I've been excited about putting a human on mars since I was five years old and I was sure I was going to be an astronaut when I grew up. Since then, there have been numerous setbacks for NASA and, more recently, the private companies that wish to travel to the red planet. Conquering issues like solar radiation on a trip that takes 6 months to complete one way is a major concern. Astronauts are only allowed by NASA to be in space for about a year due to solar radiation and a trip to mars and back is estimated to take 30 months. This is because once our people got to Mars they would have to wait for the planet to move to a more favorable orbit that is closer to Earth. On top of this, the mental impact on the crew of up to 30 months with a handful of people poses concerns over depression and anxiety among the crew.
Mars One is a company that wants to make a reality show out of the colonization of Mars to help pay for the process. They would eliminate one of the concerns right off the bat: it would be a one-way trip. There were around 200,000 applicants to become one of twenty-four finalists for the program, which aims to lift off around 2025. Their plan is to send multiple cargo loads to Mars before any settlers arrive, then continue to send people and supplies as the years go by. The settlers would then grow their own food and live in small pod units. It's a really interesting concept and one that has a lot of promise for the future of human civilization. If this happens, we'll officially be a multi-planetary species, increasing the odds of our long-term survival.
SpaceX has a similar goal, but with a different approach. They plan to make reusable rockets which will dramatically reduce the cost of getting humans and cargo to space. Elon Musk has stated that a Mars Colonial Transporter is the way to go, transporting up to 100 people at a time to the red planet, with the goal of creating a colony of thousands of people sooner rather than later. His goal is to start transporting people in 2026. Here's a great interview with Elon Musk where he talks about his vision of getting to Mars.
A lot of my upcoming writing will draw from the realities that taking place today. Any good futurist looks to the present to extrapolate the future. We've already started taking the steps necessary to make these dreams a reality and in most of our lifetimes we will see things that would be unthinkable in our childhood. It's a great time to be alive.
For more information on Manned Missions to Mars, check out the wikipedia, which links to all of the various missions not covered here. Which mission do you believe is the most viable? Do you think any of the missions will be successful?
Mars One is a company that wants to make a reality show out of the colonization of Mars to help pay for the process. They would eliminate one of the concerns right off the bat: it would be a one-way trip. There were around 200,000 applicants to become one of twenty-four finalists for the program, which aims to lift off around 2025. Their plan is to send multiple cargo loads to Mars before any settlers arrive, then continue to send people and supplies as the years go by. The settlers would then grow their own food and live in small pod units. It's a really interesting concept and one that has a lot of promise for the future of human civilization. If this happens, we'll officially be a multi-planetary species, increasing the odds of our long-term survival.
SpaceX has a similar goal, but with a different approach. They plan to make reusable rockets which will dramatically reduce the cost of getting humans and cargo to space. Elon Musk has stated that a Mars Colonial Transporter is the way to go, transporting up to 100 people at a time to the red planet, with the goal of creating a colony of thousands of people sooner rather than later. His goal is to start transporting people in 2026. Here's a great interview with Elon Musk where he talks about his vision of getting to Mars.
A lot of my upcoming writing will draw from the realities that taking place today. Any good futurist looks to the present to extrapolate the future. We've already started taking the steps necessary to make these dreams a reality and in most of our lifetimes we will see things that would be unthinkable in our childhood. It's a great time to be alive.
For more information on Manned Missions to Mars, check out the wikipedia, which links to all of the various missions not covered here. Which mission do you believe is the most viable? Do you think any of the missions will be successful?
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