I'd send an entirely robotic crew. Because it is far too soon to send humans to Mars because we would bring all our Earth microbes to the planet which will confuse the search for life. And robots don't need to be fed and can be patient, sit for weeks, months, doing nothing if there isn't any power. And if it crashes nobody dies.
So far our robots have been clumsy and slow. But with the amount of money you'd need for a human crew, you could make a fast data connection with Mars so that you are able to connect with the robots 24/7, and download broadband streaming HD video from them. And - yes it is a long time delay up to 40 minutes return time but there are new ideas of ways of working with that using delayed real time, where you explore a virtual model of the Mars environment on Earth simultaneously and keep it updated using information from Mars.
That way we could explore Mars by avatars controlled from Earth maybe work pretty well. Try Moon first to test the technology. As for humans to Mars, just too ambitious, too soon. Like sending humans to Antarctica with the technology of the early C 18 or some such, they'd all die. And in the p;rocess would contaminate Mars with Earth life.
The Moon is the natural place to explore first. And you can have a lifeboat there just as you do for the ISS able to get back to Earth - within a day or two instead of the few hours of the ISS but still pretty close to Earth. While for Mars the fastest trip is six months and could be over two years before you can get back in case of an emergency. That alone makes the Moon the place to go right now. But I'd send robots to the Moon first actually especially right now so we can find out details of the fragile lunar atmosphere - a few large rockets and the atmosphere would be almost entirely spent rocket fuel. We need to study it first to understand things like, how the water vapour and other volatiles collect on the surface of the Moon, in caves, or at the poles. Where we expect to find deposits laid down over the entire lifetime of the solar system. If we send too much to the Moon too soon then we can lose that precious information we need to understand it better.
As for Mars, send humans to the surface at all in near future and we risk losing so much by way of understanding of the planet which may well have unique lifeforms, even independently evolved from Earth, or with common ancestors from billions of years ago, even if microbes, an ET microbe would be an amazing find and potentially revolutionize biology. We don't want to go to Mars and find life, then find out it is life we brought there ourselves. And there is potential at least for habitats on the surface, thin films of water, salty brines, occasionally, and until those habitat possibilities are investigated properly (no spaceship has gone anywhere near them yet) then we can't even begin to say we understand much about potentials for life on Mars.
But once we get to the point where it is safe to send humans to the Moon or L1 or L2 for years at a time, supplying them only once every few years - we can think about doing the same for Mars orbit or its two moons. Then we can explore the surface using avatars controlled from orbit. See planet spinning from above below our spaceship. Jump instantly via avatars to multiple sites on the surface. Leave on avatar working on something while we control another. Stream everything that happens back to Earth as 3D virtual reality with haptic feedback. I see that as the way we will probably explore Mars in the near future, like next few decades. And maybe Mars One can be part of it if they can adapt their plans, and also be patient and let the scientists do basic research first as it is such early days right now. We just don't know enough, and are nowhere near able to support people safely for more than a few months at a time in deep space without resupply from Earth.
And the first people to attempt that will probably need to be really expert in the systems they are using. Not just a few years training, but people who are both able to respond coolly in a crisis like a test pilot, yet patient, able to live for years in close quarters with others and limited mobility - and also expert in the systems they will be using - at least some of them - like the Apollo 13 astronauts.
Rare combination of abilities. So first few deep space missions I expect would need to be people like that, highly trained people. And you can't just take someone who is not a mathematician, say, and make them into one with a couple of years training. Same also I'm sure for experts in the computer systems, environmental controls, engineering etc. So - I like the idea of Mars One of sending just about anyone into space but I think such people would probably be likely to die in any Apollo 13 type emergency that arises at distance of Mars with 40 minutes round trip lag time talking to people on Earth to try to explain their situation.
And they would do it for a few years only and return to Earth. After a decade or two of that type of mission perhaps would have dealt with enough bugs and issues to send along people with less training - but probably along with at least a few experts still for some time to come. So then could have a people like the Mars One applicants along with others who are specialists, a bit like an Antarctic base.
Just because of the amazingly harsh conditions, danger, dependence on very high levels of technology for basics like oxygen, air cleaned of harmful microbes and pollutants that build up in an airtight enclosed habitat, water, right pressure and temperature range, to stay alive, remoteness - all that is far more technical than an Antarctic base as a place to stay alive with the smallest mistake e.g. in the routine to follow donning your spacesuit leading to death. And because the place is likely to be of most interest to scientists, once the novelty of the new colour for the sky wears off.
So far our robots have been clumsy and slow. But with the amount of money you'd need for a human crew, you could make a fast data connection with Mars so that you are able to connect with the robots 24/7, and download broadband streaming HD video from them. And - yes it is a long time delay up to 40 minutes return time but there are new ideas of ways of working with that using delayed real time, where you explore a virtual model of the Mars environment on Earth simultaneously and keep it updated using information from Mars.
That way we could explore Mars by avatars controlled from Earth maybe work pretty well. Try Moon first to test the technology. As for humans to Mars, just too ambitious, too soon. Like sending humans to Antarctica with the technology of the early C 18 or some such, they'd all die. And in the p;rocess would contaminate Mars with Earth life.
The Moon is the natural place to explore first. And you can have a lifeboat there just as you do for the ISS able to get back to Earth - within a day or two instead of the few hours of the ISS but still pretty close to Earth. While for Mars the fastest trip is six months and could be over two years before you can get back in case of an emergency. That alone makes the Moon the place to go right now. But I'd send robots to the Moon first actually especially right now so we can find out details of the fragile lunar atmosphere - a few large rockets and the atmosphere would be almost entirely spent rocket fuel. We need to study it first to understand things like, how the water vapour and other volatiles collect on the surface of the Moon, in caves, or at the poles. Where we expect to find deposits laid down over the entire lifetime of the solar system. If we send too much to the Moon too soon then we can lose that precious information we need to understand it better.
As for Mars, send humans to the surface at all in near future and we risk losing so much by way of understanding of the planet which may well have unique lifeforms, even independently evolved from Earth, or with common ancestors from billions of years ago, even if microbes, an ET microbe would be an amazing find and potentially revolutionize biology. We don't want to go to Mars and find life, then find out it is life we brought there ourselves. And there is potential at least for habitats on the surface, thin films of water, salty brines, occasionally, and until those habitat possibilities are investigated properly (no spaceship has gone anywhere near them yet) then we can't even begin to say we understand much about potentials for life on Mars.
But once we get to the point where it is safe to send humans to the Moon or L1 or L2 for years at a time, supplying them only once every few years - we can think about doing the same for Mars orbit or its two moons. Then we can explore the surface using avatars controlled from orbit. See planet spinning from above below our spaceship. Jump instantly via avatars to multiple sites on the surface. Leave on avatar working on something while we control another. Stream everything that happens back to Earth as 3D virtual reality with haptic feedback. I see that as the way we will probably explore Mars in the near future, like next few decades. And maybe Mars One can be part of it if they can adapt their plans, and also be patient and let the scientists do basic research first as it is such early days right now. We just don't know enough, and are nowhere near able to support people safely for more than a few months at a time in deep space without resupply from Earth.
And the first people to attempt that will probably need to be really expert in the systems they are using. Not just a few years training, but people who are both able to respond coolly in a crisis like a test pilot, yet patient, able to live for years in close quarters with others and limited mobility - and also expert in the systems they will be using - at least some of them - like the Apollo 13 astronauts.
Rare combination of abilities. So first few deep space missions I expect would need to be people like that, highly trained people. And you can't just take someone who is not a mathematician, say, and make them into one with a couple of years training. Same also I'm sure for experts in the computer systems, environmental controls, engineering etc. So - I like the idea of Mars One of sending just about anyone into space but I think such people would probably be likely to die in any Apollo 13 type emergency that arises at distance of Mars with 40 minutes round trip lag time talking to people on Earth to try to explain their situation.
And they would do it for a few years only and return to Earth. After a decade or two of that type of mission perhaps would have dealt with enough bugs and issues to send along people with less training - but probably along with at least a few experts still for some time to come. So then could have a people like the Mars One applicants along with others who are specialists, a bit like an Antarctic base.
Just because of the amazingly harsh conditions, danger, dependence on very high levels of technology for basics like oxygen, air cleaned of harmful microbes and pollutants that build up in an airtight enclosed habitat, water, right pressure and temperature range, to stay alive, remoteness - all that is far more technical than an Antarctic base as a place to stay alive with the smallest mistake e.g. in the routine to follow donning your spacesuit leading to death. And because the place is likely to be of most interest to scientists, once the novelty of the new colour for the sky wears off.
About the Author
Robert Walker
Writer of articles on Mars and Space issues - Software Developer of Tune Smithy, Bounce Metronome etc.Studied at Wolfson College, Oxford
Lives in Isle of Mull
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