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Space & Astronomy

Mars One delays first manned mission to Mars

By T.K. Randall
December 8, 2016 · Comment icon 7 comments

Would you go on a one-way trip to Mars ? Image Credit: Mars One / Bryan Vertseeg
The Netherlands-based firm has pushed back its ambitious plans by several years due to funding issues.
Mars One's decision to delay its first manned mission to the Red Planet certainly comes as no surprise given its ludicrously unrealistic timetable and overly-ambitious colonization plans.

The original goal had been to send the first colonists to Mars by 2026, a one-way trip that would have almost certainly ended in disaster if it had ever actually gotten off the ground.

Even the new timetable, which aims to launch the mission by 2031, seems premature. It is far too soon to be talking about sending people to permanently live in settlements on the surface of Mars.
Despite this, more than 200,000 people from 140 countries have so far signed up for the chance to become one of the first astronauts to set foot there. These have since been whittled down to 100 finalists of which only 24 will be selected to actually go to Mars.

"Mars One can only implement the mission to Mars if we can afford it - and we need investments to get going," CEO Bas Lansdorp said in a statement.

"Being listed on a stock exchange will make fundraising more straightforward. In order to make Mars One's commercial activities an attractive investment with the potential of a good return on investment, Mars One had to adjust the timing of the planned unmanned and manned missions."

"This pushes the large expenses associated with the mission hardware back in time, making the company cash positive sooner. The delay we are currently announcing is also because it took us longer to get to this point than we originally anticipated."

Source: Phys.org | Comments (7)




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Recent comments on this story
Comment icon #1 Posted by Derek Willis 7 years ago
Now why does that not surprise me! Edit: Having now read the entire article, I see no one else is surprised!
Comment icon #2 Posted by Merc14 7 years ago
No one saw this coming.
Comment icon #3 Posted by toast 7 years ago
When I remember correctly they calculated the cost for the nonsense project at 3B USD and I sometimes look at the funding schedule on the HP but there is no real good traffic, its still below 1M USD. But the CEO is still dreaming: Its ridiculous. The whole project is ridiculous.
Comment icon #4 Posted by Dark_Grey 7 years ago
I think they were hoping to strike it rich through advertising and network television deals. This was a TV/media stunt first and a historic journey for mankind as an afterthought.
Comment icon #5 Posted by switchopens 7 years ago
Well, maybe if they irresponsibly placed people there only to face a life or death situation, that real time, money and effort will be placed on a rescue. We humans tend to work better with our backs to the wall. (tongue-in-cheek response; please don't take me seriously.)
Comment icon #6 Posted by skookum 7 years ago
Their astronauts will be pensioners by the time this venture gets off the ground.
Comment icon #7 Posted by Maars 7 years ago
Not surprised at all. Never gave a thought that they will get it right. NASA themselves intend to undertake a mission like this only in the mid 2030's or later.    https://www.nasa.gov/content/journey-to-mars-overview


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