Seventy-five Canadians make the first cut for one-way trip to Mars

ChasCS

http://www.mars-one.com

Reading about the folks being selected for thee one way trip to Mars
75 Canadians make first cut
I wonder what personal effects they are allowed to bring?
What camera systems would be allowed, if any? Would there be size and or weight restrictions?
The lucky chosen... Wow!!


When Mars One announced their intention to put the first human colony on Mars, nearly 2,000 Canadians threw their names into the hat. Now, after the first round of cuts, just 75 remain in the running for a one-way ticket to the Red Planet.

For some of the applicants who have moved on to the next round, going into space has been a life-long dream, regardless of their age.

Take 19-year-old Audrey Roy, from Saint-Ephrem-de-Beauce, Quebec, who was one of the few selected to allow their name to go public.

"I've always said that if such a trip would happen in my lifetime, I would do everything it takes to be part of it," Roy told the Canadian Press. She went on to say that there was some sadness, on both sides, when she told her friends and family, because if she's selected, they'll never see each other again.

"It breaks my heart to actually leave them, but I've had a talk with them and they understand it is my dream since I was young," she said in the interview.

Mars settlement: Science prof among 75 Canadians still in running

For others, their dream has been on hold substantially longer.

Claude Gauthier, a 60-year-old math and physics professor at the University of Moncton, remembers watching the first moon landing with a hint of sadness.

"When they went to the moon in 1969, I was 16 years old," he told CBC News. "I was sad because it was not me."

According to the Canadian Press, Gauthier has already tried three times to become an astronaut for the Canadian Space Agency, but was turned down all three times. He's not sure why he made the cut for the Mars One mission. However, in his interview with CBC News, he said that it's inspiring, to both him and others, that he was chosen.

"I think it's opened the mind of people to space and adventure, science, math," he said in the interview. "I think it's good, especially for very young people, less than 10 years old. They are very wide-open eyes when we talk about Mars — one way only! — it's amazing."

For others who have been chosen, the news came as bitter-sweet.

Both Christy Foley, a 32-year-old government employee in Edmonton, and her 33-year-old husband submitted their applications. She was chosen. He was not.

"We were both incredibly surprised about my making it — not so much of him not making it," she told the Canadian Press. "We both had hopes, but there was no expectation there, so it was quite incredible to get the email."

Another round of cuts is scheduled for April, after those selected go through a thorough medical examination, and this will be followed by a third cut later this year. A final cut to select those who will begin training in 2015 will bring the number of candidates down to just 24 from the original 200,000.

For everyone who will be making the trip, and their families, it's a tough choice that they have ahead of them. Given the limitations on technology, anyone who goes to Mars won't be coming back, and the one-way nature of the trip has some seeing it a suicide mission.

Alex Marion, a 26-year-old from Surrey, B.C. who also made it into the next round, isn't worried though.

"There's absolutely no concern for me that they can get us there safely and they're not going to send us unless the colony is ready to go," he told the Canadian Press. "I have absolutely no concerns that it's a suicide mission at all."

For Stephen Fenech, a 45-year-old from Toronto who's looking to expand his Earthly travels into space, he sees it in a rather pragmatic way.

"If it means my death at the end, so be it," he said to the Canadian Press. "I'm going to die anyway [and] it'll be a more interesting way to go — that's for sure."



It seems very awesome, yet so final. Saying Goodbye, to everyone you have ever known, forever!
Would you want to go?

Toecutter

I wouldn't wish to go,but I can think of quite a few people I'd like to send

Photobug

+1 Toecutter. LoL

I would love to get pictures from up there. But would not like the lift off and landing. ">

ChasCS

Welcome to the NR Forum @Toecutter

Reading about that first flight to Mars, imagine if it only took a total of 21 photos, "that we are allowed to see" ;-)

The planet Mars is one of the brightest objects in the night sky, easily visible with the unaided eye as a bright red star. Every two years or so, Mars and Earth reach their closest point, called “opposition”, when Mars can be as close as 55,000,000 km from Earth. And every two years, space agencies take advantage of this orbital alignment to send spacecraft to the Red Planet. How long does it take to get to Mars?
The total journey time from Earth to Mars takes between 150-300 days depending on the speed of the launch, the alignment of Earth and Mars, and the length of the journey the spacecraft takes to reach its target. It really just depends on how much fuel you’re willing to burn to get there. More fuel, shorter travel time.

The History of Going to Mars
The first spacecraft ever to make the journey from Earth to Mars was NASA’s Mariner 4, which launched on November 28, 1964 and arrived at Mars July 14, 1965, successfully taking a series of 21 photographs. Mariner 4′s total flight time was 228 days.
The next successful mission to Mars was Mariner 6, which blasted off on February 25, 1969 and reached the planet on July 31, 1969; a flight time of only 156 days. The successful Mariner 7 only required 131 days to make the journey.

Mariner 9, the first spacecraft to successfully go into orbit around Mars launched on May 30, 1971, and arrived November 13, 1971 for a duration of 167 days.
This is the same pattern that has held up for more almost 50 years of Mars exploration: approximately 150-300 days.


Are we there yet?? Hahaha

donaldejose

Foolishness, no one is going to Mars on a one way trip. It would be a death sentence because we cannot sustain human life long enough in space to get there much less take along enough supplies to live there. Yes NASA is studying the possibility but that is just a study.

PB_PM

@donaldejose Read the original post, this mission is not being done by NASA.

Nik0n2011

i'd much prefer a 'into the wild' in Alaska (much better equipped and connected) than this Mars thing
and trust me, we have still a lot to see into this world than looking for 'news' in another desert round ball out there

Nik0n2011

200k Canadians looking for 'excitement' why don't they bring their backpack, dslr, etc and go live in Yukon, and other Northern territories they have ? they have one of the most amazing places on earth... are they bored by snow, bears, wilderness, solitude, lakes salmons berries, lonely nights ? is it too common ? this is really how much we dislike the nice things of our planet.


IF they are not ready OR they dont do it right there where they live, they are not ready for Mars either.

donaldejose

PB_PM: I never suggested it was being done by NASA. Canada cannot possibly do such a mission and never will have the resources to do one. Neither will any country other than the US. Certainly, private sources will not have the funds. Picking astronauts for such a mission is nothing more than foolishness. I know people who have been consulted by NASA and are on panels of scientists advising NASA as to what it would take to travel to Mars. Not going to happen during our lifetime because any travel to other planets takes too much time. People would either die on route or kill themselves on route. We don't have "warp" drive and "replicators"! This Mars One funding drive is just a scam.

spraynpray

+1 Toecutter. LoL

I would love to get pictures from up there. But would not like the lift off and landing. ">

I don't think you would have to worry about the landing!

ChasCS

Hahaha, oh they're going all right. And the trip is less tha one year, Mars is only 55,000,000 some miles from earth, it's not all that far, when it swings around closet...
http://www.universetoday.com/14824/distance-from-earth-to-mars/

NASA could get there in 39 days,
http://news.discovery.com/space/private-spaceflight/mars-rocket-vasimr-nasa.htm

Anyone else want to go...?
A 31-year-old engineer from Calgary is one step closer to a shot at space travel.
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/calgarian-zac-trolley-shortlisted-for-one-way-trip-to-mars-1.2485372
French Woman
http://news.ph.msn.com/lifestyle/one-way-trip-to-mars-sign-me-up-says-frenchwoman-7



How long would a trip to Mars take?
http://www.astronomycafe.net/qadir/q2811.html
Contrary to the 'point and shoot' idea, an actual trip to mars looks very round a bout as the figure above shows for a typical 'minimum cost' trajectory. This, by the way, is called a Hohman Transfer Orbit, and is the mainstay of interplanetary space travel. It depends on the details of the orbit you take between the Earth and Mars. The typical time during Mars's closest approach to the Earth every 1.6 years is about 260 days. Again, the details depend on the rocket velocity and the closeness of the planets, but 260 days is the number I hear most often give or take 10 days. Some high-speed transfer orbits could make the trip in as little as 130 days.

For a more detailed discussion, see the course notes for Physics 6 by Prof. Craig Patten at UC. San Diego

How long does it take? It takes the Earth one year to orbit the Sun and it takes Mars about 1.9 years ( say 2 years for easy calculation ) to orbit the Sun. The elliptical orbit which carries you from Earth to Mars is longer than Earth's orbit, but shorter than Mars' orbit. Accordingly, we can estimate the time it would take to complete this orbit by averaging the lengths of Earth's orbit and Mars' orbit. Therefore, it would take about one and a half years to complete the elliptical orbit above ( solid and dashed parts! ). Since it would be nice to spend some time at Mars, we are only interested in the one way trip ( solid line ) which is half of the orbit, and would take half the time of the full orbit, or about nine months. So it takes nine months to get to Mars. It is possible to get to Mars in less time, but this would require you to burn your rocket engines longer, using more fuel. With current rocket technology, this isn't really feasible.

In the nine months it takes to get to Mars, Mars moves a considerable distance around in its orbit, about 3/8 of the way around the Sun. You have to plan ahead to make sure that by the time you reach the distance of Mar's orbit, that Mars is where you need it to be! Practically, this means that you can only begin your trip when Earth and Mars are properly lined up. This only happens every 26 months. That is there is only one launch window every 26 months.

After spending 9 months on the way to Mars, you will probably want to spend some time there. In fact, you MUST spend some time at Mars! If you were to continue on your orbit around the Sun, then when you got back to where you started, Earth would no longer be where you left it!

In order to get out of your elliptical orbit around the Sun, and into Mars orbit, you will again need to burn some fuel. If you want to explore the surface of Mars, you will also need fuel to get your lander off the surface of Mars. On the first trip to Mars, it is necessary to bring all of this fuel with you to Mars. ( Maybe someday we could manufacture rocket fuel on Mars ). In fact, you can only land a small part of the ship on Mars, because landing everything on the surface and lifting it off again would require enormous amounts of fuel. Therefore, you will probably leave part of the ship, including all the supplies for the trip home, orbiting Mars, while part of the crew goes to explore the surface.



It will be a bold step forward.
There are some great pictures from the Mahli camera here,
http://news.discovery.com/space/history-of-space/photos-mars-rover-curiosity-mahli-camera-120910.htm

PB_PM

PB_PM: Canada cannot possibly do such a mission and never will have the resources to do one. Neither will any country other than the US.

Typical American arrogance, or just downright ignorance on your part. Guess you haven't been watching China's missions to the moon?

As for third party corporate pushes into space, they will only continue to expand. Why? NASA is having funding stripped. Last time I checked NASA was using Russian rockets to get astronauts into space. Considering that NASA cannot even put their own people into space anymore, don't be so quick to boast of American greatness.

Ade

Not going to happen during our lifetime because any travel to other planets takes too much time. People would either die on route or kill themselves on route. We don't have "warp" drive and "replicators"! This Mars One funding drive is just a scam.

A joint ESA, Russia and China study asked volunteers to simulate a 520-day Mars return mission. Six volunteers -- three Russians, two Europeans and one Chinese -- successfully spent 17 months isolated in a special mock-up spacecraft constructed near Moscow.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/MARS-500

I won't quite call Mars One a scam, but, well, perhaps vaporware at this point.

ChasCS

It's interesting watching some of the application videos, that these hopeful one way travelers sent in, to the judges.


Hopeful entrants

Are these the brightest and most well educated, or just brave folks who want to escape earth?

1,058 People -- Out Of 200,000 Applicants! -- Closer To One-Way Ticket To Mars
By: Erin Ruberry

From a pool of more than 200,000 applicants, 1,058 people have been chosen as candidates to populate the first human settlement on Mars.

This isn't a NASA-affiliated effort; Mars One is a Dutch not-for-profit organization headed by Bas Lansdorp with a mission to establish the red planet's first human colony.

What does it take to make the cut as a pioneering spacegoer? While NASA has rigorous criteria for astronaut candidates, successful applicants for Mars One's mission must be 18 years old or older, disease-free, have "personal drive and motivation" and stand between 157 and 190 centimeters tall (61.8 to 74.8 inches), among other attributes.

According to The Washington Post, the "pool of selected applicants includes 472 women and 586 men. More than half of them are younger than 35, but 26 are older than 56. The oldest applicant to move on to the next round is 81." Nearly 300 people come from the United States, while 36 hail from Great Britain.

Among the chosen are a physics researcher, an IT consultant and an astrophysics masters student. One Canadian woman said she was "almost giddy" about moving on to the next round.

The cuts will continue until six teams of four individuals are chosen for training, with the first team scheduled for a 2024 launch.

Mars One Medical Director Norbert Kraft told Mashable that training will include extended periods in isolation to see how the prospective space pioneers deal with the solitude: "It's tough for someone to imagine that environment. You have to experience it to know if you're the person that can do this."

As for the first colonists, they're well aware it's a one-way trip. Answering the question whether it's ethical to send humans on a one-way mission into space, Mars One responds on its website:

"All those emigrating will do so because they choose to. They will receive extensive preparatory training so that they fully know what to expect. Astronauts that have passed the selection process can always choose not to join the mission at any time, and at any point during preparations. Back-up teams will be ready to replace any crew member that drops out, even at the very last minute."

Toecutter

Certainly brave,minimal everything including medical help of course, and not a Wetherspoons for miles. :-L (Wetherspoons being a well know pub chain in the UK)

heartyfisher

I wonder if I could take my D400 with me when I go.. 2024 .. D400 ? should be available then ?

Mars One .. I think its a great idea to try .. at least there will be some reality TV fun to watch when we vote to select the team members..!

Wonder what will happen after the last of the 6 groups of 4 get deposited there. in 2037 .. guess we will just let them be ... and wish them the best!. It will probably be like the big brother house.. with cameras in every room ! :-)

ChasCS

Brave New World... Yup they'll need a D400 all right... Bring plenty of rechargeable batteries and extra memory cards.

Sending Four people to Mars for the rest of their lives

I am so astounded, to not be going... ;-) Hahahaha not really, but it does sound like an exciting adventure.

Msmoto

As someone familiar with folks who suffer from mental illness, this entire theme suggests there is something terribly amiss here.

donaldejose

I agree with msmoto. Almost a disconnect with reality is evident. What are these Dutch smoking!

No one but the US has sent a man to the moon and there is a good reason for that. Typical American need to boast and prove how great they are even though it is a foolish expenditure of money. Unmanned vehicles could go and analyze the rocks at a much cheaper cost. Any other country will be much wiser about how they expend resources: they will send machines, not humans. Even the US is starting to put NASA on a more thoughtful budget. China has not sent a man to the moon and they won't during our lifetime even when China becomes richer than the US (which probably will happen during our lifetime).

Now as to privately funded "space travel," sure it will occur during our lifetime but those will be low earth orbits or simply shots into low space that do not even orbit the earth. Sell a ticket on one of those rides and you are selling something realistic; not scamming people.

Remember NASA does have a committee of scientists brainstorming about travel to mars. NASA even is spending millions on research as to what, if anything, can be done to keep people from suffering the effects of acute radiation sickness from too much radiation received during an incident such as a solar flare. Typical symptoms of acute radiation sickness are nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Imagine having to deal with those issues in a cramped cabin and zero gravity.

ChasCS

For as many wanting to go, they all have slightly different reasoning answers...
why sign one way trip

Wonder what the Martian's will think, when we show up?

shawnino

This thing was a scam from day one. The application process wasn't free.

ChasCS

You have to pay for nearly everything these days, bummer uh?
Even air at the gas station air pumps, are coin operated nowadays...

Anyway, We sure have strong opinions about something we know little to nothing about, eh?
http://www.forbes.com/sites/reuvencohen/2012/06/19/mars-one-get-your-one-way-ticket-to-the-red-planet/

Don't be jealous kids, it's only a "once in a life time experience" is all. ;-)
From http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_one,
Mars One is a non-profit organization that plans to establish a permanent human colony on Mars by 2025. The private spaceflight project is led by Dutch entrepreneur Bas Lansdorp, who announced plans for the Mars One mission in May 2012.
In 2024, Mars One intends on launching four carefully selected applicants in a Mars-bound spaceflight to become the first residents on Mars, and that every step of the crew’s journey will be documented for a reality television program that will broadcast non stop.

Plenty of educated thoughts.
http://sciphilab.weebly.com/1/post/2013/01/there-is-life-on-mars-if-not-whos-shed-did-we-find.html

It's been a big year for Exoplanets who are hypothesized as inhabitable by life. So we thought we'd give our own solar system one last try to impress us.

None of us are astrophysics, astronomers, astronauts or rocket scientist (if you are please feel free to join us). Taking a trip to our solar system was not very easy. But thanks to high resolution images from telescopes, probes and satellites we have managed to play astronauts from the comfort of a computer. And while David Bowie may wonder "is there life on mars" we really want to know "whose shed is laying in the middle of the mars landscape?".

Yeah, what the Heck was that large cube shaped object?

MetalMaiden

i have a hard time believing this is true... if it is and this is actually happening, well holy sh**. suicide mission for sure and would definitely be a crazy way to go. i just cant wrap my head around it....

donaldejose

"what the Heck was that large cube shaped object?" This reference is from the book and film "2001, a Space Odyssey." The black monolith was a gateway to another dimension and a tool by which another living entity could impart knowledge to assist with evolution. If the book were written today it would probably be written as the monolith being a gateway to the unseen world of dark matter and the dark force. The dark matter and the dark force do actually constitute an "alternative universe" since they comprise more than 75% of the universe and are undetectable by our senses. We only know a little about them from recent inferences we have been able to make.

spraynpray

I agree with msmoto. Almost a disconnect with reality is evident. What are these Dutch smoking!

Anything they like - they've been doing so legally for years! :>

I dunno. If it were a one-way trip to establish a colony with adequate research, cargo and preparation, maybe. When you look at all the hatred and misery focused on us from around the world these days and also at the way the sheep-like public are manipulated through their lives by the media, politicians and product marketing/fashion, is it really that big a risk? Is there really that much to lose? There certainly is a lot to be gained.

adamz

guys, MARS, really??? c'm.. please stick to photography closing this.