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Aye,
life on Mars; where does one begin?
From
the very beginning, of course. Humankind has dreamed of life on another planet
for the past fifty years.
Allegedly,
we had tried getting people to other planets before but had failed miserably.
Our best attempt, in fact, was the shuttle carrying the Fantastic Four; regardless
of the fact that they didn’t actually make it to their ultimate destination,
they still got some nifty powers which had come in handy when protecting the
Earth from your average villains and Silver Surfers.
Leaving
my absurdly ludicrous attempts to be original aside, however, it is worth
noting that it is now possible to file in an application to be considered for a
trip to Mars in 2022.
And,
mind you, it’s a once in a lifetime opportunity.
No,
honestly; it’s a one- way ticket you’ll be applying for.
You
needn’t worry too much about it, though, mainly because Mars is known for its
abundant flora and fauna, its vast seas of pristine water and its playful and
refreshing breeze (by that, of course, I mean no flora or fauna, rocky
wastelands and deadly solar winds).
The
initiative has recently been undertaken by a Dutch company called Mars One.
Contrary to what the name of the company suggests, it’s currently looking for
forty people to send to Mars where they will start a new colony and…
…a
new reality TV show.
Alas,
even on Mars, there be dragons. Just look at the following report by CNN:
Fourth
paragraph down, quite unprovoked and somewhat out of the blue, it reads:
"It's
likely that there will be a crematorium," said [Mars One] CEO Bas
Lansdorp. "It's up to the people on Mars to decide what to do with their
dead."
Wow.
Great. I’m so in.
Further
to the above, it seems that no couples will be allowed to participate in this
marvellous adventure; in fact, that’s the sole reason for Mr Lansdorp inability
to undertake the mission himself.
"I have a really nice girlfriend, and she doesn't
want to come with me, so I'm staying right here."
Besides
being single, ‘applicants must be resilient, adaptable, resourceful and must work
well within a team’ (see << http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22146456
>>).
Those
selected will undergo a rigorous seven- year training program which will prepare
them, both mentally and physically, for their seven- month journey in space:
Rest
assured, even though they won’t have access to water, reliable sources have
confirmed that they WILL have access to Facebook.
Amen
to that...
Regardless
of my childish sarcasm, however, the initiative is in itself an incredible
achievement.
One
question, remains though:
Even
if the...settlers...manage to somehow survive the radiation, solar wind and
vacuum- like atmosphere on Mars, will they be able to ever return to mother
Earth?
The
answer is quite simple.
NO.
And
here’s why:
‘On a visit to the BBC's
London office, Mars One's co-founder Bas Lansdorp explains why this would be a
one-way flight.
During the seven-to-eight month journey,
astronauts will lose bone and muscle mass. After spending time on Mars' much
weaker gravitational field, it would be almost impossible to readjust back to
Earth's much stronger gravity, says Landsorp.’ (see << http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-22146456
>>).
Taking
this into account, then, one cannot but wonder whether the 2022 ‘mission’ to
Mars is indeed a great step for humanity or a yet another quick get- rich
scheme?
Guess
we’ll have to wait and stay tuned for an episode of
‘Stranded!
In Spaaaace!’
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