# Mars Colony Project to begin astronaut search by July 2013



## CougarKing (16 Apr 2013)

For those who'd rather not enter the AXE Space Academy contest just to get into space.  :

link



> *Mars Colony Project to Begin Astronaut Search by July*
> 
> By Rob Coppinger, SPACE.com Contributor  | SPACE.com – 7 hours ago.
> 
> ...


----------



## GAP (16 Apr 2013)

I could probably nominate some candidates....if not as members, maybe ballast?....


----------



## kratz (16 Apr 2013)

Does the new Mars colony deserve our politicians so soon? Even as ballast?  ;D


----------



## Scott (16 Apr 2013)

I'd love to see the insanity on their recruiting boards.


----------



## cupper (16 Apr 2013)

Ummm.... If I join, do I have to go to Mars, or could I choose another planet. I think Jupiter would be so cool! 

Would I get elite special forces training to fight the aliens? OR would I have to do time in the regular space infantry first?


----------



## a_majoor (16 Apr 2013)

cupper said:
			
		

> Ummm.... If I join, do I have to go to Mars, or could I choose another planet. I think Jupiter would be so cool!
> 
> Would I get elite special forces training to fight the aliens? OR would I have to do time in the regular space infantry first?



Not the Infantry; _everyone_ knows its the Colonial Marines


----------



## Remius (17 Apr 2013)

While I believe that private industry will have/has a place in space exploration, this has disaster written all over it.


----------



## JesseWZ (17 Apr 2013)

Crantor said:
			
		

> While I believe that private industry will have/has a place in space exploration, this has disaster written all over it.



But highly televised emotionally dramatic, technicolor disaster. Even if all the persons who attempt this die horrifically, Mars One will make a killing from the televised serial. Besides, guaranteed they will all sign waivers and such ensuring their families can't sue.


----------



## cupper (17 Apr 2013)

JesseWZ said:
			
		

> But highly televised emotionally dramatic, technicolor disaster. Even if all the persons who attempt this die horrifically, Mars One will make a killing from the televised serial. Besides, guaranteed they will all sign waivers and such ensuring their families can't sue.



This has reality TV written all over it.


----------



## dapaterson (17 Apr 2013)

But are they brining along telephone sanitzers?


----------



## CougarKing (7 May 2013)

That's a lot more applicants that I would have expected for just two weeks...  ;D

link



> *78,000 Apply for Private Mars Colony Project In 2 Weeks*
> 
> By Mike Wall | SPACE.com – 3 hours ago
> 
> ...


----------



## BeyondTheNow (7 May 2013)

As open-minded as I try to be, I can't say I have much faith in the physchological testing that I assume will be administered in order to help select candidates.  All I can think of is the plot to an obscene number of poorly-made Sci-Fi movies where one person goes crazy and offs everyone else.  But hey, if it gets ratings...


----------



## Teager (7 May 2013)

I hope this company works with NASA or this will be an utter failure. I say this because NASA has the robots already on the ground there kinda like doing a recce. If these guys go there without a recce chances are the outcome won't be good. Not to mention I would think they need way more studies on the mental effects of never coming back to earth and doing without a lot of things from earth. I'd want a feshly made cheeseburger more than anything after the first 2 years lol.


----------



## a_majoor (7 May 2013)

Looks like these are not the only people who want to go to Mars; Denis Tito is also working on a mission to do a Mars flyby in 2018. This is an interesting era, there are also two companies in the United States which (Planetary Resources and Deep Space Industries) which are making serious plans to extract resources from near Earth asteroids...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/science/2013/feb/27/mars-mission-plan-dennis-tito



> *Mars mission plan launched by US millionaire space tourist Dennis Tito*
> Former rocket scientist, who became the first private space tourist, wants to send two people on a round trip to Mars in 2018
> 
> Ian Sample, science correspondent
> ...


----------



## tomahawk6 (7 May 2013)

I wonder what the common man felt about those that left everything behind,to go to a new world and make their fortune ? While I wouldn't mind being a pioneer I don't like the odds of this mission.


----------



## 57Chevy (7 May 2013)

tomahawk6 said:
			
		

> I wonder what the common man felt about those that left everything behind,to go to a new world.



At least they had hope and faith that there was something over there in that new world.

Imagine those that will leave everything behind to go to a dead world.


----------



## a_majoor (7 May 2013)

Much of the urge to explore is about faith and hope. When Henry the Navigator dispatched ships from Portugal to sail around Africa in the 1400's, Europeans knew far less about that region of the world than we know about Mars. Indeed, some of the common suppositions, like the sun was so hot in the tropics that it would prevent human or other life were absolutly terrifying to the sailors (and the fact that the Atlantic coast of Africa is very deficient in places to make landfall didn't help either). Yet the hope that there was a way around Africa to reach the spice islands (and incidentally bypass the Ottoman Turks and the Venetians to gain access to the spices) continued to reive them to brave the oceans in tiny ships.

One element of faith in the desire to reach Mars is that Mars had life at one point in its history. Another element of faith is that Mars is habitable by humans, either tody through some heavy duty engineering, or in the far future through a process called "Terraforming". Among some elements of the space commuity this is almost a religion. One such group is actually camping in the Canadian high arctic practicing the skills that will be useful in exploring Mars.

So there will be a small but very determined group of people who will want to go to Mars, and who do not think of Mars or the Solar System as dead at all.


----------



## tomahawk6 (8 May 2013)

When they solve the oxygen problem I am good to go. :camo:


----------



## Robert0288 (8 May 2013)

> All I can think of is the plot to an obscene number of poorly-made Sci-Fi movies where one person goes crazy and offs everyone else



Exactly this.  They want to make it into a reality TV show?  I'd like to see how long the cast of jersey shore could live in a small metal tube without alcohol before someone pops the airlock door.


----------



## a_majoor (8 May 2013)

A reality show about highly motivated, high acheivers? Say it ain't so....


----------



## Teager (8 May 2013)

What would happen if the reality show didn't catch on and the networks decided to axe it after one year? I'm sure a lot of people will tune in at first but if it doesn't keep people interested then what?


----------



## cupper (8 May 2013)

Teager said:
			
		

> What would happen if the reality show didn't catch on and the networks decided to axe it after one year? I'm sure a lot of people will tune in at first but if it doesn't keep people interested then what?



Since we all know the moon landings were faked on a Hollywood sound stage, what makes you think that this wouldn't be fake as well?  :Tin-Foil-Hat:


----------



## 57Chevy (8 May 2013)

Teager said:
			
		

> What would happen if the reality show didn't catch on and the networks decided to axe it after one year? I'm sure a lot of people will tune in at first but if it doesn't keep people interested then what?





			
				Robert0288 said:
			
		

> someone pops the airlock door.



 ;D  I Couldn't help myself


----------



## CougarKing (23 Aug 2013)

Scott said:
			
		

> I'd love to see the insanity on their recruiting boards.



Understatement of the year if you see the recruit numbers with this latest update:
 :blotto:




> *One-way Mars trip attracts 165,000 would-be astronauts ... and counting*
> 
> The Dutch-based Mars One venture says more than 165,000 people around the world have voiced interest in a one-way trip to the Red Planet — and there's still more than a week left for more would-be astronauts to join in.
> 
> ...


----------



## JesseWZ (27 Aug 2013)

I have been thinking a little more about this idea. I like what David Brin states in the attached article, something akin to the Space Race which brought (American) people together. Beginning with those who wished to set out over the ocean to the New World (albeit previously occupied), and ending with the above space race our sense of adventure has diminished some as a people. We no longer accept a possible risk of disaster. If we continue along this line of comfort and security, I wonder if we will just cease to function as a species. 

Do I agree with the concept being a reality show? 
Nope. 
Do I think it will substantially lower the quality of applicants and provide an audience to glory and fame seekers? 
Yep, I do. I worry that allowing those that perform well in front of an audience as a "reality star" may not have the maturity and constitution to carry this through. 

I know the moon is no longer sexy, being previously landed on and all, but why not baby steps? Why not start with a semi-permanenet settlement there? Start a little terraforming, maybe underground? Send Bruce Willis, he knows what he's doing.


----------



## Teager (28 Aug 2013)

JesseWZ said:
			
		

> I know the moon is no longer sexy, being previously landed on and all, but why not baby steps? Why not start with a semi-permanenet settlement there? Start a little terraforming, maybe underground? Send Bruce Willis, he knows what he's doing.



See this thread.

http://forums.army.ca/forums/threads/111892.0.html


----------



## Jacky Tar (29 Aug 2013)

cupper said:
			
		

> Since we all know the moon landings were faked on a Hollywood sound stage, what makes you think that this wouldn't be fake as well?  :Tin-Foil-Hat:



Capricorn One rides again  :trainwreck:


----------



## a_majoor (25 Oct 2013)

A more serious proposal to get to Mars continues. There are a lot of issues (and unlike Apollo, there is no virtually unlimited flow of USD to attack problems as they arise), but this is very interesting never the less:

http://nextbigfuture.com/2013/10/free-return-trip-to-and-from-mars.html



> *Free return trip to and from Mars pushing ahead to Jan 5th 2018 launch date*
> 
> In 2018, the planets will align, offering a unique orbit opportunity to travel to Mars and back to Earth in only 501 days. Inspiration Mars intends to send a two-person American crew—a man and a woman—on a journey to within 100 miles of Mars and return them to Earth safely.
> 
> ...


----------



## Pieman (25 Oct 2013)

> However, because of the growing relationship with NASA, MacCallum said ultimately the space agency may ultimately conduct the selection process, and the candidates might be NASA astronauts.


This is a new development with inspiration Mars....I'm wondering if the statement is accurate? 

Tito originally announced that they want an older married couple, who have already raised children to go on the trip. The mentality was that the older couple already have proven abilities to cope living and working with each other. Also, the radiation received from this trip will likely leave them sterile and subject to cancer when they are older. If they are already 'old' and raised kids, not such a big deal.


----------



## a_majoor (28 Oct 2013)

This may still be the desired option, but since the proposed launch date is relatively close in time, there may not be enough time to train up a novice "married couple" crew for a demanding mission like this. There are a lot of trained astronauts "on the bench" and I suspect a lot of them would line up for the chance to go, relieving Inspire Mars of one very important consideration and variable.


----------



## a_majoor (23 Nov 2013)

Now that Denis Tito seems to have hitched his wagon to NASA and in particular government vapourware (neither the SLS or the Orion space capsule even exist today, and government programs rarely have been "on time" much less "on budget"), I think we can consign the Inspiration Mars mission to the dustbin.

Even if he launches on Russian or Chinese rockets, I suspect that political interference will drag things out past the early launch date, and possibly past the 2021 launch date (although from an engineering perspective, I think the Venus flyby would add too much extra complications and stress due to the additional heat and radiation load the ship and astronauts would face).

http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/space/moon-mars/inspiration-mars-how-the-two-person-voyage-will-work-16187892?click=pm_latest



> *Inspiration Mars: How the Two-Person Voyage Will Work*
> 
> The good news is that the proposed private manned mission to Mars instigated by space tourist Dennis Tito actually has a plan. The bad news is that the mission is also now dependent on NASA to make it happen.
> By Michael Belfiore
> ...


----------



## CougarKing (1 Jan 2014)

One doesn't need to dig deep to find wacky application youtube vids from those thousands of applicants who took it "much less seriously"...

Yahoo News



> *One-Way Mars Trip: 1,058 Private Martian Colony Volunteers Pass 1st Cut*
> SPACE.comBy by Megan Gannon, News Editor
> 
> Mars One announced Monday (Dec. 30) that it has picked 1,058 aspiring spaceflyers to move on to the next round in its search for the first humans to live and die on the Red Planet.
> ...


----------



## Transporter (1 Jan 2014)

Can we nominate people? I have a few potential candidates in mind  ;D


----------



## a_majoor (9 Jan 2014)

A practical space mission for a change:

http://www.theregister.co.uk/2013/10/08/brew_me_up_scotty_says_11_year_old_set_to_make_beer_in_space/



> *Brew me up, bro: 11-year-old plans to make BEER IN SPACE*
> What's the point of having a pint if you can't drink it?
> By Jasper Hamill, 8th October 2013
> 
> ...



Quite enterprising, and I see a great future for this young lad. Now for the next experiment if they could distill a fine single malt...


----------



## a_majoor (15 Jan 2014)

While nothing to do with Mars, this HD video taken from cameras actually strapped to the Solid Rocket Boosters of the Space Shuttle are totally amazing. The sound capture is also pretty amazing (and remixed for clarity and surround sound). Just to put some things in perspective, the Space Shuttle launch stack wieghed about 2000 tons sitting on the pad (most of that was the full fuel tank), yet in less than 40 seconds it is already moving faster than a jet airliner....straight up!

Watch the volume if you are wearing headphones:

http://io9.com/5893615/absolutely-mindblowing-video-shot-from-the-space-shuttle-during-launch



> *Absolutely mindblowing video shot from the Space Shuttle during launch*
> 
> Drop whatever you're doing and watch this. NASA has released videos shot from onboard the Space Shuttle's Solid Rocket Boosters in the past, but you've never seen one prepared as masterfully as this.
> 
> ...


----------



## Pieman (15 Jan 2014)

Here is a Mars Analog site run by NASA and the University of Hawaii. 

www.hi-seas.org

I suspect that Mars One may do a reality show on this site for training once farther along in the selection process. 

Despite this, I'm personally not a fan of Mars One and their approach, and I don't believe it will happen. I got my money on the private industry with Space-X, Planetary Resources, and Virgin Galactic. The only way we will go into space is for huge fortunes and profits. Not a flaky reality show.


----------



## a_majoor (19 Jan 2014)

A very short piece from NBF on Elon Musk and his vision for colonizing Mars. Since he can actually build the hardware to do this, I'd rate this as a serious proposal, although I suspect the 2020 timeframe might be reaching a bit too far:

http://nextbigfuture.com/2014/01/how-feasible-is-elon-musks-idea-to.html#more



> *How feasible is Elon Musk's idea to establish a colony on Mars in the 2020s?*
> 
> Philip Metzger, NASA, answers the question on Quora
> 
> ...


----------



## a_majoor (5 Feb 2014)

Elon is at it again. He is a masterful salesman, but I think he is being overly optimistic about the timelines needed. As well, the idea of building uber huge launch vehicles could be hampered by lack of practical experience. While there was a serious proposal called "Sea Dragon" that would be built in a shipyard and towed out to sea for launch (and calculated to loft 550 _metric tons_ into Low Earth Orbit), the largest vehicles to actually be built were the American Saturn V and Soviet Energia, which could loft 120 metric tons and 100 metric tons to LEO respectively. Interesting to see how much of this turns into hardware:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sea_Dragon_(rocket)

http://nextbigfuture.com/2014/02/elon-musk-could-start-making-superlarge.html



> *Elon Musk could start making superlarge Mars colonization rocket in about 2024*
> 
> Elon Musk talks on CBS this morning about his Mars colonization rocket
> 
> ...


----------



## Pieman (6 Feb 2014)

Despite Space-X being successful thus far. I don't really think Elon is really serious about going to Mars despite what he says. One of the current tactics of a CEO in this type of corporation is to dangle a carrot in front of the cart. People will work themselves to death to make this dream come to a reality. While in actual fact they are working towards much less lofty goals. 

It's going to be a matter of him following through on his plans for Mars. Which I don't think he will actually do. Why? It's a corporation, and unless he can do all this with a return to his investors then it's not going to happen.


----------



## Jarnhamar (6 Feb 2014)

Pieman said:
			
		

> It's going to be a matter of him following through on his plans for Mars. Which I don't think he will actually do. Why? It's a corporation, and unless he can do all this with a return to his investors then it's not going to happen.



There are a bunch hit TV shows pulling in millions about crap like rich house wives crying about how rough their life is and guys who make duck calls and eat frogs. If he puts a camera anywhere near this project he's getting a return.


----------



## Dissident (6 Feb 2014)

ObedientiaZelum said:
			
		

> There are a bunch hit TV shows pulling in millions about crap like rich house wives crying about how rough their life is and guys who make duck calls and eat frogs. If he puts a camera anywhere near this project he's getting a return.



How many people tuned in for the first mission to the moon? And that was before many people had easy access to TVs. 

Sure, long stretches of the trip would be boring, but I can imagine a weekly show based on the mission, with product placement, making at least some money.


----------



## Pieman (17 Mar 2014)

Space missions that have tried to fund via media have a 100% failure rate. These were missions of significantly less cost and difficulty than going to Mars that have never gotten off the ground. This is what Mars One is trying to do, and the is run by Bas Landorp. That is likely going to end up as a reality show on earth, with people 'training' to go to Mars. The real cost of going to Mars, mercy. There is no way they are going to be able to scrape of the Trillions they need to make this happen through advertising. 

Elon Musk is CEO of SpaceX and is a profitable company that claims to have a drive for Mars. However, they haven't made any actual steps towards that yet. Although it is still very early in the game for profitable space ventures, the companies talk of Mars is spinning a vision that is a far cry from their immediate mandate. Elon is using the image to push his workers harder for less pay on a long term dream. 

The one Mars mission that has a strong chance, and that has been popping in and out of negotiations is the 'Inspiration Mars' mission. Originally proposed for 2018, it has moved to 2021. This is because the Orion Spacecraft is not ready yet. This will be a Venus - Mars flyby mission. Seven years seems like a really long time right now though. 

Scientist are doing really well with space probes. They are becoming more cost effective and getting amazing results. Curiosity rover, and the Kepler telescope being the primary examples. If we want the best bang for our buck, this is the really productive route for us presently. Mars is a crab shoot with the odds against us, and very little gained overall if a Man does walk on Mars. Men walked on the Moon for the sake of having a Man walk on the Moon. This resulted in no one going back since.


----------



## CougarKing (6 May 2014)

An update: 13 British Columbians among 706 remaining candidates for Mars One project.

MSN/CBC video: BC woman sets sights on Mars


----------



## a_majoor (22 Jun 2014)

More on "real" missions to Mars. The Falcon 9 and Dragon are real, flight qualified hardware which have flown to the ISS, so modifying them for a Mars mission is a realistic option, and does not require vapourware like the SLS or "Orion", which only exist as PowerPoint slides. Once the stack has qualified with the sample return mission, then upgrading to a manned mission becomes a logical extension of what already exists:

http://nextbigfuture.com/2014/06/spacex-dragon-lander-could-land-on-mars.html
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O5qNJBa80yY



> *Spacex Dragon lander could land on Mars with a mission uner the NASA Discovery Program cost cap*
> 
> One of Ames' long standing science interests has been to robotically drill deeply into Mars' subsurface environment (2 meters, or more) to investigate the habitability of that zone for past or extant life. Large, capable Mars landers would ease the problem of landing and operating deep robotic drills. In 2010, an Ames scientist realized that the crew-carrying version of the SpaceX Dragon capsule would possess all the subsystems necessary to perform a soft landing on Earth, and raised the question of whether it could also soft land on Mars. If it could, it might be a candidate platform for a Discovery or Mars Scout class deep drilling mission, for example.
> 
> ...


----------



## CougarKing (18 Oct 2014)

Growing food on Mars? Will the soil even be compatible with plants from Earth?   :blotto:

CBC



> *Mars One plan has potentially deadly flaws, scientists say*
> 
> *Volunteers who want to take a one-way trip to Mars and spend the rest of their lives on the Red Planet could expect "the rest of their lives" to be as short as 68 days — if the project blasts off at all, a new study suggests.*
> 
> ...


----------



## a_majoor (18 Oct 2014)

Perhaps the reason for selecting the people from BC for the crew training has to do with their experience with hydroponic gardening   

Of course in BC, they are using hydroponics for cash rather than food crops, but the basic principles are the same, and can be applied anywhere in the Solar System. (Space may be a very happy and relaxed place indeed!)


----------



## CougarKing (16 Feb 2015)

The group's numbers are dwindling till the final crew is selected...

I wonder if there's any CAF veterans in the list...especially the one who is a helicopter pilot.

CBC



> *Mars One: 6 Canadians make short list for 1-way trip to Mars*
> 
> CBC – 7 hours ago
> 
> ...


----------



## Jarnhamar (16 Feb 2015)

I wonder if the men and women will have the same ROEs as found in Joe Haldeman's The Forever War.


----------



## Teager (16 Feb 2015)

I don't see the ones that are older making the cut. The mission is still 9 years away and that's if there's no delays. So add 9 years to their age. With the toll space and Mars will probably take on the body I don't see them wanting to invest all this time and money on an older person. Unless of course it's a pretty near suicide mission so age may have no bearing. Not saying that those that are older don't have what it takes but realistically it doesn't seem likely that they would be selected.


----------



## Rick Goebel (17 Feb 2015)

Foulds, the sixty year old says "With my 22 years of military background as an infantry officer and a helicopter pilot, I am capable of surviving in any conditions."  He doesn't say what military he was in and it could be Pakistan's.  There is more info at https://community.mars-one.com/profile/5df3afd6-f76e-45dc-85f3-ed0e1c33928a


----------



## midget-boyd91 (17 Feb 2015)

Just on the subject of surviving on Mars;
I finished reading a book a few weeks ago, appropriately titled _The Martian_ that follows a stranded astronaut attempting to survive until rescue arrives in over a year. Very good, and humorous book that anybody following this story should pick up.


----------

