Who should go to Mars?

Esper

Esper

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    Well, who? Big dreamer and very rich man Elon Musk says he plans to take anyone there for $200,000 (eventually), but what would a colony of only the richest people be like in the long run? Who should go on such a voyage? Traditional astronauts? Anyone who'll pay? Anyone who wants to go? What kind of qualifications should there be, if any?
     
    I feel like if your only real qualification for going to mars is that you have the money it costs to go to mars; then you shouldn't be allowed to go.

    Anyone going to mars should have an appreciable skill that can fill a need that might arise in a mars colony; and the first load of people going down there should have as good of a spread as possible of different abilities, and compatible personality types. They can and should screen applicants and for people who are deemed not worthy to go on a mission can wait for the next one or be refunded.

    Basically I think there can and should be some basic quality control so that each mission group is basically capable of sustaining itself in case of an emergency and can react in a way that allows maximum survival. If you're just a rich fat cat buying up a slot on the ship and you don't serve any real purpose once you get up there other than sitting on your ass; why should you even be on that mission?

    I'm totally ok with vacationers and tourists; but only when the technology is enough that it isn't dangerous to go to mars. When and while it still is; I don't think just anyone with money lying around should be allowed. If you do want to help the project; maybe you could find a promising person to send up there in your stead. (Donate that money to the mission and you'll get a nice thanks and a tax deduction and that's all that anyone should expect.)
     
    Melody said:
    I feel like if your only real qualification for going to mars is that you have the money it costs to go to mars; then you shouldn't be allowed to go.

    Anyone going to mars should have an appreciable skill that can fill a need that might arise in a mars colony; and the first load of people going down there should have as good of a spread as possible of different abilities, and compatible personality types. They can and should screen applicants and for people who are deemed not worthy to go on a mission can wait for the next one or be refunded.

    Basically I think there can and should be some basic quality control so that each mission group is basically capable of sustaining itself in case of an emergency and can react in a way that allows maximum survival. If you're just a rich fat cat buying up a slot on the ship and you don't serve any real purpose once you get up there other than sitting on your ass; why should you even be on that mission?

    I'm totally ok with vacationers and tourists; but only when the technology is enough that it isn't dangerous to go to mars. When and while it still is; I don't think just anyone with money lying around should be allowed. If you do want to help the project; maybe you could find a promising person to send up there in your stead. (Donate that money to the mission and you'll get a nice thanks and a tax deduction and that's all that anyone should expect.)
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    Couldn't have said it better myself.
     
    I would say no one, because that would technically make us an invasive species to Mars and any organisms that survives to its current environment, thus making us hypocrites on getting rid of invasive species in our own planet.
     
    I just saw this a few hour ago. His ultimate goal is to colonizing Mars. I'm not sure about going there or not. He even scheduled to launch his first crew in 2024. Man the guy has everything figured out xD. I just want to see who is going to be the first of humankind to set his foot in Mars c:
     
    Can I go?

    No, I'm actually being serious, I could use the work. Biology graduate, living with parents and hating it. Took a lot of chemistry courses. I could probably help in some way of making all those iron oxides into something.
     
    Pinkie-Dawn said:
    I would say no one, because that would technically make us an invasive species to Mars and any organisms that survives to its current environment, thus making us hypocrites on getting rid of invasive species in our own planet.
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    I think these are slightly different scenarios. There's a big difference between attempting to fix ecosystems we previously screwed up by introducing species that don't belong there and attempting to expand human civilization to a new planet that doesn't have any ecosystems at all.
     
    Melody said:
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    I pretty much agree with everything you said, but let me ask this: while we do want to have qualified, capable people going (if anyone is going at all) in case of emergencies, are we neglecting anything if we only concern ourselves with with technical capabilities? For instances, what about the idea of sending an artist, a poet, a musician to Mars? That's not to say that one can't be both an artist and an astronaut, but what I'm trying to get at is that there might be other qualities in our Mars astronauts which could be important that we aren't thinking of.
     
    Esper said:
    I pretty much agree with everything you said, but let me ask this: while we do want to have qualified, capable people going (if anyone is going at all) in case of emergencies, are we neglecting anything if we only concern ourselves with with technical capabilities? For instances, what about the idea of sending an artist, a poet, a musician to Mars? That's not to say that one can't be both an artist and an astronaut, but what I'm trying to get at is that there might be other qualities in our Mars astronauts which could be important that we aren't thinking of.
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    Like I said; the first mission should focus strictly on people with the right technical abilities. Later missions can and should include other enriching types of skills as well but I think we need to stick to the technicians first before we send the rest of the skills over; or risk losing them if something goes bad and they can't act fast enough to fix the problem. If they're technically skilled AND something creative like an artist or musician, that's all for the better but I do think the technical skills come first for the first mission where they're just getting the colony set up and started up.
     
    Melody said:
    Like I said; the first mission should focus strictly on people with the right technical abilities. Later missions can and should include other enriching types of skills as well but I think we need to stick to the technicians first before we send the rest of the skills over; or risk losing them if something goes bad and they can't act fast enough to fix the problem. If they're technically skilled AND something creative like an artist or musician, that's all for the better but I do think the technical skills come first for the first mission where they're just getting the colony set up and started up.
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    To be honest I dont think anybody other than the technically skilled or especially useful people would be sent for a long time. Neither should creative people be sent on purpose, nor would they be sent on purpose. Its too expensive, a waste of resources and air (literally). Maybe architects, but that serves a practical purpose.

    Only when colonies become sustainable and relatively cheaper to travel to will the non-useful be sent up to populate.
     
    BadSheep said:
    To be honest I dont think anybody other than the technically skilled or especially useful people would be sent for a long time. Neither should creative people be sent on purpose, nor would they be sent on purpose. Its too expensive, a waste of resources and air (literally). Maybe architects, but that serves a practical purpose.

    Only when colonies become sustainable and relatively cheaper to travel to will the non-useful be sent up to populate.
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    I'd agree on that; it doesn't make sense to send up anyone who can't pitch in a fair bit at getting the colony set up. It'd only be dangerous for the unskilled, non-astronaut kinds of people. But once the colony is working and stable, and they've managed to radio home saying so, they can conduct missions that send more people and resources and such. Really the litmus test is going to be that first batch of humans; and unfortunately there's a very high chance that they die en route or on Mars before the next mission if things go badly and there are any casualties.

    I'm hoping that things go as planned and nobody gets hurt. That they get the professionals up there to set up the habitats and such and get all the critical life supporting systems in place so that future missions have a place to go and it is stable and safer. I don't expect average humans who aren't either professional astronauts or extremely technically skilled in things to be able to go to Mars for a long time. However, if we get a colony established and we are able to send a few missions worth of good trained people up there to Mars and things are running smoothly and no one has had any significant troubles, there might be a definite ability to be able to send regular people up there, and then bring them back a short while later;
     
    I doubt we'll see anything come of this. Mars is a harsh wasteland wracked by storms far larger than anything we've seen on earth.

    Not to mention the cost alone of just bringing feasible building and construction materials along for the ride. Further more, maintaining a 'colony' on Mars is nigh impossible and everything short of improbable. No one is going to Mars.

    And, hypothetically, if someone does manage to survive all the storms that would rip most shuttles to shreds, the lack of a renewable water resource, the lack of renewable food resources and basic survival supplies they would die of some other yet unforeseeable event.

    Mars is unforgiving, and I still wonder why people want to go there to 'colonize' a planet that makes Mother Nature's fits of rage and storms look like a pouting child staring down the barrel of a .44 magnum.

    Besides, even trying to go through the space to get there is incredibly hazardous. Even a rock the size of a golf ball would annihilate the vessel used to get there. Mars is scary, space is scary, fix what we got before looking elsewhere I say.
     
    While it is true that Mars is an inhospitable place; I never said we had to land on Mars. A Martian colony could easily be a space station in orbit around Mars. This could be a good jumping pad for people out there for being able to find ways to make the martian landscape more hospitable.
     
    Tsutarja said:
    What exactly do you mean by that? What difficulties do you think will arise from interplanetary travel?
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    I just recently read a article about that. There is a new study that based on mice which state that amount of cosmic rays expected to bombard astronauts during this extended trip could lead to severe cognitive side effects that will stick around long after they've returned to Earth, including memory loss, anxiety, and chronic dementia.
    So this is also one of problem they have to overcome to make trip to mars possible xD
     
    Lelouch said:
    I just recently read a article about that. There is a new study that based on mice which state that amount of cosmic rays expected to bombard astronauts during this extended trip could lead to severe cognitive side effects that will stick around long after they've returned to Earth, including memory loss, anxiety, and chronic dementia.
    So this is also one of problem they have to overcome to make trip to mars possible xD
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    To my knowledge though, there were never intentions of individuals that elected themselves to go to Mars would actually return to Earth, unless that's changed in the past 3-4 years now.

    For what it's worth, more time will have probably passed on Earth than out in space and on Mars as well, when travel to this level is occurring.
     
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