One way trip to Mars capturing the imagination, says the BBC

With reference to http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22360228

While the BBC are responsible for a great deal of fanciful imaginings, this story is not about fiction. The idea that we could actually go to Mars, and that it would be a one way trip that establishes a working colony on Mars, is in fact gaining ground and volunteers.

Mars One, a Dutch organisation, is seeking volunteers for such an attempt. And how are they going to pay for the costs? By making it a TV show and getting corporate sponsorship. Now, come to think of it, there are probably a few people that would get quite a few votes by the public to be sent to Mars. Whether this venture succeeds or not, the conversation is out there.

There was a time when we had not stepped foot on the Moon and there were some people who thought that would be impossible. We went there in the sixties and seventies. We can still use the experiments they placed on the Moon, and lunar orbiting satellites have photographed the Apollo equipment still sitting on the moon.

One day, we will be standing on the surface of Mars and looking with their own eyes on Opportunity and Spirit and saying to ourselves "Do you remember when we could only send robots to other planets?"

(Go on - buy the book, and do not be afraid to dream big.)

What if you could mine the moon?

"We're becoming a multi-world species. That will happen. The first footprints on Mars by human beings will happen in our lifetime in the next 10 to 20 years," [Bob Richards of Moon Express] says.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-21685995

Going to Mars is not an isolated goal. The real goal is to get man moving through space. Mars is just a small but significant jump. Imagine, on Mars the gravity is one third of what it is on Earth. That means a much smaller cost to orbit. Once in orbit, Mars is further from the sun, so it there is less cost in getting to the asteroids and to the outer planets.

Earth make a very fine home, but is very hard to get away from. This is why people keep saying that the Moon and Mars is our stepping stone to the rest of the Solar System and indeed beyond.

Avoiding Meteorites on Mars

How likely is it to be hit by a meteorite while walking on the surface of Mars? Is it safe to go there and take a stroll on the surface?

Rocks fall out of the sky all the time.

The calculated odds are that in an area the size of Britain alone, one person every 7,000 years might get squashed by a meteorite. However, in history the actual number of deaths by meteorite squashings is in fact lower even than the odds. The only person known to have been hurt by a meteorite in recent memory is one lady in Alabama in 1954. The 3.6kg rock crashed through her roof and injured her shoulder. So not even a real squashing! In 2002, a british schoolgirl had a meteorite fragment land on her shoe. As far as it is possible to know, no one in living memory has ever been killed by a meteorite.

Is it possible to be hit by a meteorite? Yes it is. You do have better odds of winning the lottery though. On Earth, a lot of these rocks burn up in the atmosphere. There is a lot of atmosphere on Earth, but not so much on Mars. Consequently, more rock reaches the surface of Mars. That explains why there are so many more craters on Mars than on Earth. Still, that only increases what is a very minute chance.

If you are worried about it, get out the barbecue and tell you boss where to go; you have a better chance of winning this week's lottery. Honest! If you do not feel your odds are good for the lottery, then you can put aside your fears for death by "rock falling from the sky."

Talking of Lottery, the latest Short Story from the Mars Exile series is now available. David Brennan and Dr Mark Well go in search of a wayared rover.

You can download this short story in PDF format from here.

I wonder if you can already guess what heppens to it?