Category Archives: Mars Colonization

Posted on: 7:39 pm, January 19, 2014, by Web Staff, updated on: 07:50pm, January 19, 2014

(Mars One via CNN)

RALEIGH, N.C. A 23-year-old North Carolina State student is among 1,000 people to make the cut at a possible chance to go to Mars.

The Raleigh News & Observer reported that Charles Parrish II could be hurtling toward Mars in 10 years if he makes it to the final round.

Parrish submitted an application to the Dutch nonprofit Mars One, which last month whittled 200,000 aspiring Martians down to a pool of 1,000.

The Mars One project wants to colonize the red planet, beginning in 2022. There are financial and practical questions about this venture that havent been clarified.

Theres still a physical to pass and an interview to ace. The first crew launching in 2024 will have only four people.

Officials said the Mars One mission will cost $6 billion for the first crew. The idea is for it to be funded by sponsors and media that will pay for broadcasting rights of shows and movies documenting everything from the astronauts training on Earth to their deployment and colonization of Mars.

Out of the applicants, Mars One said it will select a multicontinental group of 40 astronauts this year. Four of them two men and two women are set to leave for Mars in September 2022, landing in April 2023.

Another multicontinental group of four will be deployed two years later, according to the Mars One plan. None of them will return to Earth.

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NC State student makes the cut for chance to go to Mars

Posted on: 5:10 pm, January 18, 2014, by Charles Jaco, updated on: 09:02am, January 19, 2014

(KTVI)-Go to Mars and never come back. That is the goal of more than 1,000 finalists selected by the Mars One program. Mars One is a privately-funded plan to establish a human colony on Mars starting ten years from now, in 2024. It is a colonization mission. That means its a one-way trip, no return trips to earth.

Established by Dutch entrepreneur Bas Lansdorp, Mars One is raising money through donations and expects most funding will come through revenues from a reality TV event that will chronicle the trip and the first few years of life on mars.

NASA had said a bare-bones mission to Mars would cost $100 billion. Mars One claims it can be done for around $6 billion. Skeptics say the project will never fly at all, that cost estimates are way too low, and the project doesnt have the huge amounts of funding necessary to pull it off. Despite that, 200,000 people worldwide applied to go on the mission. Theyve now been whittled down to 1,058 potential Mars colonists.

Charels Jaco sits down with two of those finalists, who are from St. Louis. Maggie Duckworth, 29, lives in Bridgeton and is trained as an electrical engineer. She owns a business making and supplying costumes. Tim Gowan, 26, lives in University City. Hes an Aerospace Engineer at Boeing and is also an actor and filmmaker.

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St. Louisans hope to make mission to Mars

Its goal is to create a permanent settlement on the red planet that could pave the way for future space colonies. Its a beta test for planetary colonization, and Mars One seeks to establish an environment that is a sustainable outpost designed to receive astronauts every two years.

According to Mars One, the company has developed a precise, realistic plan based entirely upon existing technologies. It is both economically and logistically feasible, in motion through the integration of existing suppliers and experts in space exploration.

If your dream is to be one of the first people to step foot on an alien world, Mars One may just enable it as it has set its requirements for astronauts.

The chief medical director of Mars One, Norbert Kraft, a former senior research associate for NASA, discussed the trials and tribulations that lie ahead for any of the brave astronauts chosen for the Mars mission.

In a statement, Kraft said: In my former work with NASA, we established strict criteria for the selection and training of astronauts on long-duration space flights. Gone are the days when bravery and the number of hours flying a supersonic jet were the top criteria. Now, we are more concerned with how well each astronaut works and lives with the others, in the long journey from Earth to Mars and for a lifetime of challenges ahead. Psychological stability, the ability to be at your best when things are at their worst, is what Mars One is looking for. If you are the kind of person [who] everyone chooses to have on their island, then we want you to apply too.

So what does it take to be a Mars colonist? For starters, each Mars One astronaut must be 18 or older with a [d]eep sense of purpose, willingness to build and maintain healthy relationships, the capacity for self-reflection, and ability to trust. All astronauts must have a strong grasp of the English language as that will be the official language of the Mars One mission. The organization is not looking for any particular individual, be it a doctor or an athlete, to apply. Instead, it is more focused on a persons character than on his or her abilities.

Mars One is seeking colonists who are creative, curious, resilient, resourceful, trusting, and have the ability to adapt. You can look over the application process here to determine whether you could be a Mars One colonist. Once you apply, there are four rounds of qualification. The first round is the application, which includes a resume, a letter expressing your reason for wanting to join Mars One, and a video response to several questions.

If chosen for the second phase, each volunteer must provide a clean bill of health from his or her doctor and will be subject to interview by the Mars One selection committee.

The third and fourth phases are by far the most important for any would-be astronaut. A national contest will be held, with 20 to 40 volunteers competing in challenges that will determine who advances to the final round.

In the last phase, the volunteers will be divided into national groups and will undergo training and other challenges that simulate what it is expected to be like on Mars. The ability to work together under the harshest of conditions will be crucial.

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Volunteers For Mars Colonization Wanted: Apply Today [VIDEO]

Tampa, Fla. - A 43-year-old self-employed Tampa man has made it past the first hurdle in a selection process to potentially choose the first team to attempt not only a manned mission to the planet Mars, but its colonization.

Hampton Black, a former NASA employee, received an email in December telling him that he is one of 1,058 finalists who could potentially be a part of the "Mars One" mission. "Mars One" is an organization seeking crowd-funding for an effort to land humans on Mars in 2025. The mission would be a one-way trip.

"My heart is there, you know? I want to be a part of this mission," Black said.

In comparison to planet Earth, Mars is far from hospitable. Frequent sub-zero temperatures, radiation, and an unbreathable atmosphere would be just a few of the challenges facing astronauts who would seek to live on the red planet.

Black said the mission is for the good of all humanity. He maintained the Earth should not be the human race's only home.

"We just commit ourselves to this one planet, and this planet only? We're not going to be around here too much longer," said Black.

Ann Marie Slavik, Black's girlfriend, said she supports his goal of relocating permanently to Mars.

"If he should go, of course I would be sad, but it's not my style to stand in front of somebody's dream," she said.

To learn more about the "Mars One" organization, visit http://www.mars-one.com .

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Tampa man one step closer to Mars?

By: Maude Brulard, Agence France-Presse January 3, 2014 3:06 AM

InterAksyon.com The online news portal of TV5

THE HAGUE - More than 1,000 candidates - from 200,000 hopefuls - have been chosen to train for a private Mars colonization mission to be partly funded by a reality-TV show following their training and subsequent steps, organizers said Thursday.

They are to be whittled down to just 24, who will be sent over six launches starting in 2024, according to Mars One, the Dutch-based non-profit group behind the audacious endeavor.

The only catch is that the space-bound settlers will be on a one-way ticket to the Red Planet which lies a minimum 55 million kilometers - six months' travel - from Earth.

Costs are too high to contemplate a return trip.

Mars One said the selected 1,058 would-be emigrants to Mars, from 140 countries, were informed on December 30 they were the lucky few deemed to meet the criteria - including an "indomitable spirit", "good judgement", "a good sense of play", disease- and drug-free, English-speaking - to be interplanetary pioneers.

"The challenge with 200,000 applicants is separating those who we feel are physically and mentally adept to become human ambassadors on Mars from those who are obviously taking the mission much less seriously. We even had a couple of applicants submit their videos in the nude," said organization co-founder Bas Landsdorp.

The group's chief medical officer, Norbert Kraft, said the candidates will now be called in for "rigorous simulations, many in team settings, with focus on testing (their) physical and emotional capabilities" over the next two years.

Reality TV

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Mars mission hopefuls whittled down to 1,058, representing 140 countries

By: Maude Brulard, Agence France-Presse January 3, 2014 3:06 AM

InterAksyon.com The online news portal of TV5

THE HAGUE - More than 1,000 candidates - from 200,000 hopefuls - have been chosen to train for a private Mars colonization mission to be partly funded by a reality-TV show following their training and subsequent steps, organizers said Thursday.

They are to be whittled down to just 24, who will be sent over six launches starting in 2024, according to Mars One, the Dutch-based non-profit group behind the audacious endeavor.

The only catch is that the space-bound settlers will be on a one-way ticket to the Red Planet which lies a minimum 55 million kilometers - six months' travel - from Earth.

Costs are too high to contemplate a return trip.

Mars One said the selected 1,058 would-be emigrants to Mars, from 140 countries, were informed on December 30 they were the lucky few deemed to meet the criteria - including an "indomitable spirit", "good judgement", "a good sense of play", disease- and drug-free, English-speaking - to be interplanetary pioneers.

"The challenge with 200,000 applicants is separating those who we feel are physically and mentally adept to become human ambassadors on Mars from those who are obviously taking the mission much less seriously. We even had a couple of applicants submit their videos in the nude," said organization co-founder Bas Landsdorp.

The group's chief medical officer, Norbert Kraft, said the candidates will now be called in for "rigorous simulations, many in team settings, with focus on testing (their) physical and emotional capabilities" over the next two years.

Reality TV

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More than 1,000 chosen for one-way Mars reality-TV mission

1,058 called up for tests before one-way trip to Mars (01-03 09:29) More than 1,000 candidates out of 200,000 hopefuls have been chosen to train for a private Mars colonization mission to be partly funded by a reality-TV show following their training and subsequent steps, organizers said Thursday. (Pictured, a portrait of Mars stitched together by using images taken by NASA's Viking Orbiter spacecraft). They are to be whittled down to just 24, who will be sent over six launches starting in 2024, according to Mars One, the Dutch-based non-profit group behind the endeavor. The only catch is that the space-bound settlers will be on a one-way ticket to the Red Planet which lies a minimum 55 million kilometers six months' travel from Earth. Costs are too high to contemplate a return trip, AFP reports. Mars One said the selected 1,058 would-be emigrants to Mars, from 140 countries, were informed on December 30. The challenge with 200,000 applicants is separating those who we feel are physically and mentally adept to become human ambassadors on Mars from those who are obviously taking the mission much less seriously. We even had a couple of applicants submit their videos in the nude,'' said organization co-founder Bas Landsdorp. The group's chief medical officer, Norbert Kraft, said the candidates will now be called in for rigorous simulations, many in team settings, with focus on testing [their] physical and emotional capabilities'' over the next two years. The organizers announced last month it signed a US$250,000 contract with US group Lockheed Martin Space Systems to build a concept landing module that would be sent in a 2018 unmanned test flight.

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1,058 called up for tests before one-way trip to Mars

The major reason behind considering Mars as a planet for human colonization is the presence of atmosphere. Terraforming or transforming the atmosphere of Mars to suit human beings is one of the options considered by scientists. With the discovery of water on its surface, colonization on Mars can become a reality in the near future.

Transportation The approximate time required to reach Mars is 9 months. Reducing the time spent in traveling is possible, however, not with the currently used chemical rockets. Instead, the space propulsion technology would be required. Use of constant-acceleration technologies is one more option. Ion drives and solar sails are the constant-acceleration technologies and their use can cut down traveling time to just a few weeks.

Terraforming Mars Mars is more suitable for human inhabitation than any other planet or even the Moon. There have been speculations about transforming or terraforming the prevalent conditions on Mars to suit human habitation. The idea has however, drawn flak from all over the world.

Solar Radiations The atmosphere of Mars is not as thick/dense as that of the Earth. It means the ionizing radiation can enter the environment of Mars. More research needs to be undertaken to obtained detailed inputs about the Mars' atmosphere.

Communication between Mars and Earth The NASA and European Space Agency (ESA) have placed communication satellites in the orbit of Mars. These satellites are the relay equipment used for communication. The communication delay between Mars and Earth (attributed to speed of light) ranges from 3 to 22 minutes. The possibility of setting up communication pathways by means of telephone lines, however, doesn't seem practical due to the time lag.

Robotic Systems Creating a path to Mars for regular traveling is of utmost importance if we are thinking about colonizing this planet. Robotic systems that are currently being used should prove to be instrumental for traveling and also in carrying out further research. NASA's robotic mission, the 'Mars Exploration Rovers' has sent two unmanned rovers, 'Spirit' and 'Opportunity' to this planet till date. The robotic systems have reduced transportation cost and proved to be useful in finding ice and water on its surface. Establishing the bases for landing spacecraft and setting up permanent bases on the surface of Mars can be done with the help of such space vehicles.

Locations for Establishing Colonies Different regions of Mars are being studied for the purpose of habitation. Owing to the presence of ice caps, polar regions are looked upon as possible areas for setting up colonies. Natural caves are found in equatorial regions of the planet and there is a possibility of water reserves being present in these caves. As the surface of Mars is not fully explored, scientists are awaiting more useful information. The topography of Mars may be varied and diverse than what has been predicted. Let us now turn our attention towards other aspects of colonizing Mars.

Advocating Colonization of Mars 'Mars Society', an organization founded by Robert Zubrin, promotes and advocates the colonization of Mars. It was established in 1998 and does the work of educating people and governments about benefits of space exploration and colonization of Mars.

'Mars Drive' is another group that supports space exploration and colonization of Mars. Founded in 2005, this group has spread out in Europe, North America and Australia.

Areas of Concern The atmosphere of Mars is very thin. Its density is about 1% of that of earth; this poses problems for landing of heavy spaceships on the surface of Mars. Thus, a specially designed braking and landing system is needed. The currently used robotic systems for landing on Moon and Mars cannot be used in the case of Mars. Effects of Martian gravity on human health have not been studied yet. So, it is difficult to predict whether Mars can support human life in the long-term. The dust storms which affect Mars form another area of concern for the mission of colonization. These storms reduce solar radiations that reach the surface of this planet.

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Colonizing the Planet Mars - Buzzle

Here are seven reasons why we should colonize Mars:

1. Its Similarity to Earth

Mars has water, frozen underground and at the polar caps. There is evidence that this water has, in the past and present, flooded the surface in liquid form. Signs of erosion can be found on the slopes of craters and volcanoes. Geological features resembling those on Earth suggest that Mars was once a wet and hospitable planet.

A day on Mars is 24.5 hours long. Mars is a third the size of Earth, but it has as much land area as the seven continents combined. Its gravity is 2.7 times less than that of Earth: enough to remain flat-footed on the surface, but a low enough escape velocity to make launching from Mars relatively simple. Remember, it was much easier for Apollo to lift off from the moon than it was to leave Earth. Construction materials would be lighter as well, facilitating labor in the early colony. The health benefits of such an environment are unknown, but it is theorized that Mars might prevent and relieve forms of arthritis and back pain. Also, Martian-born children might be taller than their Terran cousins.

Both planets have seasons and similar rotational patterns. Mars is roughly in the same heat-range as Earth, being next-door in the solar system, and if it had a thicker atmosphere it is likely the two planets would share the same climate. Today, Mars's temperature varies from +1F to -178F, with an average global temperature of -85F. That's cold, but still the solar system's most hospitable for humans.

2. Its Scientific Secrets

With its similarity to Earth, there is a strong possibility that bacterial life (or something more?) exists on the planet. Some people believe that Viking detected it way back in 1976. Others believe that we found it in a Martian meteorite. Rovers are on their way to Mars to settle the debate, but we may only be sure if humans look for themselves. As any engineer will tell you, the ease with which a human being can cover a stretch of ground and examine specimens along the way, gathering and processing data, cannot be emulated with a machine. If we ever find life, we can begin to answer some of the biggest questions we've ever asked: "Are we alone in the universe? What else is out there? What is the basic unit of life? What does life need to survive?"

From a geological standpoint alone, Mars is exciting because it offers scientists a view of how planets develop. Mars is billions of years older than the Earth, and its features are much more exaggerated. The largest canyons, volcanoes, and craters in the solar system are available for our study.

3. Its Diplomatic Potential

It is obvious that the world isn't perfect, but we've been trying for the entirety of our civilized existence. We've reached a point now where the majority of the world's superpowers are on good enough terms to begin an international joint-project to colonize Mars. This was much the theory with the International Space Station, but dirty politics proved how immature the world's superpowers are. Ending the quarrelling and going to space might sound like ignorant idealism, but imagine the diplomatic potential. When we become united in a goal, not just as Americans or as Russians but as mankind, all of humanity puts aside its differences.

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Why Colonize Mars? - Red Colony

QUESTION: Is it possible to colonize mars to the extent that human beings could live there? If so, then how would you go about it? Would we ever need to colonize Mars? ANSWER from R. Bourke on January 9, 1997: It may be possible for people to live on Mars in the future, but they must be protected from the environment. Conditions on Mars are much more harsh than any on Earth. It is very cold--far below freezing--there is no water, and the air is very thin and mostly carbon dioxide. Thus people will not be able to breath the air without space suits. In fact, machinery must be used to decompose the carbon dioxide to separate the oxygen to produce breathable air. ANSWER from Jack Farmer on January 30, 1997: The colonization of Mars by humans is being thought of in terms of "terraforming", which simply means modifying the Martian atmosphere and climate to make the "red planet" habitable for life. The Surface Environment of Mars: Cold, Dry and Full of Radiation The present surface of Mars is an inhospitable place for any terrestrial life form, whether microbe or person. The atmospheric pressure averages about 7.5 millibars (the avg. for Earth is 1000 mb). This means that water is unstable and can exist only as ice or vapor at the surface. In addition, the thin atmosphere of Mars is composed almost entirely of carbon dioxide (95%) and it lacks the oxygen needed to support human colonists without creating airtight shelters or spacesuits filled with our kind of atmosphere. The lack of oxygen also poses another risk. There is no protective ozone shield and the surface gets a very heavy dose of ultraviolet radiation (3-4X that at the Earth's surface). We know that UV is harmful to most life forms (that's why we have to use sunscreen!). As far as we know, Mars lacks a magnetic field, and that means that lots of other harmful radiation reaches the surface of Mars from the sun that, on Earth, is deflected away from the surface by the magnetic field. The temperature of the Martian surface is below freezing most of the time over most of the surface. Lastly, Mars is very cold (mostly below freezing most everywhere), but humans are able to live in cold climates on Earth, so that is not an insurmountable problem. However, combined with everything else, it makes colonization a real challenge. Building a Martian Atmosphere: An Oxygen-rich Greenhouse Terraforming would involve increasing the atmospheric density of Mars by liberating the water and carbon dioxide that lies frozen in the soils and on the polar caps of Mars to create a "greenhouse" effect (carbon dioxide and water both absorb heat energy from the sun and retain it causing the atmosphere to warm up) that would raise the surface temperature to the point where liquid water would be stable. There are a number of ideas for how to do that, but most involve installing large atmosphere-producing plants on Mars that would pump out carbon dioxide and perhaps other greenhouse gases like methane continuously until the atmiosphere was built up to the right level. Obviously, at some point we would also want to add oxygen to make the atmosphere breathable. On Earth, oxygen in our atmosphere is almost entirely formed by photosynthesis of green plants. So during terraforming, sometime after water ahd been rendered stable by the increased atmosphere, we would introduce photosynthesizing plants to contribute oxygen. What other benefit do you think oxygen would add, based on the preceeding discussion? There are a number of people and approaches that have been suggested for terraforming. Additional Reading: Some of these ideas were reviewed in a recent book by Robert Zubrin titled "The Case for Mars: The Plan to Settle the Red Planet and Why We Must" (1996, Free Press Publishing). Jack D. Farmer, PhD. NASA Ames Research Center ANSWER from Mark Adler on June 20, 1997: Yes. But it won't be easy. Mars is deathly cold (around minus 100 F), has a very thin carbon dioxide atmosphere with almost no oxygen, and has no ready supply of water. You'd have to *really* want to live there. A few people could be sustained on Mars with a steady line of supplies coming from Earth. In the long term, decades, we could find ways to provide some of those supplies on Mars, allowing the small colony to become more and more self-sufficient over time, and to possibly even grow. It would be a very long time, perhaps a century or more, before a colony on Mars could be completely independent. On even longer time scales, a few centuries, some people believe that we could change Mars globally to make it more hospitable for people by somehow making the atmosphere thicker and warmer. ANSWER from Mark Adler on July 29, 1997: There is certainly the possibility of humans exploring Mars. It's simply a matter of the rather high cost. Mars' atmosphere is extremely thin (less than 1/100th as thick as our atmosphere), is composed mostly of carbon dioxide, and is very cold. In short, Mars' atmosphere cannot support humans or other Earth life. However, that does not mean that we cannot inhabit the planet someday. We would need special enclosures to contain a warm, Earth-like atmosphere to live in. Mars' atmosphere of carbon dioxide and some nitrogen can be used, with some machinery and electrical power, to create and replenish an oxygen/nitrogen atmosphere in the enclosures. Water is a bit more of a problem, but there may be solutions there as well. Some people talk about actually changing Mars' atmosphere on a global scale to make it thicker and warmer in order to make habitation easier This is inspired in part by human's inadvertent but noticeable effect on Earth's atmosphere. However, it will likely be a long time before we have the technology and sheer presence to make global changes on Mars. Mark Adler ANSWER from Jim Murphy on June 22, 1998: I do not think that humans will NEED to colonize Mars, but I believe that we will have a very strong desire to do so since it is a challenge to be met (like going to the moon was..). I don't believe that current and future environmental problems we must deal with here on Earth are a good argument for developing a Mars colony. Rather, I'd prefer that we deal with our problems here. If we can develop the technology to build and sustain a Mars colony, then we can certainly develop strategies to deal with our problems here on earth without running (or rocketing) away to another planet. I certainly think that a Mars colony is possible. I would not expect one to be developed/built prior to 50-100 years from now, unless some form of life is discovered there, which would greatly accelerate the desire to get a base established. The cost will be enormous, and currently neither the money nor political will exists to fund the effort, but there are people thinking about how to do it. The advantages to having a Mars colony are to be able to conduct long-term science studies there, and to be able to travel over large distances on the surface repeatedly. Since the day length on Mars is 24 hours and 36 minutes, I would think it would be no problem to adjust to that day length. A colony would need to be "self contained", that is a structure not directly opened to the Martian atmosphere, since the Martian atmosphere is not capable of sustaining people (the lack of oxygen, and low atmospheric pressures would be deadly to anyone directly exposed to the atmosphere). Weather would play a role in determining how people travel about on the surface. Being out during a dust storm might make determining which direction to go difficult, and the large winds which might sometime blow could be a problem for some of the structure. ANSWER from Donna Shirley on July 9, 1998: I don't think humans "need" to colonize Mars in the sense that colonizing Mars will save us from the affects of overpopulating or despoiling the earth. If we get into such a situation I don't think that we will be able to afford to colonize a planet so far away. I think we "need" to explore Mars from the standpoint that we are a curious, exploring species. Donna Shirley

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NASA Quest: Possibility of colonizing Mars