat ...
Re:Can't we just send them all? (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm someone with close friends, good family, and active social life, a couple of different fulfilling hobbies, and a steady career that I'm 15 years into and 20 years from retirement from.
And I signed up.
I began my application by listing a myriad different ways the mission could fail, from exploding on launch, to losing air on the way there, to crashing into the planet, to starving to death on the surface, to the most likely: the project running out of money before ever leaving the ground. These are not 200,000 delusional people. These are not 200,000 people who think they're signing up for a quick trip on the Millennium Falcon Many, if not most, of these people know what they're getting into, as much as it can be known at this point. And we've signed up, to go to Mars.
The project will probably fail. Simply because most ambitious projects fail.But some succeed. The probability of failure is not a reason not to be ambitious.
But why go? I can't speak for everyone who signed up. But for myself, the answer is simple. We have to go. We have to expand beyond our planet. Here's somebody trying to do something about it. And I can't pass up the opportunity to be part of it. 47 years ago today the words "To boldly go where no man has gone before" were first uttered in public. And no, you don't need to point out that the show was fiction. But the words meant something.
There are always people willing to go new places. And people willing to go with them.
Columbus wasn't alone on his ship to America. Shackleton had to turn down almost 5000 volunteers for his South Pole expedition. Going to Mars is an even bigger deal. I'm not surprised they got 200,000 applicants. And it's OK that you can't imagine wanting to go. I can't imagine *not* wanting to go.
And yeah, the project will likely fail. But even if it does, something will be learned. Something new will be gained. And eventually, someone will use those lessons and succeed. And I'd be glad to be part of one step of that process. That's why I sent in my application.
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I'm guessing you think the space transport should look like this. http://images3.wikia.nocookie.net/__cb20111029002561/en.futurama/images/7/75/Lynn.png [nocookie.net]
Re:Can't we just send them all? (Score:5, Insightful)
I'm personally of the opinion that anyone with an inclination to volunteer to take what will invariably amount to a one-way trip to Mars based on the technology that we have so far is probably somebody that the world may be better off without.
They are people with "the right stuff". While the Apollo astronauts knew the plan was to come back, they must have been ready to face a one way trip, as the probability of that was, or must a least have seemed high.
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Re:Can't we just send them all? (Score:5, Insightful)
They are people with "the right stuff". While the Apollo astronauts knew the plan was to come back, they must have been ready to face a one way trip, as the probability of that was, or must a least have seemed high.
The difference being that this trip IS a "one way" trip.
Re:Can't we just send them all? (Score:5, Insightful)
Really? Why? Every single one of us is going to die of something, someday. I didn't apply, but thinking about it now, it's tempting. Getting to stand on another planet? Maybe even breaking ground for those who will come later? Really, that's kind of awesome. It's fine to say that maybe someday the technology will exist to make this safer, or even routine, but I'm pretty certain to die of something else before that happens.
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that was a stupid comment, because going to mars is way more intelligent than what 90% of earth population is doing
Re:Can't we just send them all? (Score:5, Insightful)
Why? People die doing things all the time now. Climbing mountains. Racing cars. Swimming. Running. Sleeping.
I don't know, I think I'd be chuckling to myself thinking yep, I'm dying, just like every one of you schlubs will. But I'm doing it on Mars.
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i'm not applying, because i kinda like it here. but belittling those who did sounds damn shortsighted
Re:Can't we just send them all? (Score:4, Interesting)
I want to live forever. Or at least long enough that I don't want to anymore. The problem is, that's not an option. When I was young(er) and (more) naive, I believed that maybe we finally live in a time where technology and medicine would advance fast enough that I wouldn't have to suffer death, at least not for a long, long time. It's become apparent that that's not the case. Why not do something fantastic before the inevitable?
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Actually, in surveys of REAL ASTRONAUTS, a number of them have said very clearly that to be the first team to go to Mars, they would willingly make it a one-way trip.
The tools that applied are hardly qualified to operate a spacecraft. I would want to select someone that is in *absurdly* good shape and has the willpower to do it themselves. I would want someone who has already been subject to high-gee training, and has a low propensity for motion sickness.
i would want to choose someone with an extremely hi
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on the titanic you at least got on the ship..
this is more like a guy in liverpool selling tickets to the titanic III.
they have no plan to actually do the trip and if they had that part squashed out they wouldn't need measly 7 million from applicants and could find suitable persons quite easily..
Re:Great, now examine them... (Score:5, Funny)
Like
Re:Great, now examine them... (Score:5, Funny)
Six dollars [gog.com] of game, $400 of laptop, and a couple spare solar fins on the ship to keep the battery charged.
Day 422: I seem to be the only Mars One colonist to notice that we have actually landed on Mars. I found one of the old Mars Rovers and have taken to behaving as if it was a stubborn pet dog to stay sane. While my garden is growing almost as well as the test garden did on earth, I have no idea where the other colonists manage to keep finding the Mountain Dew and beef jerky that provides their sustenance.
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If you can't be with the one you love, (Score:2)
Love the one you're with.