14-05-2005 01:36									#1
	Would you go to Mars? Enter the AD-FREE zone

Let's say you, of all people, were contacted by NASA and asked if you'd like to give it a shot at being the first man on Mars.

Conditions are as follows:

1) You'd have to pack up immediately and begin your training, which will last for 18 months. You'd have to give up your job/education and leave your family and friends behind.

2) Launch of the spaceship, with you in it, would be on 1 December 2006, and the mission would be carried out with present day technology, nothing futuristic about it, just what we have today.

3) You'll have to go all by yourself, so that would mean no human contact for the 16 months that the mission will last. It would take you 7 months to get there, you'd get to spend 2-3 weeks on Mars, and then another 7 months for the return flight. Plus there's the quarantine of 1 month, if you manage to return, because...

4) ...they emphasize that the mission assessment analysts have come to the conclusion there's a 50% chance that something goes terribly wrong that will either kill you right there or leave you stranded on Mars or flying in space with no hope of returning to Earth.

With all this in mind, would you do it?

I'd go, provided they allow smoking on the spaceship (negotiable), and set up an internet connection for me.

	14-05-2005 01:42									#2
	Increase the size of your Attachments

and a life time supply of slim jims

	14-05-2005 01:43									#3
	Support Apolyton, buy Galactic Civilizations: Deluxe Edition

No.

	14-05-2005 01:44									#4
	Increase the size of your Attachments

If I could bring my gf, yes.

	14-05-2005 01:45									#5
	Avatar Enlargement: We've got the solution

No. Life's too good.

	14-05-2005 01:47									#6
	Enter the AD-FREE zone

Actually, it'd take you a lot longer than 7 months to get there, and your time on planet would have to be significantly longer because there are only certain launch windows in each direction where the positions of the earth and mars are correct for the shortest possible flight trajectory.

	14-05-2005 01:48									#7
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization III: Complete

under those conditions, no. 30% chance of everything to go wrong yes, but 50% no.

	14-05-2005 01:53									#8
	Support Apolyton or Terrorists Win

We all have to die anyway.

10 billion people must have lived and died up till now, I say it's worth the risk to try and achieve something this historic. And if something should go wrong, you'd still have had some very unique experiences, and you'll be going out with the right spirit instead of lingering on in an old folks home for 15 years.

Irrelevant to me since I smoke, but still...

	14-05-2005 01:54									#9
	Increase the size of your Attachments

Being shot to Mars by a Dane

	14-05-2005 03:24									#10
	Help yourself to an AD-FREE life

As a colonist, yes. Alone, no.

Working on terraforming would be fun, though.

	14-05-2005 03:56									#11
	Support Apolyton

Live or die..... you would be famous, forever. 10,000 years from now our geneticaly modified super children will still be learning about you in school.

Sucks to die prematurley in an awfull way... but you'd be remember, for as long as human civilization exists.

	14-05-2005 04:04									#12
	Support Apolyton, buy Alpha Centauri

YOu'd be remembers ONLY if you got there. If something went wrong on the way, nobody would remember.

As an example, everybody (ok, most people) today knows that Lindbergh was the first to fly across the Atlantic solo. He was not, however, the first to attempt it. The people who died trying to before him are forgotten.

	14-05-2005 05:18									#13
	Support Apolyton, buy Galactic Civilizations: Deluxe Edition

I'd go. Why not?

Actually, I'd have to say not now. Maybe in 20 years.

	14-05-2005 05:25									#14
	Help yourself to an AD-FREE life

That's some stupid hypothetical situation... they would never send someone out all by himself. You'd at least work in a team... plus, they would seek someone with good education... so they wouldn't hire a student and tell him to quit what he's been doing now... they'd seek an engineer or whatever... pretty sure that your education would need to be finished already.

Plus you violate your own conditions... no human contact does include no internet.

I leave you to choose one of these "you've-been-pwned" smilies however:

	14-05-2005 06:45									#15
	Re: Would you go to Mars? Support Apolyton buy from Amazon

quote: Originally posted by Winston 1) You'd have to pack up immediately and begin your training, which will last for 18 months. You'd have to give up your job/education and leave your family and friends behind.

+

quote: 4) ...they emphasize that the mission assessment analysts have come to the conclusion there's a 50% chance that something goes terribly wrong that will either kill you right there or leave you stranded on Mars or flying in space with no hope of returning to Earth.

= no.

I don't feel like telling my family and friends "I'm going right now, and there's 50% chance you won't ever hear of me again. Bye!".

Edit: didn't vote, cause the isolation is not the problem, and the danger only indirectly so. It's the perspectivew of abandoning my loved ones that I reject.

	14-05-2005 06:48									#16
	Inflate your Upload Space

No.

	14-05-2005 15:51									#17
	Re: Would you go to Mars? Increase Your PM Length

Nice coincidence, I just read 'a lot' about a trip to Mars last night

quote: Originally posted by Winston 3) You'll have to go all by yourself, so that would mean no human contact for the 16 months that the mission will last. It would take you 7 months to get there, you'd get to spend 2-3 weeks on Mars, and then another 7 months for the return flight.

With todays technology according to what I read there's 3 ways to get there:

1)
Time before arrival: 224 days
Time before leaving: 30 days
Time before home: 291 days

2)
Time before arrival: 240 days
Time before leaving: 450 days
Time before home: 240 days

3) (nuclear powered)
Time before arrival: 120 days
Time before leaving: 600 days
Time before home: 120 days


The 3rd option is more about politics than anything

There's no way they'll only send one person to Mars, 6-8 is more likely, and sending some random student to Mars (and even alone) is just as likely as world peace


If I'm ordered to go alone I might consider it, if other people joins the journey I would probably go

	14-05-2005 15:52									#18
	Support Apolyton, buy Civilization: The Boardgame

Hell yeah I'd go.

	14-05-2005 15:56									#19
	Get a bigger avatar today!

I'd definitely go, sounds too good to pass up, whatever the risks

	14-05-2005 16:32									#20
	Avatar Enlargement: We've got the solution

I would not. It is either boring and then I get back and are run through the media circus, or I die. Lose lose.

	14-05-2005 16:35									#21
	Browse Apolyton AD-FREE

50% is not good enough. Give me 75% and I'll do it.

quote: You'll have to go all by yourself, so that would mean no human contact for the 16 months that the mission will last.

No physical human contact. You'll still be receiving letters, news and stuff from Earth. Also I'm sure you'll get a nice terrabyte collection of books, movies, music etc.
It'll get lonely and boring at times, sure. But I'm sure I'll handle that.