Mock Mars Mission taking a Spacewalk on an ancient ocean floor

It appears that the push toward Mars is "pushing" forward with a mock habitat in the Hanksville, Utah area. The crew ( Crew 133) will test the harsh, cold, desert environment for about 2 weeks (Jan. 4-19th), to simulate living on Mars. They will have to survive with limited supplies of food and water, and will have to make-do with limited communication(s) because on Mars there is a communication delay with Earth.

I like this push forward but I wonder if the environment is suitable for a mock Mars mission. Mars does have water but it's probably underground and who knows how deep underground. That difference might be really important to know. Also is the fact that they may have to grow their own food. However, Mars doesn't have the same soil as Earth and only grows some of the crops that can be grown on Earth; another important thing to note.

What say you, ATS? Doomed to fail or not?

www.space.com...

lostbook
It appears that the push toward Mars is "pushing" forward with a mock habitat in the Hanksville, Utah area. The crew ( Crew 133) will test the harsh, cold, desert environment for about 2 weeks (Jan. 4-19th), to simulate living on Mars. They will have to survive with limited supplies of food and water, and will have to make-do with limited communication(s) because on Mars there is a communication delay with Earth.

I like this push forward but I wonder if the environment is suitable for a mock Mars mission. Mars does have water but it's probably underground and who knows how deep underground. That difference might be really important to know. Also is the fact that they may have to grow their own food. However, Mars doesn't have the same soil as Earth and only grows some of the crops that can be grown on Earth; another important thing to note.

What say you, ATS? Doomed to fail or not?

Doomed.
A limited mission with a landing vehicle and a return vehicle partially constructed in orbit MIGHT be feasible. But the sheer volume of water necessary is ridiculous to sustain human life. Not to mention the quality of life issues. After the novelty wears off and people start to feel the millions of miles of distance...

reply to post by the owlbear


I used to imagine a time when the space travel of science fiction became something people wanted to do. But the more I've thought about it, the more mundane it would eventually become. For most people, the idea of being separated from all of humanity by millions of desolate miles would eventually play a psychological toll on the traveler.

I've given some good thought to what it would look like, and I'd compare it to a young child leaving its mother. When a kid leaves it's mother, at a park for instance, it'll go explore for a few minutes and then return to its mother for a sense if reassurance and comfort. Humanity would be like that for a while I'd imagine, the travelers would know that they're the first people to ever take on such an endeavor and like you said, that novelty will wear off eventually. Then the realization sets in, you're on your own, and all alone. Essentially, the toll of surviving in a place like mars is a hopeless endeavor because it would take so much work. We clearly aren't adapted to live there, so it wouldn't be a walk in the park. I don't think it's something I want to do, I don't enjoy being part of a doomed endeavor.

I think thats its doomed mainly because of the psychological issues it would create, i know id start going crazy after awhile and knowing that is it you can't leave wouldn't be very comforting on a bad day, people suffer enough psychologically from being confined somewhere like prison, imagine on a planet far away. Who knows though maybe people will adapt to living there better than here, away from the pollution on earth, diseases etc.

reply to post by lostbook


I really don't see colonization of other bodies happening until we have robotics competent enough to setup long term habitats, I'm talking drilling wells and actual construction here. I suppose it wouldn't matter if the machines are piloted or Independant.

I wouldn't be surprised if there is a deep water source....I just can't see us getting a well drilling rig up there very near in the future....takes a lot of pipe....after doing the geological surveys etc to find where the ugwa is.

I think it would be best if we started at home and let our machines slowly terra form....we know the chemistry, but whooohoo the cost is immense.

If our species doesn't infect other bodies then we do really have a limited widow within existence.

Cheers, thanks for a good topic.

reply to post by lostbook


I've watched a lot of live feed shuttle launches and space walks lately and I've come to the conclusion that those folks at NASA know exactly what they're doing and all the in betweens also.

The first people to go to Mars will be well prepped for it.

The first people to go to Mars will definitely have to be a particular type of person and psychology. Somebody who can spend long, long periods of time interacting with very few people, and then mostly via electronics. More comfortable in a virtual world than a real one. They'll be loners who don't care much if they live or die.

Not exactly anybody's idea of a "hero," like the gung-ho jet pilots we had during Space Program Version 1.

reply to post by lostbook


Is the consensus so far "Doom" for the first settlers? What about the possibility of survival? What will it take for them to survive?

wait... you worry about them? What are you idiots? You dont see history repeating itself?

Well... maybe when we have the mars independence war you'll see it then.

I'll wish them all the best.

The best thing about Mars: There are no Laws.

Let's say NASA finally sends astronauts to Mars. They gather some rocks. Take some pictures. Then head home.
Now what?

Let's say it paves the way for colonization. Actual people move to Mars. Then what? What is the point of being there?
Unless resources of some kind are found and can be exploited, why go?

allenidaho
Let's say NASA finally sends astronauts to Mars. They gather some rocks. Take some pictures. Then head home.
Now what?

Let's say it paves the way for colonization. Actual people move to Mars. Then what? What is the point of being there?
Unless resources of some kind are found and can be exploited, why go?

The point is taxation. Not as in paying taxes but as in taxing the Earth's resources from over-population. There are more people on the Earth now than ever in recorded history, however, the Earth's resources are limited-finite. There has to be a change in the population, and that change can either come through war or peace; a peaceful one being an exodus to Mars or whatever. Otherwise, the Earth will get rid of us herself either by pandemic or she can call a comet from the Oort cloud to come and tale us out for her.

lostbook
reply to post by lostbook

 

Is the consensus so far "Doom" for the first settlers? What about the possibility of survival? What will it take for them to survive?

Most of the doomsayers are only saying doom because they could not fathom themselves personally taking such a trip or separated by that many miles from all that they hold dear.

The people who will be on these missions will be a different breed than the typical poster on ATS.

allenidaho
Let's say NASA finally sends astronauts to Mars. They gather some rocks. Take some pictures. Then head home.
Now what?

Let's say it paves the way for colonization. Actual people move to Mars. Then what? What is the point of being there?
Unless resources of some kind are found and can be exploited, why go?

The dinosaurs had no space program for starters....

Why go?

Why go to North America?

Why develop flight?

Why do anything?

Why not just be content to chuck stones at each other around a fire?

We live on a planet with finite space and an expanding population.

If we do not conquer the unknown depths of space all we will succeed in doing as a species is conquering each other. Until there is no one left.

Hope for humanity is priceless.

Here's a thought: Wwhile learning to live together in an inhospitable world with limited resources such as Mars we gain vital skills in living together on our increasingly inhospitable, fragile Earth and learn how to make the most of our OWN planet's dwindling resources.

Along the way, perhaps we gain some skills in developing new resources, new propulsion methods and new ideas which will eventually get us to the stars.

We won't know until we try. Certain failure is never to ever try anything. Innovation comes as a result of being faced with new challenges and doing things in a new and different way.

First we must become a two planet species before we can ever dream of becoming a multiple star system species.

The moon was the training wheels on a kids bike.

Mars is the family car.

Interstellar flight is the jet plane ride.


I leave you with this quote:

"You're right, it's crazy. In fact, it's even worse than that, it's nuts. You wanna hear something really nutty? I heard of a couple guys who wanna build something called an airplane, you know you get people to go in, and fly around like birds, it's ridiculous, right? And what about breaking the sound barrier, or rockets to the moon? Atomic energy, or a mission to Mars? Science fiction, right? Look, all I'm asking is for you to just have the tiniest bit of vision. You know, to just sit back for one minute and look at the big picture. To take a chance on something that just might end up being the most profoundly impactful moment for humanity, for the history... of history." --Ellie Arroway, Contact

"Human history can be viewed as a slowly dawning awareness that we are members of a larger group. Initially our loyalties were to ourselves and our immediate family, next, to bands of wandering hunter-gatherers, then to tribes, small settlements, city-states, nations. We have broadened the circle of those we love. We have now organized what are modestly described as super-powers, which include groups of people from divergent ethnic and cultural backgrounds working in some sense together--surely a humanizing and character building experience. If we are to survive, our loyalties must be broadened further, to include the whole human community, the entire planet Earth. Many of those who run the nations will find this idea unpleasant. They will fear the loss of power. We will hear much about treason and disloyalty. Rich nation-states will have to share their wealth with poor ones. But the choice, as H. G. Wells once said in a different context, is clearly the universe or nothing." --Carl Sagan - Cosmos p.339

reply to post by allenidaho

Let's say it paves the way for colonization. Actual people move to Mars. Then what? What is the point of being there?
Unless resources of some kind are found and can be exploited, why go?

To pave the way to going where no one has gone before.
To get humankind prepared for trekking around space.
To explore.

Where's your sense of adventure?

allenidaho
Let's say NASA finally sends astronauts to Mars. They gather some rocks. Take some pictures. Then head home.
Now what?

Let's say it paves the way for colonization. Actual people move to Mars. Then what? What is the point of being there?
Unless resources of some kind are found and can be exploited, why go?

The human race is naturally inquisitive and always has been, it's a natural trait that we have to explore and push boundaries to see how far we can go and to where we can go. Beyond that, we also have a problem, this planet is finite

Regarding this mission in the OP and others like it, there have been plenty of missions on Earth to simulate going to Mars. The ESA/Russians have had several (Google "Mars 500") for example.

These are all basically to study on Earth the physical and psychological effects of a long mission to Mars.

Other things such as living underwater in the Aquarius underwater base simulates not being able to breathe fresh air and having to wear a pressure suit when venturing out.

Then there are the Antarctic Mars simulations which simulate surviving and servicing equipment in some of the harshest conditions known to exist on Earth.

It's all adding to the knowledge base of humanity so that when we do go to Mars we have the right people, right equipment and most importantly right outlook so that such missions are successful.

reply to post by allenidaho


I'm going to say this because this is a conspiracy forum. Mars is fake. Everything about space is fake. We build rockets, send them up and they go no where. They are GPS quided to a crash site in the ocean. The moon is a futuristic luminous projection while the sun is a light created by a much more advanced specie/human race. It shines bright enough to give heat and grow life. The stars are fake. Beyond our atmosphere is not infinite dark space and floating planets. Let alone a moon we supposedly sent astronauts to just to play golf and bounce around with a flag on. Bottom line. There is no Mars. They are training for Mars because people will actually believe it. Until all out anarchy occurs when all truths are revealed. Then it will truly be "Star Wars".

Mission to mars, yeah right...
A moon base can't be accomplished, let's send one to mars

drneville
Mission to mars, yeah right...
A moon base can't be accomplished, let's send one to mars

Moon base could be accomplished but there would be little scientific value in that compared to Mars. Also there is a perpetual "Been to the moon, why go again?" idea among the general public.

revolutionaryawareness
reply to post by allenidaho

 

I'm going to say this because this is a conspiracy forum. Mars is fake. Everything about space is fake. We build rockets, send them up and they go no where. They are GPS quided to a crash site in the ocean. The moon is a futuristic luminous projection while the sun is a light created by a much more advanced specie/human race. It shines bright enough to give heat and grow life. The stars are fake. Beyond our atmosphere is not infinite dark space and floating planets. Let alone a moon we supposedly sent astronauts to just to play golf and bounce around with a flag on. Bottom line. There is no Mars. They are training for Mars because people will actually believe it. Until all out anarchy occurs when all truths are revealed. Then it will truly be "Star Wars".

Can I have some of what you have been drinking/inhaling?