'I may go to Mars and never come back'

[Still Waters]

Next week, Maggie Lieu will find out if she'll have to give up EVERYTHING for a one-way trip to Mars.

The 24-year-old, who's doing a PhD in astronomy and space at the University of Birmingham, is down to the last 600 of 200,000 applicants for the Mars One mission.

If she gets through, she'll spend the next 10 years training for the project.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/31425104

[Taun]

Next week, Maggie Lieu will find out if she'll have to give up EVERYTHING for a one-way trip to Mars.

The 24-year-old, who's doing a PhD in astronomy and space at the University of Birmingham, is down to the last 600 of 200,000 applicants for the Mars One mission.

If she gets through, she'll spend the next 10 years training for the project.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/31425104

Most likely they will all die in the first 6 months... This one way trip has "Bad Idea" written all over it...

Edited February 13, 2015 by Taun

[Iron_Lotus]

id go if i could

[Dark_Grey]

Who's on the current roster for the this trip? I understand that the underlying motive for this mission is a reality show but I sincerely hope, for the sake of science that these people at least have an interest in Mars and astronomy. To send the cast of Big Brother would be...bitter sweet. But at the same time, maybe it would be more representative of humanity than a team of scientists? We, the people of Earth have developed our civilization to the point of interplanetary travel and yet we place entertainment and media on the same level as scientific development - humanity in a nutshell!

[George Ford]

I think they should send someone who has already lived a bit more of life, maybe someone in their 40's at the youngest. It has such a high chance of being a mission ending in a gruesome death with far to many unknowns that anyone volunteering to go would be, in my opinion, be either to stupid to go or mentally unsound.

[Taun]

My main concern is that they will get up there, and suffer some catastrophe that does not kill them right away, but will in a few months... Then have our governments and the public

go nuts trying to rescue them....

[Leonardo]

Most likely they will all die in the first 6 months... This one way trip has "Bad Idea" written all over it...

The project is unlikely to ever leave the drawing board, and the young lady in question (although there has been a thread about her 'Mars ambition' before) seems to me to be particularly naive. Given she is just 20 years old I suppose some naivety is to be expected, and I suppose all the people involved in this project must be quite idealistic, but she appears to be less grounded than many. For example

From the article:

"We're going to grow our own food so it's going to be pretty much a vegan diet. Lettuce has been experimented on and grown on Mars."

Ummm, no it hasn't Ms Lieu. A 'lettuce greenhouse' has been proposed as a payload for a proposed 2018 Mars One mission. So far it is unknown if this experiment will be successful because it hasn't been undertaken yet.

I would hope this young lady is not entirely representative of all the Mars One mission applicants.

Edited February 13, 2015 by Leonardo

[Dark_Grey]

I would hope this young lady is not entirely representative of all the Mars One mission applicants.

Two words my friend: "reality TV"

[spud the mackem]

I think they should send someone who has already lived a bit more of life, maybe someone in their 40's at the youngest. It has such a high chance of being a mission ending in a gruesome death with far to many unknowns that anyone volunteering to go would be, in my opinion, be either to stupid to go or mentally unsound.

but you would go down in history as the first human casualty and then be dug up in a few years to be studied on how far the decay process went in the rarefied atmosphere...Gruesome !

[Taun]

but you would go down in history as the first human casualty and then be dug up in a few years to be studied on how far the decay process went in the rarefied atmosphere...Gruesome !

Not exactly how I want to go down in history... I would rather be known as the guy who lived for 3,000 years and ended up being shot by a jealous husband - or three...

[Waspie_Dwarf]

I think they should send someone who has already lived a bit more of life, maybe someone in their 40's at the youngest.

That would make sense for an exploration mission, however that is not what Mars One is supposed to be. It is supposed to be a colonisation mission and for that you need young, fertile people.

[Lugal]

"I guess I'm bored of earth" haha this is priceless.

[+DieChecker]

That would make sense for an exploration mission, however that is not what Mars One is supposed to be. It is supposed to be a colonisation mission and for that you need young, fertile people.

Exactly. A colony mission means having kids, and with 40+ year old women that's going to be iffy. Could end up with a whole generation of "late mom" autistic kids.

[Shiloh17]

Anything that goes wrong pretty much means death. There is no Cavalry.

[Indiogene]

Anyone volunteered for the Mars One mission project knows well they may not come back to earth alive...highly risky and dangerous. The first moon landing in July 1969 was equally risky and hazardous to the 3 astronauts: Neil Armstrong, Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin and Michael Collins...luckily, they landed on the moon (Armstrong and Aldrin the first two humans to do so) and returned safe and alive. The question is the long period of humans can sustain in zero gravity from earth to Mars (and back home), unless the job description means they cannot return to earth and they have to establish some kind of base or colony on Mars for future missions or landings.