One way trip to mars and Project Orion
I read an article today about this guy Jim McLane saying that a mission to mars is doable and should be undertaken given certain caveats. Caveat one, this is a lone wolf mission. Thats it, one person. Caveat two, the trip is one way.
Hold the horses right? Send one guy up to mars by himself with no return ticket? That would be wrong, right?
I may be in the minority but I think it's a good idea. One of the biggest hurdles to getting to mars is not so much the going, but the coming back. Remember the moon? We sent guys there in dinky little pods. That only worked because the gravity is so much less than on earth and it didn't need a ton of power to get free of the gravity. MArs gravity is much higher, Hence the need to bring with you, everything you need to get back. The logistics of taking off from mars and getting home again are much more difficult.
Now think about this. We start sending stuff to mars, solar panels, building material, tools, stuff you need to build a colony. Send one MacGyveresque guy with both the know how and will to survive and take risks and you have the beginnings of a mars colony. I think people when they read this are going to be assuming that he's going and he's going to die there.
Thats not necessarily true. It just needs to start with one guy.
Then a year later they send another person (preferably a hot chick with the same qualities). Continuous drops of supplies would be lessened. They'd have food from a inflatable greenhouse system. They could have heat from a geothermal well. They could have electricity from solar arrays in conjunction with the geothermal well. They water they get there with could be supplemented by the water they believe is frozen in the ground. They'd have companionship in each other.
They would also be the most famous people in the solar system. True pioneers at heart, doing what few would do to further science (they'd be collecting oodles of data), and be the seed for a Martian colony. Just because the trip is one way doesn't mean they'll die there. Though not mentioned we could just keep shooting people to mars, all the while building a ship capable of going and coming back. Eventually they could swap out teams. So the pioneers could get home again.
Not to mention if we send someone to mars, NASA and the other international space agencies will be less willing to cut the budget on space exploration. To do so could be considered murder.
It could be done, in 5 years too.
Now I don't know about the rest of you but I would consider going. It would be difficult to go without internet access, the regular niceties of society, and beating off is gonna get old fast. But the idea of being the first guy on Mars, well, damn that would be cool.
The Orion Project was an interesting idea to get people around the solar system. It has its roots in the 40's and 50's. It used nuclear fuel to get around. Essentially it was setting off nuclear explosions behind you and using the thrust to accelerate. Mind you they were small explosions. The crew would be strapped in an armored and shielded capsule. Preliminary tests indicated the performance would be amazing. Eventually being able to accelerate up to 10% the speed of light. Also the technology was efficient. It measured payloads in tonnage rather than todays Kilograms. And it was cheap.
Wow, sounds great right? The project was canceled because of the potential for nuclear fallout endangering people on earth during the takeoffs. Seems like a sad reason to halt the work on what looks like a spectacular technology for propulsion around the solar system.
****EDIT****
My mistake, Orion hasn't been cancelled. Its just currently not fully funded. There are two versions of Orion in development, one for ISS and one for post-2018 lunar missions. Orion is said to take logistic flights to the International Space Station by the end of 2014 or in the beginning of 2015. It will then become a major module of missions to the Moon and Mars.
Strike that. Project Orion that designed the nuclear powere ships is cancelled. The orion class space ships are the replacement for the shuttles and look very much like the original lunar modules. They also have conventional propulsion.
Good one Nasa, use the name for an innovative design concept you cancelled and give it to a throwback to lesser technology. Seriously, they're doing a space capsule again? WTF? I thought this was about progress.
****EDIT****
Now envision this, we build a small Orion based craft in orbit. Use conventional thrusters to move it to a safe distance then shoot it towards mars. With the capabilities of this propulsion you could even send the entire habitat and manufacturing supplies and capabilities in one fell swoop. Since this is cheap you could keep sending stuff that way. Once its all there and you have a group living and working on mars. All the while you build a craft capable of ferrying people to and from the Martian surface into orbit.
Once that infrastructure is in place, going back and forth to mars becomes easy.
What are your thoughts?
Links
Original article
http://www.universetoday.com/2008/03/04/a-one-way-one-person-mission-to-mars/
Project Orion
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Project_Orion_(nuclear_propulsion)
Would you really go, Dissident? I know that you get fed up with people from time to time and occasionally talk of saying fuck it and moving, but I always pictured you as too much of a social creature to survive in isolation. Oh, that's right; the hot girl would hopefully follow close behind. Sounds good to me - sign me up. I just hope the hot girl doesn't turn out to be a nagger. "Honey, we're out of water again. Honey, when are you going to finish the geothermal well so I can take a hot shower? Honey, why does my oxygen smell like bitter almonds? CAUGH CAUGH" Just the same, I would go. I'm masochistic enough to think it would be fun to try to survive.
Would I be able to radio back to Earth? I'd need some way to send articles into RP on stuff like "The Art and Science of Martian Sand Castles."
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The biggest downside for me would have to be the difficulties with communication. It's like 2.something light minutes from earth and that works out to 30 or so minutes from transmitting a message to recieving it at the other end. An hour between each side of the conversation is a bit much.
Though a high power laser perfectly aimed might do it and be almost useable I think the logisitics of even aiming it would be a bit much.
Either way, it would be cool. I might go a little nuts while waiting for the next person to show up and the isolation would be a bitch. But depending on her hotness, I might be able to deal
I am a pretty social creature so that aspect would make me think twice. But if seriously offered the trip, I don't think there's any question about not going. Though I doubt I'm anywhere on the list of potential candidates.
If nothing else I would like a ride on a Orion ship though. Talk about acceleration. That could be hot as hell.
An interesting thought occured to me. If you actually can get up to 10% the speed of light the whole time dilation effect actually becomes more and more pronounced. If you were on a trip to say proxima centauri and it would take 44 years real time to get there how long would it feel like in the craft? Would you only need to carry 20 years of food?
Oh, and no doubt you could still post articles on RP, just be sure when you hit submit. It'll take you an hour for every mispelling in spell check
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Interesting...but as I told you last night, I wouldn't be able to go alone. Unlike the hot chick you guys would be anticipating in a year, I would considered it if I had a playmate from day one. Obviously a hot guy.
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Dunno, you and a hto chick could be interesting too
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Wouldn't really work for furthering the species, but it would make for an interesting reality show.
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No interest in venturing to Mars. I saw Total Recall too many times and I'm afraid I would implode. And where in the hell would I get my Rx for Xanax refilled??
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You guys and girls crack me up.
"only if I can bring a hot guy/chick" What good will a hot slab of meat do you unless it is strong and has the intelligence and training to assist you in building the foundation for a new colony in the solar system.
The question that bugs me is if they can go through all the trouble of sending one person, why not two? I know the logistics aspect factors in but really, it's not that much more cargo in comparasin to the scale of the project.
* side note, if they wind up sending a man and a woman, wouldnt that sorta be like uuum, adam and eve?
Anyway, you can sit tight for a while, the new colony will probably be prefab space trailer homes assembled by robots.
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You read my mind precisely Scorpio re: the Adam and Eve thing. How many ribs did it take to make Eve anyway and why couldn't men continue giving birth in that fashion? I would gladly give up a rib if it meant not having boobs that could feed a small village (it was temporary...I'm no Jenna Jameson anymore). I also always wondered if they made another person out of the ribs Cher supposedly had removed. But here's a question, let's say they put you and I, for arguments sake, on Mars or Uranus (I always crack up when saying that simply because I'm juvenile and I love when it's an answer on Jeopardy), anyway, what if there was no attraction, no connection, nothing in common intellectually, physically or otherwise, by nature do you think there would still be procreation or would the existence of man kind simply die or, out of need and the laws of attraction, would it continue? And how long do you think it would take someone to go completely insane in a pseudo-environment built for two. My guess is about 2 years, that's when the novelty truly starts wearing off (for me anyway). Unless of course you could have a fem-bot and I'd have a masc-bot and we'd live happily ever after.
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Many times when two people are so dependant on each other for survival, attraction just happens. Chances are that Eve would be knocked up by the time they got settled in and the atmosphere around them was less oppressive. Just the same, NASA would probably send fresh people every year or so to spice up the gene pool (you wouldn't want your kids to have to start dating - that would be icky.) If you didn't like Adam, you could wait for Adam2. Perhaps eHarmony could be one of the sponsors of the project. That might help with the chances of success.
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The laws of human attraction are important. But like B said the very need to depend on each other to survive could be the deciding factor in making a liquid connection. Hundreds of action movies can attest to that
So long as each person is not actually actively repulsiveI think your almost gauranteed a hookup.
Or there could be a government sponsored eHarmony like system to ensure compatability between potential Adam and Eve's. And the steady influx of new blood is necessary. And an interesting option is even sending the potential Eve's up already with a bun in the oven. That would prove to be an easy if morally unkempt way to help ensure genetic variety.
Now that all hinges on the idea that they pioneers would never return. I think they would return but the return date may be a few years off. Basicaslly with crew renewal you have a fresh crop of genetically diverse material.
Say one goes up, another goes up, there ends up being three. One comes back, another goes up and three creates four. Eventual rotation in and out would create a growing colony. Plus some get to come home.
It could even be that perhaps once they have built their home, they may not want to leave. Increases in data communication could keep them up to date on earth customs and provide adequet mental stimulation as well as a steady stream of porn if the current Eve is being chilly to Adam for something he didn't even do. Sorry that was a tangent but you get it I think.
The social aspect of the trip is hugely important to the success of the mission, but it's not really the mission.
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I guess you're right, B. I'm simply ADD and get bored rather easily. It's one of my many flaws. But do you think they'd let me pick who they'd ship up to me when I grow tired of Adam (or Scorpio even though I'm sure I would never ever!!!). But I do get the dependency concept and correlation of it making someone attractive. Perhaps that's why people do stay married and can wrap their brain around being with one person for the rest of their life (eeeeek!!!). It becomes comfortable and as much as I am ADD and tempt fate from time to time, I like my zone and the people that I choose to have in it. But I still get bored and continue to think way too much about decisions I've made and where it's landed me. I'm basically just a little f'd up. But everyone I know is in their own special way.
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I've been exploring this idea and I've already decided that I would go in a heartbeat if they looked for volunteers. 100% solo and 100% dedicated to not returning. This is from a husband and father.
My reasons for being willing to NOT return? The person that does this, their family members will become celebrities and will be financially set for the rest of their lives. I'd be the most famous man in history.
Sending the companion (or bringing one along) eliminates the premise of the reason for sending one person. Logistics dictate that supplies and food for one person is HALF of what is needed for two. If you take two, then you're already doubling what is necessary.
Companionship is the issue? Obviously no one here is over the age of 21 because there is more to life than seeking the next lay. With one person, there is no need to do any planning beyond the needs of one person. The instant you add a second person, you now are FORCED to make sure that they are tested to get along without outside aid AT ALL. That is even MORE in the way of needs for the two.
One person. One way. Think on it.
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