Cidersomerset
22nd April 2013, 15:21
http://static.bbci.co.uk/frameworks/barlesque/2.44.2/desktop/3.5/img/blq-blocks_grey_alpha.png 17 April 2013
.Applicants wanted for a one-way ticket to MarsBy Melissa Hogenboom
BBC News
Want to go to Mars? Dutch organisation Mars One says it will open applications
imminently. It would be a one-way trip, and the company hopes to build a
community of settlers on the planet. Uncharted waters, mountains or far away
lands have always drawn explorers. History books show that desire for adventure,
even in the face of extreme danger, did not deter the likes of Columbus or
Magellan. So it is perhaps not surprising that Mars One has already received
thousands of prospective applicants. But there is no return - unlike the mission
which hopes to fly to Mars and back in 2018.
http://boingboing.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Mars_Viking_21i093.png
Solar wind
But is it realistic to believe that individuals could live and prosper on the Red
Planet? Mars is in the firing line of the Sun's high energy particles, called solar
wind. The atmosphere of Mars is very thin as the solar wind is thought to have
stripped much of it away. On Earth, we are protected from the solar wind by a
strong magnetic field. Without this, it would be much more difficult to survive.
Although Mars once had similar protection about four billion years ago, today there
is no such shield protecting it. The Martian surface is therefore extremely hostile to
life, says Dr Veronica Bray, from the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary
Laboratory, who is sceptical about the project. There's no liquid water, the
atmospheric pressure is "practically a vacuum", radiation levels are higher and
temperatures vary wildly, she says.
"Radiation exposure is a concern, especially during the trip. This can lead to
increased cancer risk, a lowered immune system and possibly infertility."
To minimise radiation, the project team will cover the domes with several metres of
soil, which the colonists will have to dig up.
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/67002000/jpg/_67002887_2025.jpg
The settlement will grow. The project aims to send another four people into this new space community every two years
"I have no doubt that we could physically place a human being on Mars. Whether
they'd be able to survive for an extended period of time is much more doubtful,"
adds Dr Bray.
Ambassador for the project, Professor Gerard 't Hooft, a recipient of the Nobel Prize
for theoretical physics in 1999, admits there are unknown health risks. He says the
radiation is "of quite a different nature" than anything which has been tested on Earth.
Technical challenge
'The single greatest achievement'
Alison Rigby, 32, Science lab technician
I'll try to be in the first few to take the plunge.
My natural curiosity is what drives me. I am a scientist because I like to discover
and know things. I am continually fascinated by the world around me. Travelling to
Mars to continue that exploration seems like the next step.I am motivated to apply
because Mars One is asking for people who will not only be able to face the rigours
of space but also the daily struggles of communal living. I believe I can face and
conquer these challenges.A one-way ticket does scare me but not enough to
dissuade me. Successfully living on Mars will be the single greatest achievement of
my life and so I am glad to put aside my concerns in the hope of something better.
"They [the applicants] will be told that there are risks, but it will be our
responsibility to keep the risks within acceptable odds."
Nasa astronaut Stan Love knows first-hand the difficulties with technology that his
colleagues have experienced on the International Space Station in low-Earth orbit.
The apparatus which recycles human waste and turns "yesterday's coffee into into
tomorrow's coffee needs frequent maintenance and would likely not survive years
of continuous duty on Mars", he says.Love has recently returned from Antarctica
which he says is a "picnic compared to Mars".
"It's full of water, you can go outside and breathe the air. It's paradise compared to
Mars and yet nobody has moved there permanently."
Although dubious about the funding, the technology and the impact of radiation,
Love applauds small enterprises like Mars One. He strongly believes private
organisations will help raise awareness and hopefully discover or design some
technology which will help future teams reach their goal of landing on Mars.
"We've been dreaming about this for 50 years. The Moon was just supposed to be a
stepping stone to Mars. But when you study the problem, you realise it's immensely
hard to do this."
Many critics have focused on funding, and whether the project would hold the
public's attention for many years. It will cost an estimated £3.8bn ($6bn) to send
the first group.Dr Chris Lintott from Oxford University says that while the project is
technologically plausible, he does not think they will find the funding. "It's about
having the political will and the financial muscle to make this happen. That's what
nobody has been able to solve so far," he explains.
Mars One Rover A rover will land first to scout the best area
But Lansdorp sees no issue with funding. He uses the revenue from the worldwide
broadcasting rights of the Olympics as a comparison."This will be the biggest thing
that humanity has ever done. In 15 years people will still be watching."Exploring
our world, and now beyond is what humans do, it's in our genome. The settlers'
dream of going to Mars will come true." Whether or not the mission will achieve its
goal, the publicity generated from the "big-brother" style televised application
process means the world will surely be watching.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22146456
.Applicants wanted for a one-way ticket to MarsBy Melissa Hogenboom
BBC News
Want to go to Mars? Dutch organisation Mars One says it will open applications
imminently. It would be a one-way trip, and the company hopes to build a
community of settlers on the planet. Uncharted waters, mountains or far away
lands have always drawn explorers. History books show that desire for adventure,
even in the face of extreme danger, did not deter the likes of Columbus or
Magellan. So it is perhaps not surprising that Mars One has already received
thousands of prospective applicants. But there is no return - unlike the mission
which hopes to fly to Mars and back in 2018.
http://boingboing.net/wp-content/uploads/2012/09/Mars_Viking_21i093.png
Solar wind
But is it realistic to believe that individuals could live and prosper on the Red
Planet? Mars is in the firing line of the Sun's high energy particles, called solar
wind. The atmosphere of Mars is very thin as the solar wind is thought to have
stripped much of it away. On Earth, we are protected from the solar wind by a
strong magnetic field. Without this, it would be much more difficult to survive.
Although Mars once had similar protection about four billion years ago, today there
is no such shield protecting it. The Martian surface is therefore extremely hostile to
life, says Dr Veronica Bray, from the University of Arizona's Lunar and Planetary
Laboratory, who is sceptical about the project. There's no liquid water, the
atmospheric pressure is "practically a vacuum", radiation levels are higher and
temperatures vary wildly, she says.
"Radiation exposure is a concern, especially during the trip. This can lead to
increased cancer risk, a lowered immune system and possibly infertility."
To minimise radiation, the project team will cover the domes with several metres of
soil, which the colonists will have to dig up.
http://news.bbcimg.co.uk/media/images/67002000/jpg/_67002887_2025.jpg
The settlement will grow. The project aims to send another four people into this new space community every two years
"I have no doubt that we could physically place a human being on Mars. Whether
they'd be able to survive for an extended period of time is much more doubtful,"
adds Dr Bray.
Ambassador for the project, Professor Gerard 't Hooft, a recipient of the Nobel Prize
for theoretical physics in 1999, admits there are unknown health risks. He says the
radiation is "of quite a different nature" than anything which has been tested on Earth.
Technical challenge
'The single greatest achievement'
Alison Rigby, 32, Science lab technician
I'll try to be in the first few to take the plunge.
My natural curiosity is what drives me. I am a scientist because I like to discover
and know things. I am continually fascinated by the world around me. Travelling to
Mars to continue that exploration seems like the next step.I am motivated to apply
because Mars One is asking for people who will not only be able to face the rigours
of space but also the daily struggles of communal living. I believe I can face and
conquer these challenges.A one-way ticket does scare me but not enough to
dissuade me. Successfully living on Mars will be the single greatest achievement of
my life and so I am glad to put aside my concerns in the hope of something better.
"They [the applicants] will be told that there are risks, but it will be our
responsibility to keep the risks within acceptable odds."
Nasa astronaut Stan Love knows first-hand the difficulties with technology that his
colleagues have experienced on the International Space Station in low-Earth orbit.
The apparatus which recycles human waste and turns "yesterday's coffee into into
tomorrow's coffee needs frequent maintenance and would likely not survive years
of continuous duty on Mars", he says.Love has recently returned from Antarctica
which he says is a "picnic compared to Mars".
"It's full of water, you can go outside and breathe the air. It's paradise compared to
Mars and yet nobody has moved there permanently."
Although dubious about the funding, the technology and the impact of radiation,
Love applauds small enterprises like Mars One. He strongly believes private
organisations will help raise awareness and hopefully discover or design some
technology which will help future teams reach their goal of landing on Mars.
"We've been dreaming about this for 50 years. The Moon was just supposed to be a
stepping stone to Mars. But when you study the problem, you realise it's immensely
hard to do this."
Many critics have focused on funding, and whether the project would hold the
public's attention for many years. It will cost an estimated £3.8bn ($6bn) to send
the first group.Dr Chris Lintott from Oxford University says that while the project is
technologically plausible, he does not think they will find the funding. "It's about
having the political will and the financial muscle to make this happen. That's what
nobody has been able to solve so far," he explains.
Mars One Rover A rover will land first to scout the best area
But Lansdorp sees no issue with funding. He uses the revenue from the worldwide
broadcasting rights of the Olympics as a comparison."This will be the biggest thing
that humanity has ever done. In 15 years people will still be watching."Exploring
our world, and now beyond is what humans do, it's in our genome. The settlers'
dream of going to Mars will come true." Whether or not the mission will achieve its
goal, the publicity generated from the "big-brother" style televised application
process means the world will surely be watching.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22146456