Credit_Mars One-Bryan Versteeg
In the past, immigrating to “The New World” meant sailing across an ocean to the continent of North America. And many people in many countries longed to do so… and did. Today the term takes on new meaning as a Dutch firm plans to send settlers to another New World. This time they’ll not be crossing an ocean, but an interplanetary void: heading for Mars. Pipe dreams and science fiction? Apparently not.
On the Road to Mars
Mars One has already got a plan of action in place, materials suppliers lined up and investors are beginning to take an interest and open their wallets. And, they have received truckloads of applications from potential colonists.
What makes this plan at all feasible is three-fold:
1) No government agencies are involved and no tax-payer dollars are being solicited. By keeping it privately funded, the delays and astronomical expenses that come with anything involving a government are avoided.
2) The plan uses technology and materials that are already in widespread use. They do not have to develop and test new materials, engines or components. Everything they need is available “off the shelf”. And, manufacturers of these items are willing to work with Mars One in exchange for media considerations.
3) A return trip from Mars is NOT part of the plan. Colonists go to stay, to live their lives, and die, on Mars. The biggest reason no one has sent a manned mission to Mars is that we have no viable means of bringing them back to Earth. Eliminate that stumbling block and there is no reason we cannot get there.
The first thing that comes to mind when we consider such a venture is, “How much will it cost and where will they get the money?” Mars One calculates that the first mission, in 2016, will cost about 6 billion U.S. dollars, and four billion for each mission afterward, sent every two years. Mars One has a unique plan for funding most of this venture: media coverage. The term “reality TV” carries a distasteful connotation, but one cannot dismiss the fact that media companies will shell out some amazing amounts of money for broadcast rights if they feel the advertising incomes will offset them. And it is easily envisioned that huge numbers of people will tune in to watch full coverage, real-time transmissions of humans laying their lives on the line to live and work on Mars. Through broadcasting rights and sponsorships the Olympic Games in London generated revenues equivalent to over 1 billion US dollars per week!
Some funding will come from private investors; Mars One founder Bas Lansdorp says “with more than ten corporate sponsors secured, Mars One has moved to the next phase of preparing contracts with our suppliers and the astronaut selection procedure.” Astronaut/colonist selection begins this year (2013), and the company plans to have 40 astronauts trained for the mission, though only 4 would make the first journey.
The Mars One team has met with potential suppliers for all the components they need and have interest from at least one supplier in each area. They envisage using SpaceX’s Falcon Heavy rocket, currently being developed, to launch cargo to Mars. Astronauts would probably travel to the planet aboard a crewed version of SpaceX’s Dragon. Elon Musk is known to support a multi-planetary vision and hopes to develop Dragon into a vehicle that can carry humans to Mars.
According to the Mars One mission plan, the first supply mission carrying 2.5 tons of supplies should launch in January 2016 and arrive at Mars in October of that year, landing near the site of the proposed settlement. The first settlement rover would arrive on the Red Planet in 2018, tasked to find the right location to establish the Martian village. The rover would carry a camera and provide a constant stream of video back to Earth, enabling television audiences worldwide to see the planet through the robot’s eyes: unfiltered, unedited, uncensored.
In 2021 six landers would arrive at Mars carrying two living pods, two life support units, a supply store and another rover. The 2021 rover would team up with the 2018 robot and work together to prepare the settlement for Mars Team One – the first human settlers.
Water, oxygen and atmosphere production would be ready in 2022. Oxygen production would be derived from the water in Martian soil (confirmed this week by Curiosity) which would be extracted by evaporation, and the constituent elements of hydrogen and oxygen would be distilled from the water. Oxygen would also be generated from the plant systems.
If all goes according to plan, in September 2022 four astronauts will set off on their historic one-way journey to live on Mars, arriving in 2023. Mars One expects, given the timescale, that these four explorers would be the first humans to set foot on our neighboring planet.
The capsules contain food production units and would be solar powered. The initial 6 capsules would be expanded in 2023 when more living units and life support arrive, with a third rover, later in the year. [1]
The New Martians
As has been noted, astronaut/colonist selection begins this year and Mars One has already received over 8,000 applications from a broad contingent of prospects in over 100 countries: young and old, skilled and unskilled, from all walks of life. Lansdorp says that while needed skills play a part in the selection, the primary concern is to find people with the right personal make-up: people who are at their best when the chips are down, people who can get along by minimizing interpersonal conflicts. They need to be able lead when they need to lead and follow when they need to follow. All the technical skills, the medicine, the science, the agriculture, we can teach them that, they must to be, by nature, good in a group situation.
There will be no, “OK I quit, where’s the door out of this madhouse.” On this show!
(if this does not play watch the Youtube Video)
One way ticket? No way I’d do that. I like planet earth. It’s home and I’m not much of a traveler anyway really. Would you go if you got the chance?
One would need to be a Hard Core Adventurer to move permanently to a world that doesn’t even have enough air to breathe.
Go down in history as the first humans to live on another planet? Some might think it’s worth it.
I guess it’s the Mountain Man Recluse part of me that prevents that from being a motivation for me. But, I can see that this has been a motivating factor in many of mankind’s greater leaps. Thanks for pointing that out, Greta.
The private enterprise aspect is great. It stands a better chance of success. I’ll be fascinated to see if i actually gets there. Because (of course) there are all sorts of hurdles, such as setting up food supplies that work as they’re supposed to. Still, they must have factored that in. If nothing else, we’ll learn a lot.
I think that going to Mars before settling the moon is very ambitious. All the technology needed for Mars (8 months away) could be tested and perfected on the moon (3 days away).
An apt comparison would be England wanting to settle ‘The New World’ while Ireland is empty. We all want to run before we can walk, but that’s not realistic.
Good point Steve. I’ve read several interesting (and a few Bizarre) reasons why we aren’t planning to colonize the moon first. The postage would certainly be cheaper.