I’m honestly floored by the idea of traveling to Mars. Not floored by traveling the idea but floored that so many people are excited and willing to drop Earth lives to live Mars lives. This article on Yahoo outlines the journey of volunteers who want to start life on Mars on a one way trip.
There were 200,000 potential candidates of which 100 are being selected. The allure of this trip is to start life on another planet. Some scientists believe settling other planets is the best hope for human survival. Here’s a quote from a candidate:
Not actual candidate.
“I think either you get it or you don’t,” she said. “I would equate it almost to seeing Mt. Everest for the first time. Here is this hostile challenging environment, and either you feel a yearning to climb it or you don’t. And if you don’t, I don’t know if–that I could ever explain that to you.”
10 years is about the time they hope the shuttle will take off. Skeptics believe it is a suicide mission that is going to cost 50 to several 100 billion dollars.
My Mars Take
I get it. Why limit yourself to one planet when you have the first opportunity to settle life on another one? It’s exciting. To think that humans have been on the earth for 200,000 years should put some perspective on time. It’s taken this long to get to this amazing point where we have the technology to travel to a planet 200 million miles away. It’s history in the making and you’d be forever known for doing one of the most meaningful missions ever for mankind. I get it.
I was going to write a paragraph on why I think it’s ridiculous but I really don’t. Human beings are destroying Earth and for humans to exist, maybe they do need to colonize new planets. I believe there are other life forms out in space. It’s too big to think otherwise. Space travel is obviously one of the most difficult technologies to understand and harness because it involves a huge amount of uncertainty and an enormous cost financially and putting lives at stake.
Holy shit! This looks awesome. I can’t wait to go.
I personally would not be the first person to volunteer. Let them figure out how to keep a space shuttle in space for 7 months and land on a tiny planet before I sign my name. Are there luxurious beach resorts on Mars or just piles of rock and no water. No thanks. I’ll live my meaningless life here on Earth.
I’d freakin’ do it in a heartbeat. If I lived my normal life, 999,999/1,000,000 I’d be largely unimportant to the entire human race. This is an instant name-in-all-textbooks-everywhere move. Who cares if I die.
The real crux I think will be what the person does ON THEIR WAY to Mars. I think if you have seven months by yourself in that little space shuttle, you’re going to become extremely depressed at the thought of “why did I do this, life is over soon”. If those thoughts set in even after 6 months, that’s still a whole month of trying to make it through.
Obviously they’re screening people to make sure they’re mentally strong and yadda yadda, but we’re all human.
Also, the picture / caption made me lol.
Good comment. I didn’t even think about the 7 months of twiddling my thumbs. I wonder if the people will be banging each other or what happens if you jerk off in your space suit.
When I think about the “evaluation” process for people to be on a trip to Mars, I must recall the heartbreak of so many contestants on American Idol, The Voice, The Bachelor, The Bachelorette, Fantasy Island and so many countless “reality” concoctions.
While $ does play a certain part in the equation…do we really think NASA or a private firm is taking YouTube submissions – and offering seats based off that -for a “flight” to Mars. It costs billions (!) to potentially even get there – if we are lucky.
To be “space-ready” a NASA astronaut needs years upon years of training and slow conditioning of their body to even stand a chance of not going insane.
My guess is that we won’t have much chance to get up there – sustainably – any time soon.
Remember, they shot monkeys into space first – for years – to see it it was okay. Now those monkeys nearly have rights (atleast the ones with glasses) – and we are turning “going” to Mars into a crowdsourced competition.
“Will you accept this rose?”
The Truman Show in space…
“Accept the new reality,” Landorp said. “Literally everybody on the globe will be watching, just like when Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin landed on the moon.”
This is going to lead to a movie sequel that the world has needed for a long time….
BIO-DOME 2: Your dome away from home….ON MARS
Consider me disappointed that the “Not actual candidate.” picture has no photoshop intervention. I’d like to see someone like the Shee as “Not actual candidate.”
I am reminded of the original “Newsroom” (CA) – an episode where the news director is trying to explain to the new “celebrity” on the station. (The character has told the world he will commit suicide live- on air – but is suddenly getting offers for jobs and reconsidering. The news director reminds him – “The only reason the ratings are so high is becuase everyone is tuning in to watch you blow your f***ing brains out! That’s why they are calling! If you don’t go through with it and kill yourself – then you are nothing in this town!”
“I don’t know…I think I have a career in this…”
“In what? Killing yourself?”
And that was Toronto. Imagine Mars… 😉
“your dome away from home” = a sold ticket to me
I agree with you. Not sure there is a point to it, other than to say that “I did it.” What is the actual accomplishment?