Thursday, January 24, 2013

I'm Over the Moon...and Mad about Mars

What ever happened to colonizing the moon? Weren't we supposed to have a colony on the moon by now?

Well, apparently we're going to skip the moon and jump right to Mars. There's a project out there called Mars One, sponsored by a private company in the Netherlands that is planning to build a colony on Mars, and then basically turn it into a reality TV show. The possibilities of reality TV really are endless. I guess that Dutch company is bored with watching the mentally ill and emotionally damaged people here on Earth and decided it was time to branch out.

If you view their website and introduction video (link below) it will provide you with a riveting description of the project. They also point out that this is a one-way ticket. "Astronauts" will be expected to live out their lives on the barren red rock.

When I initially heard about this, a gazillion questions popped into my head simultaneously. One of which was, what about the moon? Weren't we supposed to colonize the moon first? Why skip right to Mars? Is it a gravity thing? Because Mars has reduced gravity too. Why is the moon now a secondary player?

Other questions that followed included, in no particular order, and the list is by no means comprehensive...

What will they eat? Can you grow food on Mars? Are they bringing seeds, plants, and dirt from Earth? Is there enough sunlight? What about the light/dark cycles of the plants? The plants developed on Earth. How will the plants perform on a planet with a different atmosphere and gravity? Or will they recreate Earth conditions for the "plant bio-dome"? Will they genetically engineer special plants prior to the colonists departure? And what about animal protein? Will they bring freeze dried meat with them?

What will they do with waste? Can you burn stuff on Mars? And what about human waste? That stuff is going to build up...

How will they create gravity? Prolonged exposure to lack of gravity, and subsequently exercise, can lead to osteoporosis. Which leads me to...what happens if someone gets sick? What if someone develops MS or cancer? Do the colonists just have to tough it out?

What happens if one of the supply ships goes astray on the way to Mars? Will they enough back-up supplies to make it through?

Another nagging question is, what emotionally healthy person would agree to this? I mean, it's a one-way ticket....you are not coming back, ever.

But if you're feeling like you want to get away, you just might want to check out how you can go to Mars. Check it out...

http://mars-one.com/en/



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