The first 10,000 days on Mars.. Starting sooner than most would think

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

Excellent point's, that is why they need to use automation or remote controlled machines to build the settlement first as well and to put into place transportation link's to such a designated space port at a decent distance from there colony site.

I think one of the hardest parts is the travel to Mars. Stuck in a small space craft for 6 months is no joke. I lived in a rather large RV with running water and a shower, and I went nuts, and I even was able to leave when I wanted to. The space capsule will be sheer torture, not including a very not friendly welcoming to a harsh lifeless desert planet.

This is a one way trip, if you can survive the 6 months without choking out your teammates.

originally posted by: Bluntone22
a reply to: peter_kandra

The orbit of the two planets makes monthly visits impossible.
I'm not convinced the venture could ever be economically viable.
Even the 10k pounds you mentioned is only about a thousand gallons of water. The logistics will be a nightmare.

Yeah...I didn't think about the orbits, but multiple launches during every 2 year window would have to do in the beginning. Definitely not economically feasible, but neither was going to the moon.

a reply to: peter_kandra

Government funded programs don't have to make economic sense. Hubble was nothing but an expense but it contributes a great deal to humanity.

Space x on the other hand is privately funded so it's a much different scenario.

Truthfully a base should be put on the moon first to test the feasibility before trying such a long range target.

a reply to: Flyingclaydisk

The list of obstacles is nearly endless, so much so that the ultimate question of..."Why?"...comes quickly to mind.

Some people just won't be content with a normal life. Some have to push the limits or blow past them all together.

Getting on wooden ships and going out onto the uncharted oceans is similar to people getting in today's spacecraft.

People who eat themselves up inside due to stagnation are why we're at where we're at technologically.

As long as there's a 1% chance it can be done, people will want to do it, even with the knowledge it could kill them. They're probably more terrified of living a boring life than dying during excitement.

Just like the Oregon trail and others before it. How many corpses do you need to pass before the first settlers arrive on Mars?

How many corpses will you need to bury, before getting a stable life on Mars?

Too dark? Haven't had much for hardships from pioneering for a couple generations, but what can you expect from folks who grew up with Myspace as gospel.

The first few years is going to be hell on Mars. No wine, few women, little water, extreme cold. Danger everywhere, like saturation diving, except support is two years away. Low gravity would be fun except that the travelers will be to weak to stand after the trip.
Exploration would be fun, for a little while. If we find a dead husk as expected then even that will become monotonous.

I suppose Mars is the next stepping stone. In a few hundred or a thousand years it may even be like Greenland.

originally posted by: Flyingclaydisk
a reply to: SleeperHasAwakened

That's actually a pretty darn good idea!

I've noodled on this problem a few times and never came up with any viable solution. Yours is better than any others I've seen.

One of the most troubling things about the whole Mars hubbub thing is, no one seems to be talking about these things (i.e. escaping from Mars). It seems like everyone is focused on Mars being this great place.

Personally, I believe just the psychological barrier alone is enough to keep people from going to Mars...once they understand the realities of it. I think, until you have some viable escape plan in place, no one will ever willingly cross this psychological barrier.

So true.

I think NASA and the space exploration organizations are cognizant of the real psychological hazards of this endeavor. They have been running studies on extreme isolation, cramping a crew in tight quarters to see if that instigates conflict, and trying to flesh out what kind of psychological problems travelers will encounter, and potential solutions.

All of the above tests are just simulated, of course. As you mention, folks can bluff feeling courageous and feign indifference to the isolation, but once you're on that rocket and halfway to Mars, with no way to call off the mission, it'll be an entirely different situation.

That in an off itself will be a novelty/challenge: planning a contingency for aborting the mission during the journey and returning the crew safely to Earth without touching down on Mars. With Apollo 13, as we know, once they learned that technical problems made the moon walk impossible, they could /still/ execute the gravitational slingshot and make the trip home within days. That simply won't be an option here.

originally posted by: 38181
I think one of the hardest parts is the travel to Mars. Stuck in a small space craft for 6 months is no joke. I lived in a rather large RV with running water and a shower, and I went nuts, and I even was able to leave when I wanted to. The space capsule will be sheer torture, not including a very not friendly welcoming to a harsh lifeless desert planet.

This is a one way trip, if you can survive the 6 months without choking out your teammates.

Heh, heh..."Are we there yet? ... How about now; Are we there yet?"