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Mars Exploration 2: Manned Missions (Concepts; Preparations; etc.)

Two Irishmen sign up for one-way expedition to Mars
Joseph Roche and Steve Menaa among applicants for one-way space mission to the Red Planet
By SEAN DUNNE, IrishCentral Staff Writer
Published Friday, January 10, 2014, 5:00 AM Updated Friday, January 10, 2014, 1:51 AM

Dr Joseph Roche, who has a PhD in Physics and Astrophysics from Trinity College, is among the two Irish who applied to be part of the one-way mission to Mars.
Photo by TCD

More than 1,000 candidates from 200,000 hopefuls have been chosen to train for a private Mars colonization mission, which will be partly funded by a reality TV show that will follow the candidates' training and subsequent steps.

The two Irishmen who are willing to leave their families and lives as they have known them behind are Dr Joseph Roche and Steve Menaa.

Roche grew up on a small farm in Kildare and claims to have spent many nights staring up at the stars dreaming of space exploration.

In 2007, he received a Bachelor of Arts in Physics and Astrophysics from Trinity College. He completed his PhD in 2012 and is now Research Projects Coordinator for Science Gallery.

Speaking about the possibility of life on Mars he said "People assume that just because I want to go that I must not be happy here, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.

"I’ve been very fortunate. I grew up in a great family and love my work. I think putting someone on Mars who has a full appreciation of life on Earth is key to the mission’s success.”

Independent.ie reports that Steve Menaa, originally from France, wants to represent Ireland in space because he is motivated by a deep interest in space and exploration.

“I would like to go because the last big leap of mankind was landing on the moon... mankind will be inspired. If the trip is successful, it might inspire space agencies to make ships to come back.”

“In every stage, it’s risky. Am I scared? Yes and no. To be scared and excited is quite close. I am nervous – but I could be hit by a car tomorrow.”

Menaa will leave behind his 14 year-old son, who he hasn’t yet told about the Mars One project. “I will miss my son... communication won’t be possible. That is the worst challenge to overcome.”

“He’s living in France with his mother. He’s coming in two weeks and I’ll tell him then. He will be very proud – we’re very close.”

The IT engineer was originally the only ‘public’ applicant from Ireland, but all applicants accepted in the second round have now been instructed to make their profiles public following a medical assessment. More second round selection information will be released in April.

Mars One was set up in 2011 by two Dutch men with the goal of establishing permanent human life on the red planet by 2025.

There are four selection rounds in total, with the third and fourth rounds being open to a public vote. The space-bound settlers will be on a one-way ticket to the Red Planet, which lies a minimum 55 million km and six months travel from Earth. Costs are too high to contemplate a return trip.

Mars One said the space-bound settlers will be on a one-way ticket to the Red Planet which lies a minimum 35 million miles and six months travel from Earth. Costs are too high to contemplate a return trip.

Mars One Chief Medical Officer Norbert Kraft said in a statement released in late December that the next phases in 2014 and 2015 will include "rigorous simulations, many in team settings, with focus on testing the physical and emotional capabilities of our remaining candidates.

"We expect to begin understanding what is motivating our candidates to take this giant leap for humankind."

Once underway, the Mars One mission will begin sending groups of four to Mars to begin populating the planet.



Read more: http://www.irishcentral.com/news/Two-Ir ... z2q2e3jYM4
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Mars One project: Students shortlisted 'to live on Mars'

The planet Mars betwixt Hannah Earnshaw and Ryan MacDonal
d
Hannah Earnshaw and Ryan MacDonald have both been shortlisted for the Mars One project

A physics student says he is prepared to put off getting married to help establish a human colony on Mars.

Ryan MacDonald, who comes from Derby and studies at Oxford University, is on a shortlist to join the Mars One project which hopes to send settlers on a one-way trip to the red planet.

He said he was signing up to "live on Mars, not to die on Mars".

Durham student Hannah Earnshaw has also made the shortlist and said it was a chance to explore.

The Dutch project has shortlisted 1,058 people who will be whittled down to 24 in a seven-year course starting in 2018.

Continue reading the main story
Mars

The surface of Mars with the tracks of Curiosity visible
Mars is the fourth planet from the Sun and the second smallest planet in the Solar System.

Named after the Roman god of war, it is often described as the "Red Planet" because of the iron oxide prevalent on its surface.

It has a thin atmosphere and surface features similar to the volcanoes, valleys, deserts, and polar ice caps of Earth with craters like our own moon.

Nasa's Curiosity rover recently found evidence which could indicate the planet was once inhabitable.

Watch: Scientists explain how to put a human on Mars
The rigorous training programme will feature in a reality TV show and aims to test the wannabe-explorers' physical and emotional capabilities.

"It is not about what you leave behind. It is about the impact you make on earth. For me it is all about the inspiration - I want to help inspire a new generation, just like the Apollo landings did," Mr MacDonald said.

He added: "If I was selected to go into full-time training for this, then I would not get married knowing that this was going to happen.

"It's important that you are open and honest with any potential partner. You can't say, eight years into a relationship, 'sorry I'm going to Mars'."

Ms Earnshaw, a PhD astronomy student at Durham University, accepted she would not see her friends and family face-to-face ever again if she was chosen, but said she hoped they would be able to exchange videos via the internet.

She added she had no plans to get married and have children as she would not want to leave them behind.

"It's a really great thing for humanity to achieve. It is pushing the boundaries, it is exploration - just a whole load of possibilities," she said.

"We don't go to space because we need to get off the planet but because we want to explore and achieve things."

It is hoped the first rocket to take settlers to Mars will leave in 2025 and will carry just four people after several unmanned trips to build a habitable colony.

Guernsey-man Ben De Jersey-Moore was also one of the 200,000 applicants to be selected.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-de ... e-25697104
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MBB = Mars Big Brother? Evicted to a satellite in orbit?
 
Why we want to spend the rest of our lives on Mars
http://www.theguardian.com/science/2014 ... man-colony

The Mars One project aims to establish a human colony on the red planet by 2025. We speak to three Britons who have been longlisted to be one of the first four colonists

An artist's impression of what Mars One's first human colony on the red planet might look like. Photograph: Mars One/Bryan Versteeg/mars-one.com

Since its announcement in May 2012, the Mars One project hasn't had an easy ride. Critics have questioned all aspects, from the technical feasibility to its funding model. But recent developments from the project seem to be bringing the goal of starting a human colony on Mars by 2025 a little closer.

Last month, Dutch entrepreneur Bas Lansdorp, the project's founder, announced a partnership with Lockheed Martin, the same company that is contracted by Nasa to build the Orion spacecraft, and Surrey Satellite Technology to build a satellite to put into orbit around Mars by 2018. This was a strong statement of intent for the project, which aims to send four volunteers on a one-way ticket every 26 months to spend the rest of their lives on the red planet.

Assuming they can overcome some of the not insignifcant technical issues – such as minimising the radiation exposure the astronauts experience and landing a heavy manned craft safely on the surface – the main issue faced by the project seems to be one of funding. Mars One aims to raise the majority of its estimated $6bn costs by selling television rights and sponsorship deals.

Using as a model the Olympics, which made about $8bn between 2009 and 2011 through broadcast, sponsorship and ticketing deals, Mars One claims that with an estimated 4 billion people expected to have access to video media within a decade, this sum could be easily surpassed if everyone was watching. The mission recently launched an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign, offering Mars Orbit selfies and VIP tours in return for financial support – although at the time of writing it was less than halfway towards its $400,000 target.

While he thinks we should be seeing people land on Mars by 2035, the second man to walk on the moon, Buzz Aldrin, is very sceptical about the timings given by the Mars One project. He says: "I don't think there's that much technology that indicates that the Mars One corporation, with over 150,000 people applying, really knows how to get four people to Mars by 2023 [sic], even if they don't bring them back."

He said that while he believes private corporations do have an important role to play in space exploration, something as monumental as sending people to Mars will be achieved only through international co-operation.

So where next for the project? Mars One recently announced that, after receiving more than 200,000 applications from more than 140 countries during phase one of selection, it has cut the applicant pool by 99.5% to 1,058 candidates who will go through to phase two.

What these applicants (who include the three below) will have to undergo in round two has not yet been agreed, as the project is currently in negotiations with media companies for the right to televise the selection process.

mars-maggie
Maggie Lieu, 23, is one of the Britons hoping to be accepted on to the Mars One project. Photograph: Karen Robinson for the Observer
Maggie Lieu, 23, PhD student

Why did you sign up?

I just think it's a really good opportunity to advance science. It'll have such a big impact not just on the scientific community but also on the whole world. The last time mankind went to the moon was in 1972 and we haven't been back since. This mission would have a similar effect on people's imagination.

Has getting through to stage two changed how your family feel?

It's more real now. They're more scared. My mum was like, "You're not going to be able to use your Mini when you go up there. Can I have it?"

Do you think the Mars One project is feasible?

It is definitely feasible but delays are pretty much inevitable. So we will be able to go to Mars one day, but on this timescale? I'm not so sure.

Doing a PhD with the Astrophysics and Space Research Group at Birmingham, do you think you have a better perspective on the mission?

With the Mars One mission, the main goal is not really science, and that's a problem. If you want the science community on board, you have to give them some results. So just going to Mars for the fun of it, or a TV programme, which is what they're trying to make it out to be, would cost a lot for not very much. Even though we're not expected to do science there, it would easily be possible. Once you're on Mars, they can't make you do what they want.

You seem very dubious about the project, so why put your name down?

I'm enthusiastic about it, but there are a lot of things that need to be worked out. Obviously I don't work for Mars One, so I don't know what's going on behind the scenes. However I'm definitely interested in getting involved, because I'm involved in a lot of outreach as well – I just love inspiring younger generations to take part in science.

Is that part of what you'd see yourself doing?

Yes, kind of like Chris Hadfield. I think what he did in space was fantastic.

Does any part of you think that Mars One is just a big gimmick?

No, it's not a gimmick. I mean, when Neil Armstrong went to the moon, they didn't have anything particular in mind, it was just testing if we could make it to the moon. When they came back, they brought samples of moon rock that turned out to be really important for science, but I don't think they had any specific scientific purpose when they went there. I see this project as the same, testing man's capability.

mars-ryan
Ryan Macdonald: 'I'd like to find a way to grow tea on Mars. It's very important for the sanity of all the people there.' Photograph: Karen Robinson for the Observer
Ryan Macdonald, 20, student

Why did you sign up?

The main reason for me is that I think that on Mars I can accomplish more than I could on Earth. In three weeks, a single person on the surface of Mars could accomplish all of the science that all of the rovers over the past five years have already managed to achieve. If we want to ever prove definitively whether there is life on Mars, we will have to send someone there.

What are your expectations for the Mars One project?

The real thing that encourages me is the inspiration factor: what the impact would be back on Earth of my going to Mars. Remember, the Apollo programme is what inspired the generation of scientists and engineers back on Earth who developed computers and smartphones and all the technology that improved our lives. Similarly, a mission to Mars would inspire a whole new generation of scientists on Earth, which would make life better for everyone.

What are you expecting when you first land on Mars?

Survival will have to be the first priority. Initially for the first year or so, it'll mainly be construction; linking everything together, establishing the equipment, maintaining the solar panels, and things like that. We'll be bringing some basic canned food to keep us going until we start actually growing our own food. In the long term it'll be hydroponically grown vegetables and insects for protein. Potentially, later on you could bring some frozen fish eggs and start a little pond. I'd like to find a way to grow some tea on Mars. I think that's very important for the sanity of all the people there. Once the tea is sorted out, the science would then begin properly.

Are you worried or scared at all?

There's risk in everything we do in life. I say I've applied to go to live on Mars, not to go to die on Mars. We all die eventually, of course. Actually the fact is that because things are going to be so strictly controlled, for example the diet of the people who go and the air they breathe, assuming that there is no major equipment failure, people will live longer on Mars than on Earth.

You're quite young. Does that not bother you?

The problem with sending someone who has already experienced most of their life, and they're about 60 or so, is that you want to maximise how many years they will have on Mars so that they can do the most good. The best investment for the people who are sending you is to send someone younger. Fresh young minds would be able to be trained easily and be more able to deal with problems that might be unique to being on Mars.

You see this as being more of a universal endeavour and not a personal one?

I see it in the terms that we have to go eventually. If we are the only intelligent life in the universe, then in many ways we are like its consciousness. It's just too dangerous to keep that all on one planet.

mars-alison
Alison Rigby: 'We locked ourselves in our flat for two weeks over Christmas to see if we'd cope.' Photograph: Karen Robinson for the Observer
Alison Rigby, 33, lab technician

Why did you sign up?

It's such an amazing opportunity – why wouldn't you? The real reason is that I want to make a difference. If I prove I can do something amazing and I'm just an ordinary person, then suddenly anyone else can too. I can help people realise they can go beyond their capabilities, break out of living their lives and just doing the nine-to-five thing.

So what makes you think you'd be the perfect candidate?

More than anything, I've got enthusiasm and drive. Those are the two most important things. They've already said they're not going to be specifically looking for degree level-trained people. They're going to be looking for people with the ability to live and work with other people; everything else can be taught. Also, I'm a trained scientist.

How are you planning on preparing?

My partner and I decided to isolate ourselves over Christmas. I kid you not, we just locked ourselves in the flat with two weeks' worth of food to see how we went with minimal communication. We turned off the phones and the only communication we had was through the internet, because that's all we'll have on Mars. It was interesting, to say the least. Initially I was fine, but about 10 days in I started noticing that I had symptoms of cabin fever. It was definitely quite difficult to think that these walls are your world, that the furthest distance that I could see would be 15 feet. So when I stepped outside, my eyes took a while readjusting to the world outside; the natural light was very bright. Preparing food took a long time, because we couldn't just pop out to the shops. We were drinking UHT milk because fresh milk wouldn't keep, and I had to bake my own fresh bread. I think that my menu wasn't as interesting as I thought it was because I was craving Hobnobs by the end.

Has it changed your outlook on what the Mars One project will be like?

It's definitely crystallised what to expect, at least initially. That was only two weeks. I can imagine after the first month, or the first six months, things will start to become more normal for me in that environment, so I would cope better. I'm really determined to do this. As I say, I'm doing this to get a better understanding of what it's like and whether I can cope, and I can.

What do you think the biggest challenge for the project will be?

Goodness! We really need the public support, so the biggest challenge is going to be convincing people that this is real. Even my first question to Norbert Kraft [chief medical officer of Mars One] was: "Is this for real?", and he seemed quite taken aback.

So it did cross your mind it could be a big PR stunt?

Of course. But rather than put me off, it made me look deeper into reasons and motivations. They've recently given an announcement about the satellite mission. They're going to work with Lockheed Martin and Surrey Satellites. They have pushed back the date of the satellite launch by two years, from 2016 to 2018, and that's brought out a whole new raft of people going "see, it won't work!". But two years delay is neither one thing nor the other with a project as big as this.

If you did get selected, how do you think you'd tie things off with Earth?

Me and my partner have discussed this, and we're both fine with the situation. He's applied as well, so if he gets through – and I get through – we'll just meet up on Mars! The majority of my communication with my family is by phone or text anyway, so I'm used to having them at a distance. Obviously I'm just talking about extending the distance quite dramatically. Obviously I'd have to get rid of my possessions, which would be very cathartic, I'd have thought.
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Tonight:

Horizon: Man on Mars: Mission to the Red Planet

BBC2 9:00pm - 10:00pm
 
It's probably not the meteorites that are going to do for the first Mars settlers. Probably less chance of being hit by a meteorite on Mars than being struck by lightning on Earth. It's the thin atmosphere, lack of a magnetosphere compared to Earth, combined with the cosmic and solar radiation that might well be the clincher.

Opinions vary, of course.

http://www.mars-one.com/faq/health-and-ethics/how-much-radiation-will-the-settlers-be-exposed-to

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/s...s-may-prove-too-high-warns-study-8638537.html
 
rynner2 said:
Tonight:

Horizon: Man on Mars: Mission to the Red Planet

BBC2 9:00pm - 10:00pm
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Very interesting. Mission provisionally scheduled for 2033.
 
Plenty of vids, animations and stories here.

How to put a human on Mars.

The mission

One of Earth's closest neighbours, Mars is still some 56 million km away at its closest alignment, a journey of at least nine months. Rovers have landed on the Red Planet, probes have scanned its surface but what would it take to put a human on Mars? The BBC asked scientists from Imperial College London to design a mission which could take astronauts to the planet - and back. Watch the videos and explore this interactive to find out about their radical solution.

http://www.bbc.com/news/science-environment-23349496
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Farmers on Mars! Vid at link.

Vegetables on Mars within ten years?
April 15th, 2014 in Astronomy & Space / Space Exploration

The soil on Mars may be suitable for cultivating food crops – this is the prognosis of a study by plant ecologist Wieger Wamelink of Wageningen UR. This would prove highly practical if we ever decide to send people on a one-way trip to the red planet. After all, if we are going to live anywhere in outer space in the future Mars stands a good chance of being the place.
In a unique pilot experiment Wieger tested the growth of 14 plant varieties on artificial Mars soil over 50 days. NASA composed the soil based on the volcanic soil of Hawaii. To his surprise, the plants grew well; some even blossomed. "I had expected the germination process to work, but I thought the plants would die due to a lack of nutrients," Wieger explains. The soil analysis showed, however, that Mars soil contains more nutrients than expected. In addition to phosphorus and iron oxides, the scientist found nitrogen, an essential plant nutrient.

Plant cultivation on Mars
Professor Leo Marcelis of Wageningen University is advisor in the 'Mars One' project and one of Wieger Wamelink's colleagues. He is looking into cultivation systems that should make growing vegetables on Mars possible. "As it is impossible to take everything from earth, we will need to produce food if we want to go into space. This requires knowledge on cultivation systems that function well in Mars conditions," says Leo.

According to the scientist, it is a huge challenge to install such a life support system on Mars. One aspect of plant cultivation is the soil, but there are plenty more challenges on the red planet. The low gravity, for instance, creates problems with the water supply as it makes it difficult for water to run downwards. The low gravity also means there are issues with the exchange of gases by the plant such as carbon dioxide and oxygen. This causes them to grow slower and evaporate less water. Additionally, Mars hardly has any atmosphere, the temperatures are low and there is much less light than on earth.

LEDs on Mars?
On Mars plants would be cultivated in enclosed plant growth facilities', possibly equipped with LED lamps. But which colour is best for plant growth and where would the electricity come from? As Leo points out, many of these issues are linked to current research at Wageningen UR. His plan is to test one of these cultivation systems for Mars on earth. "It involves a total system design," Leo adds. "In addition to controlled cultivation systems, complete recycling will also be essential on Mars. Wageningen UR has plenty of expertise in both fields."

Spin-off for Earth
According to the scientists, the research has a lot of potential and will provide a wealth of knowledge which may also be applicable here on earth. Research into the cultivation of plants in difficult conditions is not only relevant to future inhabitants of Mars, but also to those who wish to remain on the blue planet. Wieger: 'Mars soil consists of volcanic rock. If we learn to bring it into cultivation, we can use the knowledge to cultivate crops on difficult soils here on earth." Insights into a more effective recycling of water, gas and nutrients and the closing of cycles are also possible. The development of high-tech automated and optimised cultivation systems, sensors that continuously monitor the needs of plants, and plant cultivation in low light conditions are also an important spin-off of the project.
Cultivation systems on Mars

Wieger and Leo believe that residing on Mars will only be feasible if you can achieve the basic condition of food production. It is much cheaper than sending food from earth and good for the psychology of those living on Mars. "I am convinced that Wageningen UR can develop a complete food cultivation system for Mars within ten years," Wieger concludes. "Knowledge of complete controllable cultivation systems, plant varieties related to soils, food security, and entomology for bee pollination are all areas Wageningen UR has in-house. So if we are asked to develop cultivation systems for Mars, we can make a flying start."

Provided by Wageningen University

"Vegetables on Mars within ten years?." April 15th, 2014. http://phys.org/news/2014-04-vegetables ... years.html
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Nasa shows off prototype spacesuit for journey to Mars

Z-2 space suit
Will this be the suit worn by the first humans on Mars?

US space agency Nasa has been showing off the wardrobe essentials for future astronauts looking for a new outfit for their first flight to Mars.

Nasa said the Z-2 spacesuit was only a prototype, but elements of it would be incorporated into the suit worn by the first humans to reach the Red Planet.

The suit uses light-emitting patches and luminescent wire that could be customised to identify individuals.

The "technology" design beat two others with 63% of a public vote of 233,431.

Z-2 suit
The suit will be tested in Nasa's pools used to teach astronauts to spacewalk
The others were:

a "bio-mimicry" suit, which mirrored the bioluminescence of aquatic creatures and the tough scaly skins of fish and reptiles
a "trends in society" suit, which reflected what everyday clothes may look like in the future
Aesthetic appeal
The Z-2 will be built using 3D-printed parts, and 3D laser scans will ensure each suit fits each astronaut perfectly.

It will be tested in vacuum chambers, at Nasa's training pool and at a site that imitates the rocky Martian surface.

Z-1 space suit
The first futuristic design would not have looked out of place on Toy Story space ranger Buzz Lightyear
In 2012 Nasa released the Z-1, which bore more than a passing similarity to the suit worn by fictional "space ranger" Buzz Lightyear in the Toy Stories films.

The first major overhaul of the spacesuit in about 30 years, the Z-1 was named as one of the year's best inventions by Time magazine.

Nasa said: "Each iteration of the Z-series will advance new technologies that one day will be used in a suit worn by the first humans to step foot on the Red Planet."

And the Z-2 "pays homage to the spacesuit achievements of the past while incorporating subtle elements of the future".

Its hard composite upper torso "provides the much-needed long-term durability that a planetary extravehicular activity suit will require", but despite its "aesthetic appeal" the prototype was not made of the same durable material designed to protect space-walking astronauts from micro-meteorite strikes, extreme temperatures and radiation, Nasa added.
http://www.bbc.com/news/technology-27238452
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Vid at link.

Private Mars One Colony Project Signs Deal with TV Production Company

All components of Mars One's settlement are slated to reach their destination by 2021.

Pin It All components of Mars One's settlement are slated to reach their destination by 2021. The hardware includes two living units, two life-support units, a second supply unit and two rovers.
Credit: Mars One / Bryan Versteeg

The next big reality-TV star may be an aspiring Mars colonist.

The Netherlands-based nonprofit Mars One, which aims to land four settlers on the Red Planet in 2025, announced today (June 2) that it has signed a deal with Darlow Smithson Productions (DSP), an Endemol-owned company, to film its astronaut selection and training process.

"Our team felt all along that we needed a partner whose strength lies in factual storytelling to an international audience," Mars One co-founder and CEO Bas Lansdorp said in a statement. "DSP will provide that to Mars One, while allowing our selection committee to maintain control of the applicant selection process. This really is a perfect fit for both of us." [Images of Mars One's Red Planet Colony Project]


DSP's production will be seen around the world, with the first installments likely appearing in early 2015, Mars One representatives said. More details about the coverage plan will be revealed soon, they added.

Mars One hopes the 2025 landing establishes a permanent and growing Red Planet colony, with more settlers arriving every two years thereafter. The organization plans to pay its bills primarily by staging a global media event around the settlement effort, from astronaut selection to the colonists' time on Mars.

"It is a great privilege for DSP to be chosen to exclusively follow the incredible journeys of those who will make humankind's first footprint on Mars," Iain Riddick, DSP's head of special projects and digital media, said in a statement. "This has to be the world's toughest job interview for what is without question a world-first opportunity, and the human stories that emerge will captivate and inspire generations across the globe."

There will be some spaceflight action before the first launch of humans toward Mars. Mars One plans to mount several unmanned missions in the next 10 years to demonstrate required technologies and prepare the ground for the arrival of people. A robotic lander and orbiter are scheduled to lift off in 2018, for example, followed by a scouting rover in 2020 and six cargo missions in 2022.

More than 200,000 people applied to become Mars One astronauts. That pool has been slashed to 705 candidates, who are now being evaluated by a panel of experts during a series of interviews.

The applicants signed on to live out the rest of their lives on Mars; at the moment, there are no plans to bring any of the Red Planet pioneers back to Earth.

DSP has produced many documentaries and TV programs over the years, including "Earth from Space" for NOVA and Discovery Canada and "Neil Armstrong: First Man on the Moon"for BBC Two.
http://www.space.com/26098-private-mars ... -deal.html
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Elon Musk plans to take people to Mars within 10 years

?Entrepreneur and inventor Elon Musk has some travel suggestions that are out of this world. The SpaceX CEO known as the brains behind the Tesla electric car says he wants to take humans to Mars during the next decade.

Speaking to CNBC this week, the South African-born billionaire said that his main goal at this moment is to perfect technology that would make space travel possible in the not-so-distant future.

In less than 12 years’ time, he said, Musk wants to make the red planet a must-stop travel destination for interstellar tourists. Soon after, though, he hopes that Earth’s neighbor will be able to host humans for the long haul.

"I'm hopeful that the first people could be taken to Mars in 10 to 12 years, I think it's certainly possible for that to occur," he said during an interview on CNBC'S "Closing Bell" on Tuesday. "But the thing that matters long term is to have a self-sustaining city on Mars, to make life multi-planetary."

Another long term issue, Musk added, is raising the capital that’s required to make both visiting and inhabiting Mars an obtainable goal. He told CNBC that the 10-year plan he’s aiming for is already too long-term to attract hedge fund managers willing to invest, but at this rate that could soon change.

"We need to get where things are steady and predictable," Musk added. "Maybe we're close to developing the Mars vehicle, or ideally we've flown it a few times, then I think going public would make more sense."

For now, Musk has set his sights on some goals that are a little easier to obtain. Namely, he told CNBC that he thinks an achievement more within reach would be the development of an electric car battery affordable enough to fully revolutionize the automobile industry.

"I am feeling really good about being able to produce a compelling mass-market car in about three years," said Musk, but first he hopes to find a way to sell a battery for one of those vehicles for under $5,000.

Previously, Musk told Wired magazine back in 2012 that he’s been dreaming for a decade of a way to put a man on Mars, but the price-tag has proven to be problematic, to say the least.

“Since 1989, when a study estimated that a manned mission would cost $500 billion, the subject has been toxic. Politicians didn’t want a high-priced federal program like that to be used as a political weapon against them,” Musk told Wired at the time. “But the United States is a nation of explorers. America is the spirit of human exploration distilled.”

Musk made headlines earlier this week when his electric car company, Tesla, announced it won’t pursue patent lawsuits against any competing automobile makers that want to works off its patents.

“The mission of the company is to accelerate the widespread adoption of electric cars. If Tesla acts as the catalyst for other manufacturers...that will have been achieved,”Tesla spokesperson Simon Sproule told Wired
http://rt.com/usa/166868-elon-musk-mars-years/
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Destination Phobos. Maybe it would make a handy orbital station as well.

The case for a mission to Mars' moon Phobos

Ask any space enthusiast, and almost anyone will say humankind's ultimate destination is Mars. But NASA is currently gearing up to go to an asteroid. While the space agency says its Asteroid Initiative will help in the eventual goal of putting people on Mars, what if instead of going to an asteroid, we went to Mars' moon Phobos?

Three prominent planetary scientists have joined forces in a new paper in the Journal Planetary and Space Science to explain the case for a mission to the moons of Mars, particularly Phobos.

"Phobos occupies a unique position physically, scientifically, and programmatically on the road to exploration of the solar system," say the scientists. In addition, the moons may possibly be a source of in situ resources that could support future human exploration in circum-Mars space or on the Martian surface. But a sample return mission first could provide details on the moons' origins and makeup.

The Martian moons are riddles, wrapped in a mystery, inside an enigma. Phobos and its sibling Deimos seem like just two asteroids which were captured by the planet Mars, and they remain the last objects of the inner solar system not yet studied with a dedicated mission. But should the moons be explored with flybys or sample-return? Should we consider "boots or bots"?

The publications and mission concepts for Phobos and Deimos are numerous and go back decades. The authors of "The Value of a Phobos Sample Return," Murchie, Britt and Pieters, explore the full breadth of questions of why and how to explore Phobos and Deimos. ...

"The case for a mission to Mars' moon Phobos." October 2nd, 2014. http://phys.org/news/2014-10-case-missi ... hobos.html
Click to expand...
 
NASA Eyes Crew Deep Sleep Option for Mars Mission

A NASA-backed study explores an innovative way to dramatically cut the cost of a human expedition to Mars -- put the crew in stasis.

The deep sleep, called torpor, would reduce astronauts' metabolic functions with existing medical procedures. Torpor also can occur naturally in cases of hypothermia.

"Therapeutic torpor has been around in theory since the 1980s and really since 2003 has been a staple for critical care trauma patients in hospitals," aerospace engineer Mark Schaffer, with SpaceWorks Enterprises in Atlanta, said at the International Astronomical Congress in Toronto this week. "Protocols exist in most major medical centers for inducing therapeutic hypothermia on patients to essentially keep them alive until they can get the kind of treatment that they need."

Coupled with intravenous feeding, a crew could be put in hibernation for the transit time to Mars, which under the best-case scenario would take 180 days one-way.

So far, the duration of a patient’s time in torpor state has been limited to about one week. ...

http://www.space.com/27348-nasa-mars-cr ... sleep.html
Click to expand...
 
Mars colonists 'would die after 68 days'
Scientists at MIT conclude a human colony on the Red Planet is "not feasible" with current technology
By Nick Allen, Los Angeles
9:43AM BST 15 Oct 2014

Humans could only survive on Mars for 68 days according to a new study which throws doubt on ambitions to colonise the Red Planet.
Scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) concluded that with current technology a permanent settlement on Mars is "not feasible".
They analysed the Dutch-based Mars One project which is aiming to colonise the planet starting in 2024.

Mars One wants to send a group of people on a one-way trip and film the project for a reality television show.
The MIT researchers simulated the conditions of living on Mars and identified the main problem as the plan for colonists to grow and eat their own crops, which they said was not practical with current technology.

In a 35-page report they said: "The first crew fatality would occur approximately 68 days into the mission.
"Some form of oxygen removal system is required, a technology that has not yet been developed for space flight."

etc...

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/spac ... -days.html
 
I'm not sure whether that would be good or bad for TV ratings, sadly.
 
Oxygen removal?
I'm not sure why they need to do that. If it's to remove oxygen from the area where hydroponic plants are kept, and transfer it to crew quarters, that's just a question of spaceship layout and ventilation design.

As for the 68 days of viability...I thought all this was known and it was accepted that everybody would die?
 
Yeah, I thought the clue was in the 'one way trip' phrase.
 
Cultjunky said:
Yeah, I thought the clue was in the 'one way trip' phrase.
Click to expand...
No, that just referred to the fact that there was no return trip planned, but the colonists would have expected to live their normal lifespan on Mars,
 
Mythopoeika said:
Oxygen removal?
I'm not sure why they need to do that. If it's to remove oxygen from the area where hydroponic plants are kept, and transfer it to crew quarters, that's just a question of spaceship layout and ventilation design.
Click to expand...
A bit more detail here
http://www.extremetech.com/extreme/1918 ... ing-to-mit

Basically the plant crop would start to produce oxygen very rapidly when it matures, so there could be a fire risk - and you couldn't dump the oxygen without dumping nitrogen as well. Eventually the on-board air would be so thin they would paradoxically die of hypoxia. The solution is, as you have suggested, to separate the crops from the human quarters- although there might still be a fire or explosion risk in the greenhouse compartment.
 
Destination Mars! - but not quite yet:

Nasa's Orion 'Mars ship' set for test flight
By Jonathan Amos, Science correspondent, BBC News, Cape Canaveral

A US space capsule that could help get humans to Mars is due to make its maiden flight later.
Orion will be launched on a Delta rocket out of Cape Canaveral in Florida on a short journey above the Earth to test key technologies.

The conical vessel is reminiscent of the Apollo command ships that took men to the Moon in the 1960s and 1970s, but bigger and with cutting-edge systems.
Given that this is a first outing, there will be no people aboard.
Nonetheless, the US space agency describes the demonstration as a major event.
"This is huge; Thursday is a giant day for us," said Nasa administrator Charlie Bolden.

Lift-off is scheduled to occur at 07:05 local time (12:05 GMT), depending on the weather and the technical readiness of all involved.

Orion is being developed alongside a powerful new rocket that will have its own debut in 2017 or 2018.
Together, they will form the core capabilities needed to send humans beyond the International Space Station to destinations such as the Red Planet.

For Thursday's flight, the Delta IV-Heavy rocket - currently the beefiest launcher in the world - is being used as a stand-in.
It will send Orion twice around the globe, throwing the ship up to an altitude of almost 6,000km (3,600 miles).
This will set up a fast fall back to Earth, with a re-entry speed into the atmosphere close to 30,000km/h (20,000mph) - near what would be expected of a capsule coming back from the Moon.

It should give engineers the opportunity to check the performance of Orion's critical heat shield, which is likely to experience temperatures in excess of 2,000C (4,000F).
They will also watch how the parachutes deploy as they gently lower the capsule into Pacific waters off Mexico's Baja California Peninsula.

Although Orion is a Nasa project, the development has been contracted to Lockheed Martin, and the aerospace giant will be running the show on Thursday.
But the US space agency will be there in the background, keen to see that the LM designs meet their specifications.
A good example is the radiation protection built into the capsule. Radiation will be one of the major hazards faced on voyages into deep space, and Orion's systems must cope with the challenge.
"We're going to be flying through parts of the Van Allen radiation belts, since we're 15 times higher than the space station," explained Mark Geyer, Nasa's Orion programme manager.
"The ISS would not have to deal with radiation but we will, and so will every vehicle that goes to the Moon. That's a big issue for the computers. These processors that are now so small - they're great for speed but they're more susceptible to radiation. That's something we have to design for and see how it all behaves."

Thursday's mission is but one small step in a very long development programme. Unable to call upon the financial resources of the Apollo era, Nasa is instead having to take a patient path.
Even if today it had a fully functioning Orion, with its dedicated rocket, Nasa would not be able to mount a mission to another planetary body because the technology to carry out surface operations has not been produced yet.

This worries observers like space historian John Logsdon, who doubts the policy as currently envisaged is sustainable.
He told the BBC: "The first launch with a crew aboard is 2020/21, and then nothing very firmly is defined after that, although of course Nasa has plans. That's too slow-paced to keep the launch teams sharp, to keep everyone engaged. It's driven by the lack of money, not the technical barriers."

One solution is to pull in international partners. Europe, for instance, is going to make the "back end" for all future Orion capsules.
This service module is principally the propulsion unit that drives Orion through space. Prof Logsdon wonders if additional partners might want to pick up some of the other technologies needed to help speed the exploration path.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-30234625

pics, vids, diags etc on page.
 
After yesterday's postponement, Orion got away today:

Nasa’s Orion deep space capsule launches
By Jonathan Amos, Science correspondent, BBC News, Cape Canaveral

[Video: The Delta IV-Heavy rocket roared off the pad at Cape Canaveral]
Continue reading the main story

A rocket has launched from Florida carrying an unmanned version of the US space agency's new crew capsule - Orion.
The ship is designed eventually to take humans beyond the space station, to destinations such as the Moon and Mars.
Orion's brief flight today will be used to test critical technologies, like its heat shield and parachutes.

The Delta IV-Heavy rocket roared off the pad at Cape Canaveral at 07:05 local time (12:05 GMT).
It will throw the conical ship to 6,000km above the planet, to set up a fast re-entry into the Earth's atmosphere.
This will generate temperatures in the region of 2,000C, allowing engineers to check that Orion's thermal protection systems meet their specifications.

The mission teams will also get to watch how the parachutes deploy as they gently lower the capsule into Pacific waters off the coast of Mexico's Baja Peninsula.
That splashdown is expected to occur at about 11:30 EST (16:30 GMT).
Nasa has a drone in the area hoping to relay video of the final moments of descent.

US Navy divers in speedboats will move in to capture Orion when it hits the water. The floating ship will then be towed into the well deck of a support vessel.

Orion is reminiscent of the Apollo command ships that took men to the Moon in the 60s and 70s, only bigger and with cutting-edge systems.
It is being developed alongside a powerful new rocket that will have its own debut in 2017 or 2018.
Together, they will form the core capabilities needed to send humans beyond the International Space Station.

Thursday's mission is but one small step in a very long development programme.

etc...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-30343171
 
...and came back as planned!

Nasa’s Orion spaceship makes splashdown
By Jonathan Amos, Science correspondent, BBC News, Cape Canaveral

The US space agency's new Orion crew capsule has completed its maiden, unmanned voyage with a splashdown in the Pacific Ocean off Mexico.
Drone video sighted the ship descending gently on its parachutes, shortly before it hit the water.
US Navy support vessels are on station to capture the floating capsule with the help of divers.

Orion is designed eventually to take humans beyond the space station, to destinations such as the Moon and Mars.
Its brief 4.5-hour flight was intended to test its critical technologies, like the heat shield and those parachutes.

Commentators on Nasa's television channel said the craft had made a "bulls-eye" splashdown.
"There's your new spacecraft, America,'' mission control commentator Rob Navias said as the Orion capsule neared the water.

Orion was launched on a Delta IV-Heavy rocket from Cape Canaveral in Florida at 07:05 local time (12:05 GMT).
The orange-coloured triple booster was quickly lost in cloud after clearing the pad but headed effortlessly east out over the Atlantic for a two-lap circuit of the Earth.

etc...

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-30352472

With video, but not nery interesting!
 
Politics v. Technology:

Orion: Uncertainty ahead for new US spaceship
By Paul Rincon, Science editor, BBC News website

To many, the launch of Nasa's next generation crew capsule, Orion, evokes the excitement of the Apollo era.
It's beefier and uses cutting edge technologies, but Orion strongly resembles the Apollo command ships that ferried astronauts to the Moon and back in the 1960s and 70s.

But there's something missing. In the 1960s, Nasa had a very clear target: the Moon. Somehow, Orion has been tagged the "Mars ship". But there is no tangible race to the Red Planet as there was to the Moon in the 60s and no hard-and-fast deadline like that set by JFK.

Nasa's chief scientist Ellen Stofan says the launch sets America "on that journey to Mars". But she adds that: "Getting to Mars is tough... we're trying to break the problem into each of the technologies we need to develop."

The next step in the problem is testing Orion's new rocket - the Space Launch System (SLS) - in 2018. But then Nasa will need to design and test a transfer ship to carry the astronauts on the 16-month round trip.

Then there is the thorny problem of protecting humans from cosmic radiation they will be exposed to on the way, as well as getting astronauts down and then back up from the surface. Without a real political imperative to get there soon, those technologies are going to take years if not decades to develop.

Orion started off as the "Moon ship" under George W Bush's Constellation plan to get Americans back to the lunar surface by 2020.

After entering office, President Obama initially ordered the scrapping of the entire Constellation programme. It was the height of the worldwide financial crisis and finding the money to continue with an over-budget, under-schedule programme that was closely associated with his Republican predecessor was probably not a top priority for the new president.

"This is like a death in the family," said Nasa chief Charles Bolden in 2010, after the cancellation of the multi-billion-dollar programme was announced. But scrapping Constellation meant scrapping jobs, and the president soon ran into fierce political opposition from members of Congress representing districts that were home to Nasa centres.

In April 2010, under pressure from Congress, Obama resurrected the space vehicle - with some design changes - and announced a package of measures to help workers at the Kennedy Space Center in Florida find jobs after the retirement of the space shuttle.
Thus, the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) was re-born as the Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle (MPCV) - swiftly switched back to "Orion" after the fuss had subsided. ;)
As for the other elements of Constellation: the Ares I rocket, its heavy-lift counterpart Ares V, and the Moon lander Altair - they were to get no reprieve.
Obama reiterated that Constellation's path was "unsustainable" and promised to begin work by 2015 on a new heavy lift rocket - later named the SLS - to launch Orion into space.

But what was Orion going to do now that landing on the Moon was off the table? Obama decided to go one better than President Bush, and announce that America was going to Mars.

Now, the Moon was an achievable goal in the near term, given sufficient funding. A cynic might say that setting Mars as the goal cleverly kicked the problem into the long grass - since the technologies needed to mount a successful round trip to the Red Planet were nowhere near mature.

At the same time, going to Mars has long been the dream of many in the space community. And it appears that the sight of a president announcing a manned programme to Mars was enough to assuage some of the criticism.

Even under the Constellation plan, going back to the Moon would have served as a proving ground where astronauts were to have learnt to "live off the land" in preparation for an eventual trip to the Red Planet.

But nearly five years on, as President Obama approaches the end of his presidency, the question of what to do with Orion - at least while those all-important Mars technologies are being developed - has come around again.

Among the proposals being talked about is for Orion to visit an asteroid that has been previously captured and redirected by a robotic mission - either a small rock that is surrounded by a bag in space, or lifted off the surface of a larger body.

But those weren't the focus of talk around Friday's launch. The latter proposal has already proven controversial in the media, and - in any case - the "asteroid bagging ship" probably doesn't have quite as much of a ring to it. Thus, Orion was designated the "Mars ship".

But let's not kid ourselves; we're going to be waiting a long time before we see the stars and stripes being planted in the red Martian soil.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-30361943

I don't think I'll live to see it. And in my boyhood, all those Dan Dare dreams seemed just around the corner... :(
 
"We choose to go to the moon in this decade and do the other things, not because they are easy, but because they are hard..."

What we need is another pledge of commitment just like that one, then we might actually get round to colonising Mars (and the other planets).

Fact is, at this current rate, it'll take 18,000 years to achieve.
 
Four crewmembers simulating a mission on Mars dealt with a real-life emergency late last month — a greenhouse fire so strong that flames reached at least 10 feet (3 meters) high.

On Dec. 29, the first day of their mission, the crew noticed an unusual power surge in their habitat at the Mars Desert Research Station (MDRS), in the Utah desert near the small town of Hanksville. A few minutes later, somebody spotted smoke coming from the greenhouse.

Crew commander Nick Orenstein, an experienced camper who has built bonfires in the past, ran outside to take a look. He said he figured the group could take on the fire, because the smoke was blowing away from the habitat, and only one shelf inside the greenhouse was aflame. At that time, the fire was about the size of three overstuffed chairs. [Mock Mars Mission Photos: Life on a Simulated Red Planet]

"This is a moment where instinct took over, the instinct of fight or flight, and we had fight," Orenstein told Space.com. "There really wasn't a question at the moment." ...

http://www.space.com/28388-greenhouse-fire-mock-mars-mission.html
 
Update on the Mars Desert Research Station.

Among other things, we built a robotic stretcher that allows a 5kg rover to carry an injured astronaut to safety (in Martian gravity; in Earth gravity, a medical mannequin of the appropriate weight was used). This was accomplished by adapting a Renegade rover to carry a stretcher. The Renegade required a 3D printed camera mount that could be put in a corner of the stretcher to be teleoperated.

Julielynn provided a consumer-grade 3D printer, which I adapted to run on solar power so we could stay within our electricity budget. Since this mission spanned the winter solstice, we were able to test the worst case scenario for operating such a device. [Exactly what kind of printer was it? It was a printer from a company that tried to patent open-source stuff and did other evil things. I will not give them publicity.]

The printer was intended to test custom-fit finger splints, and did its job. An all-in-one dental instrument used to replace teeth fillings, was designed by Julielynn Wong, and also tested. ...

http://hplusmagazine.com/2015/02/11/3d-printing-mars/
 
http://www.theverge.com/2015/2/17/8050281/mars-one-mission-chooses-100-candidates

''Meet the 100 people hoping to live and die on Mars''
By Rich McCormick
on February 17, 2015 01:54 am

mars-one.0.0.png
 
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