It has been 50 years since the last manned trip to a celestial body, but now a group of private companies are looking to shatter this period of regression and establish a colony on Mars. This is not an opening line to a science fiction story. This is an actual proposal that already has seven companies to supply the materials and a dozen financial backers. This is going to happen. The project is called, Mars One, and is lead by two scientists from the Netherlands, Bas Lansdrop and Arno Wielders.
They and a small group of scientists and engineers from around the world have been orchestrating one of the greatest private enterprises in human space exploration, since the Ansari X Prize (competition to build and fly the first private spaceship) in 2004. Mars One’s goal is to establish a permanent colony of four settlers by 2023 and to have another four join the colony every two years, but there is much to be done before then.
The colonists will be selected by the end of 2013 and train for the next 10 years (a few months out of the year), the first supply shipment and rover will arrive on mars in 2016, another shipment and larger rover in 2018 arrive to begin pre-human construction, construction and supply missions are finished in 2021, the first team of colonists will depart from Earth in September 2022, and history will be made on April 2023 with the first humans to step foot on Mars and live there. “Who gets to be an astronaut?” is the biggest question and it has the biggest answer: anyone.
Obviously, there are a series of filters to select the best candidates for the colony such as age and a variety of personality/psychological treats, but there is no requirement for prior knowledge of science and medicine, however, there will be years of training in those fields, if selected for the mission.
It is all about having the right attitude and mindset to survive in extreme conditions with only a handful of people for the rest of their lives. After all the screenings and trials, the first exodus wave will be composed of 24 colonists (six teams of four). Each team of four will arrive in two-year intervals because of the cost of shipping everything and planetary proximity.
After the initial colonist selection, there will be a constant stream of colonists in training, so there will always be someone on the launch pad for that window of opportunity; but more importantly we have to make sure we do not miss this window of opportunity to further humanity. Going to live on Mars will be one of the greatest events in human history and will create an unfathomable amount of repercussions on Earth. Renewable energy, sustainable food, mineral resources, and whole new industries for colonize are just a few possible things to come of this first mission.
With a price tag of $6 billion Mars One is extremely affordable for what it is trying to accomplish. By comparison, a Nimitiz Class Aircraft Carrier costs an estimated final cost of $22 billion and we have 10 of them or NASA spending $2.5 billion of the Curiosity rover. Aerospace industries are one of the great places for investment right now because there are 11,800 jobs being created annually by private space exploration and research, but now think about how many more will be created by colonizing space.
This is the dawning of the new space age where nations are not competing for national prestige, but for economic growth and for a new unifying dream for the human race; which is sorely needed. In these dark times of economic frailty and social unrest across the planet, we need a marvelous achievement to work towards together.
Mars One is offering to be that beacon of inspiration to the world because it requires global cooperation, however, it will not be sponsored by government because Mars One does not want political baggage when humanity journeys to a new home.
Also, they will only accept one final colonist from a country, as to ensure a relatively fair representation of the human race and build a society with a great amalgamation of ideas. Except, some people seem to have a different set of ideas about the Mars One program. As I talked to friends about this mission to colonize Mars, I was constantly met with an over whelming amount of negativity about its feasibility and necessity. People said we could never fly, split the atom, go to the moon, drive over 50mph, or have a desegregated classroom.
Each and every single time someone has uttered that self-limiting phrase, “It will never happen,” they have been proven wrong by courageous women and men despite the peril and mockery. Yes, the Mars One mission is a one-way trip and will never be able to touch their loved one’s face again, but their sacrifice will pale in comparison to social paradigm shift they will foster.
I am not asking for everyone to drop what they are doing and signup for Mars One, but I am asking that you give them and anyone else trying to do the seemingly impossible your support in any shape or form. The choice is ours, to either continue trudging through the mud and howling at the night or we can turn our gaze to the heavens and, as one, answer the call of the universe.
By: Grant Vargas, Viewpoints Editor
“Hadrian’s Wall”
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