http://mars-one.com/en/
For all of you who haven't heard of this project, this is one the largest and most ambitious projects of the century. From 2023 onwards, every two years, two astronauts will be sent to live on Mars for the rest of their lives. Every new occupant brings enough supplies to last till the next occupants come along, making this essentially self sustainable. Eventually, there are hopes of a colony being built.
Now, let us address the concerns of this project. Firstly, the selected few will have to live the rest of their lives on a barren red planet. Imagine missing out on cheeseburgers, cinema's, the ability to breathe outside. Even though everyone volunteers, there are concerns about the mental well being of the astronauts.
Further, billions upon billions of dollars are being spent on this project, while some parts of our home planet still suffer from starvation, environmental degradation and civil conflict. Why spend so much on finding a new home instead of fixing our own backyard? I can understand why people might be skeptical about this project, or any project that doesn't seem to help humanity in the short run.
However, all futurists and science fanatics must be jumping in jubilation. This project represents the next frontier of human ingenuity. Off world colonies. The stuff of science fiction. Fans of Andromeda and Star Wars drooling at the prospect of traveling to different worlds. And why wouldn't they? Humanity's greatest achievements have often being as a result of treading through the unknown and unchallenged. And this is no different, though slightly more expensive.
In my opinion, investing in this project was the right one. We may have problems of our own, but initiating a large lump sum transfer to a charity or a third world country has never provided the expected results. Lag, corruption, and general behavior of people have prevented us from solving the worlds problem. People have to change before any amount of cash could have effect. Mars one, on the other hand, is direct in its intentions and goals. Nothing stands in its way bar technological problem. The project opens several prospects for us a race and we should seize this chance the moment we get it.
For all of you who haven't heard of this project, this is one the largest and most ambitious projects of the century. From 2023 onwards, every two years, two astronauts will be sent to live on Mars for the rest of their lives. Every new occupant brings enough supplies to last till the next occupants come along, making this essentially self sustainable. Eventually, there are hopes of a colony being built.
Now, let us address the concerns of this project. Firstly, the selected few will have to live the rest of their lives on a barren red planet. Imagine missing out on cheeseburgers, cinema's, the ability to breathe outside. Even though everyone volunteers, there are concerns about the mental well being of the astronauts.
Further, billions upon billions of dollars are being spent on this project, while some parts of our home planet still suffer from starvation, environmental degradation and civil conflict. Why spend so much on finding a new home instead of fixing our own backyard? I can understand why people might be skeptical about this project, or any project that doesn't seem to help humanity in the short run.
However, all futurists and science fanatics must be jumping in jubilation. This project represents the next frontier of human ingenuity. Off world colonies. The stuff of science fiction. Fans of Andromeda and Star Wars drooling at the prospect of traveling to different worlds. And why wouldn't they? Humanity's greatest achievements have often being as a result of treading through the unknown and unchallenged. And this is no different, though slightly more expensive.
In my opinion, investing in this project was the right one. We may have problems of our own, but initiating a large lump sum transfer to a charity or a third world country has never provided the expected results. Lag, corruption, and general behavior of people have prevented us from solving the worlds problem. People have to change before any amount of cash could have effect. Mars one, on the other hand, is direct in its intentions and goals. Nothing stands in its way bar technological problem. The project opens several prospects for us a race and we should seize this chance the moment we get it.
The project also created a lot of jobs in America. Huge number of engineers, scientists and etc were hired. NASA is expanding the budget and giving out contracts to other companies such as SpaceX who are hiring your engineers all around the country. New direction means new investment towards the future. It is very unfortunate about the astronauts staying there. As we have seen from endless sci fi movies, loneliness can really effect people mentally.
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