Space researchers plan to take ordinary civilians and send them to Mars by 2024 as a part of their Mars One settlement project. Being one of the first humans to travel to Mars certainly has a hosts of risks.
The Mars One website states the company is a non-profit organization that plans to settles humans on Mars by 2024 and will continue this process by sending a new crew every two years. The crews will consist of four people, each: two men and two women. These crews will take common trades learned here on Earth to Mars to slowly build a successful civilization of “Martians.” Unmanned space shuttles to Mars will begin in 2018. These flights will allow technologies such as satellites and rovers to be shipped ahead of time for the first crew’s arrival in 2024.
The cost of the first crew’s 2024 flight is estimated at $6 billion. The Dutch non-profit organization will sell broadcasting rights, sponsorship deals, and receive donations from various philanthropists to fund the first trip to Mars. These donations and sales will allow the group of individuals that run the Mars One foundation to purchase the necessary supplies to increase the chance of survival of the first humans to take on this risky voyage to Mars.
The selection process for the Mars One program began in April 2013. The chances of being selected out of the two hundred thousand applications are slim. Applications to be a part of the first crew to go to Mars came from many different countries of the world. According to the Mars One website, submissions came mainly from the United States, India, China, Brazil, and Great Britain. The applications show how diverse the field of future Martians would be if the Mars One program were successful. There are currently 100 left of the 200,00 who applied for the first round trip to Mars. The remaining candidates will undergo training, during which they will be evaluated on how they work well with others in a team setting. Working as a team in this setting means every one of the four will need to carry his or her own weight and be able to support the others in the group.
The Mars One website says new technologies are being developed for the journey of the first crew to Mars. Researchers plan to use the Space X Falcon heavy space shuttle for the astronauts for travel while in space. The trip to Mars will require upgraded space suits, adapted rovers, and living units to support the crew.
Only 200,000 of seven billion people on Earth applied for the chance to start a new settlement on Mars. Instead of being average, the applicants are risking leaving life here on Earth to start something new and unprecedented. The public may call them deranged or crazy for wanting to attempt this life changing journey, but isn’t the point of life to try something new. Why live your life to be average? The final one hundred have an opportunity to leave a mark on history and be remembered as people who tried something new and did not let the fear of death or being an outcast in society stop them from embarking on an amazing journey.
Whether you agree with their stances or not these final one hundred will be one of four to change the course of history for all mankind. Whether or not the crew succeeds, they will be remembered in Earthlings’ eyes as people who did not fear death, failure or criticism.
