Applicants wanted for one-way ticket to Mars.

[keithisco 5,307]

"Want to go to Mars? Dutch organisation Mars One says it will open applications imminently. It would be a one-way trip, and the company hopes to build a community of settlers on the planet."

Read more (Thanks to BBC): http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22146456

[Space Commander Travis 50,218]

Can i nominate Mr. D. Cameron and Mr. G. Osborne?

[keithisco 5,307]

Can i nominate Mr. D. Cameron and Mr. G. Osborne?

Only if they get the Outside Seats

[Black Red Devil 4,062]

Sounds all a bit too rushed and lacks proper planning. It's just a trip to death row.

[keithisco 5,307]

Sounds all a bit too rushed and lacks proper planning. It's just a trip to death row.

Have a look at their own website - it appears that there is an aweful lot of planning going on : http://mars-one.com/en/mission/mankind-on-mars

[Hazzard 2,785]

Mmmm,... Not sure about this one.

[ciriuslea 387]

As crazy as this is, I bet they still get hundreds of thousands of applicants,

[Lava_Lady 1,347]

Scary. What if it sucks? Or you don't get along with the rest of the crew.. Not like you can get in the car and leave.

[mfrmboy 121]

Sounds all a bit too rushed and lacks proper planning. It's just a trip to death row.

There's and idea use death row inmates. Here is your freedom !

[ash68 56]

Can i nominate my wife?

[Q-C 3,460]

I see they are asking for donations which always makes me nervous. However, as long as they don't claim to be looking for bigfoot on the mission, it sounds pretty cool.

I'll tell my MIL it's a new Senior Resort with free food, housing, and medication, but she has to get in line, now!

[keithisco 5,307]

I think this is in the best tradition of Private Exploration.

Much of the exploration on this planet was down to Private Individuals who rose above the challenges of seeking Govt. backing, many had no expectation of returning to the Western Nations; but went, they did.

I believe it is in the nature of humankind to continue exploration, even without the hope of return...and these will be the people remembered in the annals of time.

Edited April 17, 2013 by keithisco

[spartan max2 21,170]

Reading alot of the commetns I find it funny how everyone gets so scared of attempts at anything new

Edited April 17, 2013 by spartan max2

[seeder 31,268]

from the article:

"The apparatus which recycles human waste and turns "yesterday's coffee into into tomorrow's coffee needs frequent maintenance and would likely not survive years of continuous duty on Mars", he says"

Not good then, you need to have better equipment or different systems to fall back on. I think the story is sensationalism... I cant believe any govt would let people go on a - literally - one way suicide mission

[Bavarian Raven 1,663]

I cant believe any govt would let people go on a

We're not slaves. The government should have no say in how we use our lives, so long as we're not hurting anyone else.

[Waspie_Dwarf 17,271]

Much of the exploration on this planet was down to Private Individuals who rose above the challenges of seeking Govt. backing, many had no expectation of returning to the Western Nations; but went, they did.

Really!!!

Columbus was funded by the Spanish monarchy (after the Italian government refused to fund him).

Much of the Portuguese voyages of exploration were under the patronage of the kings of that country.

James Cook was a Royal Navy captain.

The voyage that lead Charles Darwin to write "On the Origin of Species" was on boar HMS Beagle, a Royal Navy vessel.

Lewis and Clark were part of the Corps of Discovery, which was part of the US Army.

Edited April 17, 2013 by Waspie_Dwarf

[seeder 31,268]

We're not slaves. The government should have no say in how we use our lives, so long as we're not hurting anyone else.

we are not as free as you imagine either, but thats for another part of the forum! So it only costs 6 billion. Only...

If I was ever to go into space Id want to do it under NASA or the Russians, you know people/organizations that are professionals at this sort of thing. I certainly wouldn't want to go from a 'private company' with little or no experience in space travel.

Besides they are talking of sending a rover first to explore suitable locations... (and I thought they had it mapped already!)

Its a romantic idea for some, first people on Mars and all that, easy to make a snap decision, I think the reality of never coming back to Earth again tho, will make for some last minute doubts, and again from the article:

"Love has recently returned from Antarctica which he says is a "picnic compared to Mars".

"It's full of water, you can go outside and breathe the air. It's paradise compared to Mars and yet nobody has moved there permanently."

[CRYSiiSx2 763]

I'll go, but will Battlefield 3 be laggy from there?

[HerNibs 2,885]

Hmmm...I volunteer WBC and Justin Beiber.

Nibs

[Bavarian Raven 1,663]

we are not as free as you imagine either, but thats for another part of the forum!

i agree. not sure why people blindly put up with it. then again, looking at the last couple of presidents and the elections that got them into power...i think it's a lost cause. lol.

Columbus was funded by the Spanish monarchy (after the Italian government refused to fund him).

Much of the Portuguese voyages of exploration were under the patronage of the kings of that country.

James Cook was a Royal Navy captain.

To counter it, lol, nearly 500 years of Norse exploration of america and the untold wealth brought back to Europe from it was privately funded... As were countless smaller later explorations... just saying

[Technocrat 283]

I think mothers-in-law will be highly nominated for this trip!

[27vet 62]

it would have been far more attractive if mars had a breatheable atmosphere and one could go outside and do stuff, but living in the pods all the time... you can simulate that on Earth and has been done already ... see the Biosphere experiments.

[keithisco 5,307]

Really!!!

Columbus was funded by the Spanish monarchy (after the Italian government refused to fund him).

Much of the Portuguese voyages of exploration were under the patronage of the kings of that country.

James Cook was a Royal Navy captain.

The voyage that lead Charles Darwin to write "On the Origin of Species" was on boar HMS Beagle, a Royal Navy vessel.

Lewis and Clark were part of the Corps of Discovery, which was part of the US Army.

Cant argue - the headline grabbing discoveries were under Govt Patronage. But lets not forget that much exploration was funded through private donations or commerce:

Henry Hudson

David Livingstone

Peary and Henson

Roald Amundsen

Charles Lindbergh

Leiff Eriksson

Daniel Boone

Ernest Shackleton

Richard Francis Burton etc. etc

[A rather obscure Bassoon 2,418]

Great Idea,let's contaminate the surface of mars with Human corpses,if they survive the journey.Sounds like a very amateur operation to me.

[moonshadow60 718]

I'm too old and wouldn't fit their criteria, but if I was younger? Maybe.