Is Mars One a scam?

originally posted by: Liquesence
a reply to: Anyafaj

Anyone with sense should have seen this from the beginning. Instead of a "contest" that narrows down the "contestants," a true mission of this significance, even if an almost certain death sentence, should be composed of qualified people: biologist, scientist, doctor, engineer, psychologist, etc, not some people who "just want to go to Mars" because they want to selfishly be remembered for something other than what their pathetic lives offer.

These people are idiots. Yes, going to Mars would be cool as hell, but this is no amusement park ride. You're there, you can't leave, you're stuck in a hostile (climate) environment, and you're not going nowhere no matter how hard you scream or cry or lose your mind.

Truman Show on Mars. Hell yeah.

Honestly I don't even think they get that far. It sounds like a flat out suicide mission. Like the 1st mission will be a disaster & some people will die or get sent into a crazy-wrong trajectory. During this catastrophe, the 2nd batch of guinea pigs are in an isolated area & can't see/hear any results. So they keep training & are sent on another horrid attempt.

Though to be fair, I would love to go to Mars. But not like this. This is just bad.

Well, anyone who wants to go to Mars is a little crazy, so why would you need a psychiatric test? I'll stay here on earth where you can go out and talk to the trees, deer, squirrels, and plants. All crazy people should learn to do that instead of being cramped in a little sanitarium room on Mars talking to yourself because of getting upset at others there because of being cramped up with them so long..

It's just a matter of how nuts you are that determines your success in getting a place in this project.

a reply to: Anyafaj


Ummm...what I don't get is...with all of the current advances in 3D print capability...and robotics generally...why not just ship a couple of large scale printers and have the site printed...I mean...all of the raw material is there already...just land where there are known water/ice deposits and scoop up some of that good old red dust...

A few hoover type bots to suck and truck the dust while a couple autonomous bots assemble the large scale printers...
In a few months they could have the habitats all printed and ready to go...just waiting for the inhabitants to arrive...
Solar powered and/or that fusion power that the Navy was talking about...Hell...if your solar apparatus used diffused focus Fresnel lenses to magnify the solar effect then it could seriously increase your electrical output as well as warm the habitats through the same process...

This way you could realistically cut down on the number of support/infrastructure missions and spend more cash on supply...etc...

Just a thought or two...



YouSir

I wonder where all the money they've received so far will end up when this whole thing inevitably goes tits up?

I'm assuming everyone who has invested will get their money back.........:s

originally posted by: rickymouse
Well, anyone who wants to go to Mars is a little crazy, so why would you need a psychiatric test? I'll stay here on earth where you can go out and talk to the trees, deer, squirrels, and plants. All crazy people should learn to do that instead of being cramped in a little sanitarium room on Mars talking to yourself because of getting upset at others there because of being cramped up with them so long..

It's just a matter of how nuts you are that determines your success in getting a place in this project.

"Well anyone who wants to sail off of the face of the Earth is a little crazy. Everyone knows that that is just what Columbus and his band of lunatics will do. I'll stay right here in Spain where I can go out and talk to trees, cats and plants. All crazy people should learn to do that instead of being cramped onto sailing ships sailing westward on cramped vessels where they will end up getting upset with each other after they realize they are sailing into an almost certain suicide at the edge of the Earth." - Señor Ricky Mouse - 1491

originally posted by: rickymouse
Well, anyone who wants to go to Mars is a little crazy, so why would you need a psychiatric test? I'll stay here on earth where you can go out and talk to the trees, deer, squirrels, and plants. All crazy people should learn to do that instead of being cramped in a little sanitarium room on Mars talking to yourself because of getting upset at others there because of being cramped up with them so long..

It's just a matter of how nuts you are that determines your success in getting a place in this project.

I should imagine that they would need psychiatric testing prior to leaving to make sure they aren't going to flip out mid journey and kill everyone else aboard the shuttle, that kind of thing puts a bit of a dampener on things. I don't think this trip is going to happen anyway to be honest, it's a nice idea and all but I don't think we're ready for it yet.

a reply to: JadeStar

would you be volunteering for the mars one mission?

given the team consists of:

Mars One’s current international team consists of the two founders Lansdorp (Netherlands) and Wielders (Netherlands), Medical Director Dr. Norbert Kraft (USA) who works on shaping a world wide selection procedure that will result in selecting the best candidates for the settlement on Mars, communications and marketing team members Suzanne Flinkenflögel (Netherlands), Anne Boeschoten (Netherlands) and KC Frank (USA) and Mission Concept Artist Bryan Versteeg (Canada).

three communications and marketing people but no rocket scientists!

originally posted by: longy9999
I wonder where all the money they've received so far will end up when this whole thing inevitably goes tits up?

I'm assuming everyone who has invested will get their money back.........:s

Oh phew! That was a good one! Thanks for the laugh!

Of course it's a scam. It's all for a reality tv show. What better collection of nutjobs could you hope for then people who want to leave the planet permanently?

originally posted by: aynock
a reply to: JadeStar

would you be volunteering for the mars one mission?

I already did and I was a part of that group selected to go to Washington, DC. I posted the invite email i received right here on the ATS Space Exploration forum.

I declined because I had reservations about the selection process as well....

given the team consists of:

Mars One’s current international team consists of the two founders Lansdorp (Netherlands) and Wielders (Netherlands), Medical Director Dr. Norbert Kraft (USA) who works on shaping a world wide selection procedure that will result in selecting the best candidates for the settlement on Mars, communications and marketing team members Suzanne Flinkenflögel (Netherlands), Anne Boeschoten (Netherlands) and KC Frank (USA) and Mission Concept Artist Bryan Versteeg (Canada).

three communications and marketing people but no rocket scientists!

To be honest this is hardly surprising. Without funding you don't need rocket scientists. Rocket scientists are very smart but they are lousy marketers and fundraisers.

originally posted by: DPrice
Of course it's a scam. It's all for a reality tv show. What better collection of nutjobs could you hope for then people who want to leave the planet permanently?

Another way to look at it is these people want to venture forth to start a new branch of humanity on a new planet.

This one is kinda overcrowded as is and our best bet on learning to live better on it will likely involve the development of technologies which may first be used on long duration spaceflight or colonization. A good example of that is the closed loop system to reuse waste products, air, etc as well as new agricultural techniques. Such systems will be key in keeping life on Earth with an ever growing population from becoming hellish.

Being able to reuse fresh water effectively, efficiently desalinate salt water, generate energy from more efficient solar panels and grow food in acidic soil all would be a result of things developed to get to and live on Mars.

CEO Bas Landsorp responded to criticism of Mars One

The Mars One mission, a proposal to send people on a one-way trip to the red planet, has come under fierce criticism in recent months - many saying the mission is simply not possible.

But now the CEO Bas Lansdorp has responded to the many complaints regarding his company, saying that ‘the truth’ has not been reported.

Among the topics covered, he denied claims that some applicants had bought their way into later rounds, but also revealed that their would be a two-year delay to the mission overall, with the first manned Mars landing not expected now until 2027.

In a video he cited an article by Elmo Keep from medium.com as being inaccurate.

She had spoken to applicant Dr Joseph Roche, one of the final 100 applicants selected by Mars One, who said: 'When you join the "Mars One Community," which happens automatically if you applied as a candidate, they start giving you points.’

'You get points for getting through each round of the selection process, and then the only way to get more points is to buy merchandise from Mars One or to donate money to them.'

Responding to the claims, Mr Lansdorp said: ‘That article simply contains a lot of things that are not true.’

He continued: ‘For example, the suggestion was made that our candidates were selected on the basis on how much money they donate to Mars One.

’That is simply not true and this is very easy to find that on our website.

‘There are a lot of current Round Three candidates that did not make any donations to Mars One and there are also lot of people that did not make it to the third round that contributed a lot to Mars One.’

edit on 3/20/2015 by Anyafaj because: (no reason given)

originally posted by: noeltrotsky
Bas is a scammer. I hope some rich backer decides to get some insider documents and send him to prison.

I must agree with you. And this is sad, it was beautiful dream...
I also think that this scam will have a deep, negative, impact on whole private sector trying to explore space. And that fact is even more saddening...