You may be able to move to Mars

[Umbran]

Mars One will soon be accepting applications for people to take a one-way colonization trip to Mars.

Discuss.

 

[Janx]

my wife won't let me go to space. She's mean.

 

[Umbran]

My wife and I are actually looking at it, and thinking. If it is ever to happen, *someone* has to do it, right? We are both intelligent people with advanced degrees, only small families, and no kids...

There's a major question that comes to my mind that the documentation doesn't seem to answer. They ask you to devote 8 years to their training program, during which time you're employed by Mars One. That's cool. But... what if it falls through, and they don't fly? Or if you develop diabetes or cancer in the intervening years, or something? You've devoted, in essence, the time for an entire career to them, and have what to fall back on if it falls through?

I find I'm not all that scared of leaving the world behind. I am, however, not sanguine with having to stay on Earth with no obvious means of support. If they pay you a six figure salary, so you can sock it away for retirement or the like if something goes wrong, then there's no issue. But that's not clear from their current offering.

 

[Dioltach]

My cats would love it. A giant litterbox, and they'd be fast like lightning!

 

[dogoftheunderworld]

Can we sign somone else up to go to Mars? Just sayin'....

 

[Mallus]

It's certainly a dramatic way to commit suicide.

 

[Rel]

Mars ain't no kind of place to raise your kids.

 

[Umbran]

It's certainly a dramatic way to commit suicide.

By that measure, living is already a way to commit suicide. So, why not do it in style, doing something that might change the world?

Mars ain't no kind of place to raise your kids.

In this media-centric society we have, I daresay I pity the first kid born on another world. Their embarrassing baby pictures and movies will be immortalized.

 

[Dannyalcatraz]

*ahem*

[video=youtube;DiPT-seJ9uc]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DiPT-seJ9uc&sns=em[/video]

 

[Mallus]

Mars ain't no kind of place to raise your kids.

In fact it's cold as Hell.

So, why not do it in style, doing something that might change the world?

Fair question. The simplest answer is "there is no might, only fail" here, as far I can tell. A project to set up a Mars colony in 10 years funded by a coalition of the world's richest governments willing to pay adjusted-for-inflation, height-of-the-Space-Race sums of money... maybe. Barely maybe.

A project funded by this:

"To pay for the Mars mission, the Mars One foundation receives revenues from the license fee from the Interplanetary Media Group, sponsors, donations and the sales of merchandise. "

No.

This is basically Livestrong for space exploration nerds. I'd love for a project like this to be, well, serious. But it sure doesn't look that way to me.