I am moving my family to Alberta at the end of this month. Alberta.
Mars? Piece of cake; sign me up.
If I were young, unattached and healthy, hell yes! (except the reality tv part, maybe, if that means some camera is on me all the time) How often does anyone get a chance to be a part of something so big?
Guinea pig? Die en route? Unable to survive once there? What’s all that against the possibility of being one of the first humans on Mars?
This pre-supposes that I am convinced that this outfit knows what they are doing. I’m not sure how I would know that, but since we’re in fantasy land here, assume I do know that.
Roddy
Count me out.
I’m not sure the people involved in building the equipment and planning the trip are going to be quite as proccupied with redundant safety, etc. if it’s known that the astronauts are not meant to return.
I guess “will to survive” is one of the character traits they look for in future astronauts. I don’t see how that would work for a mission like this.
Also, I would worry that the people at the Multimedia Entertainment division would choose to send at least one a**hole on the trip to make for better reality TV.
What is it to be human, if not to explore?
Though I’m not ready right now, I would go in the future, if the plan was a good one. Perhaps as a healthy, hearty, 60 year old, with family and accomplishments behind me. Even if it shortens my life, I’d be willing to take part in the expansion of human boundaries.
Including the movie, merchandise and syndication the Simpsons, one of the most successful TV franchises in history, have managed to pull in something like 10 billion dollars in revenue over twenty years. The idea that your going to be able to fund a 100 billion dollar plus Mars mission with a TV show is pretty close to an obvious con-job.
My only problem with the plan is the idea of having to live there for the rest of my life. I’m good for an extended stay, five, ten years… But not really certain I’d be willing to stay for the rest of my life. That’s something I’d have to decide after spending time there, and after seeing what we’re accomplishing. If there was a chance to return after 5-10, even 15-20 years, I’d be a lot more willing.
That said, outside of a chance to return, I would be somewhat concerned about feasibility and safety. But I would hardly insist that the estimates account for a perfectly safe trip. I’m willing to take a significant risk of death in order to do this…say 10, maybe even up to a 15% chance? I’m hardly going to insist that the trip be 99% safe.
Why *would *anyone want to go? The rest of your life–hell, even six months!–on an airless, barren desert, trapped in a small place with who knows *what *kind of people (look around at your coworkers, for instance).
I do not go *anywhere *that does not have branches of Lord & Taylor and Elizabeth Arden, a decent restaurant, and a bar. *Mars? *No phone! No lights! No motorcar! Not a single luxury.
“Today, in the Mars House, we’ve turned off the oxygen - let’s see how the MarsMates react…”
No, definitely not as part of a reality tv stunt.
In general, almost certainly not anyway. The list of things I still want to do here is growing faster than I can cross items off it, and although Mars does offer some exciting opportunities, big ones, they’re not as diverse as those I can pursue here.
One of our current Mars rovers was abandoned because it got stuck in sand and wore down it’s batteries. I don’t think we’ve got anything capable of building living quarters. Skilled humans can’t build a house without a few problems.
If it wasn’t one way and part of the entertainment industry I would definitely.
OTOH, and I say this as someone who used to dream of being an astronaut and donated part of his allowance to the Planetary Society - other than bragging rights, and making the heart of my inner child light up like a lighthouse beam, I’m not sure what the point of sending people to Mars is.
Probes and rovers seem better suited for routine surveys and general data collection.
What is it we really need people there for?
Maybe if there was life there or the ruins of a civilization, there would be something groundbreaking and unique for us to study there. But right now it’s basically just a big geological survey. There’s some interest still left in the water question, but that’s about it for wow factor.
There’s definitely no reason to colonize - even with terraforming the low gravity would be horrible for us. It would never be feasible as a solution to overpopulation. Maybe you could justify it as a “beta site” in case of asteroid attack. But to be a base for further exploration we would first need some game changing advance in space propulsion technology.
We don’t even bother with our own moon anymore.
But hey, it would be an awesome place to have Burning Man.
I think (properly equipped and supplied) humans would be able to perform the search for evidence of ancient/residual life on Mars more quickly and ably than the rovers we’ve sent so far (not that the rovers aren’t a wonderful achievement - but humans are more mobile and more reactive and generally more physically powerful than the rovers - so they can dig larger holes, turn over larger rocks, climb down into caves, etc).
But still, a TV-funded venture is a dumb idea, and I don’t believe it will happen.
Yes. I’ve had this discussion with my students and my son before.
If I die, I die. What do I care? I went to Mars!
Exactly why a Venusian colony makes more sense: g there is only a little less than earth’s.
(bolding mine)
Which reminds me of another reason not to go: before you even reach Mars, half of the U.S. will be convinced that it’s all filmed in a studio (especially if it’s on prime time TV every day) or part of a conspiracy from the other political party.
And even the other half (the believers) will have lost interest in the TV show by the time you land. So even the bragging rights will be dubious.
My reaction to the date: “damn, I’ll be too old”, which puts me in the yes camp.
Not interested in being part of Big Brother, though… plus anyway I’d be terribly boring.
Venus is not a great place for Humanity’s first extraplanetary colony.
The surface temperature is 460 °C (860 °F).
The surface atmospheric pressure is 92 TIMES Earth normal.
And the atmosphere is highly corrosive, but if we just throw lots of money at the problem, and televise it all, it’s suddenly possible. Problem? 
Also, the wind just whooshes around the planet.
Like this guy, as primitive as can be!
Yeah, if there’s anything that can fight a corrosive effect, it’s television…