Mars One puts 100 Red Planet corpses colonists through fresh tests

The Mars One project – which plans to make a reality TV show out of an attempt to settle on the Red Planet – will now put 100 space colonist hopefuls through selection tests. In 2012, the Netherlands-based non-profit group announced it would send cargo ships to Mars in 2016, with the goal of setting up a permanent colony there …

[wolfetone]

You can't trust a company or organisation that conducts medical tests over Skype.

[g e]

How's it funded, though

If it's reality TV then ultimately there's some seed funding and then advertising sales are supposed to fund it (make profit)? (Unless I missed something)

So presumably, if the popularity of the show wanes and advertisers place their ads elsewhere then the colonists die from starvation or some other lack of supplies?

Can't see it ever working, even if the selectees don't kill each other enroute to Mars.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: How's it funded, though

Can't see it ever working

Working at what? As "reality" television it would be superb:

"Oooh look at the fat bloke being sucked out the airlock"

"I always hated her - I was really pleased when the aliens ate her"

"Anyone for a sweepstake on who dies next?"

"I wish they wouldn't show the sex scenes now they're all malnourished"

"When that bloke was given that pathos laden speech of goodbye on his deathbed, I cried.........with laughter"

[AMBxx]

selected from applications sent in by the public

I can think of a few people to send....

[Oengus]

Re: selected from applications sent in by the public

Sorry that was applications not applicants...

If I could nominate people to send I have a long list of IP lawyers, reality TV stars and politicians that I would like to include.

Hairdressers and Phone Sanitizers need not apply.

[Dave 126]

Re: selected from applications sent in by the public

I'd rather send them to Venus and leave Mars unsullied for when we can send decent people there!

In this same week, Elon Musk has been outlining his ideas for how a Martian direct democracy might work - simple ideas, such as laws having an expiry date after which they must be actively renewed. A direct democracy sounds like it wouldn't benefit from IP lawyers and reality TV idiots.

[Flocke Kroes]

Re: Venus

The good news: about 50km up, you get 1 atmosphere pressure, a reasonable temperature and a good radiation shield. A breathable atmosphere would be a lifting gas, so you could but a habitat inside the bulk of an airship.

The bad news is sulphuric acid rain and a shortage of raw materials unless you can do remote mining at over 400 centigrade.

Venus is not an easy destination, but a properly planned and funded mission is far more sane than expecting four reality TV personalities surviving a trip to Mars in anything we could launch in under a decade.

NASA has put some thought into a manned mission to venus.

[MacroRodent]

Re: Venus

Nice video, but compared to Mars, it would be quite boring sitting in that Zeppelin and looking at the clouds of Venus... Hard to see any point in sending humans there, since any exploration of the surface would have to be done using probes and remote sensing anyway.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Venus

Lag. It's a lot easier controlling really expensive exploration equipment if you're on the same planet and we're only talking about milliseconds. Although you could do it from orbit just as easily.

[Roj Blake]

Re: Venus

"Although you could do it from orbit just as easily."

Take off and control the probe from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.

[Mark 85]

Re: selected from applications sent in by the public

I can think of a few people to send....

I have a few on my list also but only if they are strapped to the outside of the capsule from launch until it lands.

[Anonymous Coward]

Does anyone that knows even a little bit about space and or Mars think that this will succeed? Right from the word go it sounded like wishful thinking at best. I'd guess NASA's $100B is probably on the high side compared to what a company (e.g. SpaceX) could do it for but the $6B Mars One thinks it can complete for is just crazy talk.

[lglethal]

I worked in the Space industry for a couple of years just recently (I'm now back working in aero - it pays better!), and I cant say I met a single person in that whole time who believed this was anything but a scam.

[Schlimnitz]

Given that a large component of the human challenge of travelling to Mars will be boredom, I'm not sure how testing applicants' ability to handle that will make for great TV.

I'm with China on this one.

[Unep Eurobats]

Exactly. For compelling reality TV you want conflict. For a smooth-running mission to Mars - not so much.

'Day 347: Nijntje has barricaded herself inside the airlock and is refusing to come out until Pieter puts his space pants back on.'

[AMBxx]

Easy

They'll mix in some really irritating people. Skip the first 2 weeks in isolation, then start the cameras. Big fights.

Alternatively, lock them in isolation with no food. Cannibalistic TV.

[VinceH]

"I'm not sure how testing applicants' ability to handle that will make for great TV."

It won't.

The concept of a reality TV show based around the first Mars colony, though, might make for an interesting science fiction film or TV series - because the writers can make it interesting.

[Wolfclaw]

50:50 split, I you can bet that they are all look like models, after all, cant have an average looking person on the crew, they may not be of breeding quality for Mars Super Race !

[Dave 126]

50:50? Dr Strangelove disagrees!

Dr. Strangelove: Well, that would not be necessary, Mr. President. It could easily be accomplished with a computer. And a computer could be set and programmed to accept factors from youth, health, sexual fertility, intelligence, and a cross-section of necessary skills. Of course, it would be absolutely vital that our top government and military men be included to foster and impart the required principles of leadership and tradition. Naturally, they would breed prodigiously, eh? There would be much time, and little to do. Ha, ha. But ah, with the proper breeding techniques and a ratio of say, ten females to each male, I would guess that they could then work their way back to the present Gross National Product within say, twenty years

... ...

Turgidson: Doctor, you mentioned the ratio of ten women to each man. Now, wouldn't that necessitate the abandonment of the so-called monogamous sexual relationship, I mean, as far as men were concerned?

Dr. Strangelove: Regrettably, yes. But it is, you know, a sacrifice required for the future of the human race. I hasten to add that since each man will be required to do prodigious...service along these lines, the women will have to be selected for their sexual characteristics which will have to be of a highly stimulating nature.

Russian Ambassador: I must confess, you have an astonishingly good idea there, Doctor.

[davidp231]

Who else read the Dr Strangelove lines in his voice? lol.

[DropBear]

"50:50 split, I you can bet that they are all look like models"

And I bet the last remaining male angling to pair up with the last remaining female would still get the "not even if you were the last man..." speech.

[Stoneshop]

"not even if you were the last man..."

"on earth"

"Ah, but we're on Mars now"

[Stoneshop]

"Ah, but we're on Mars now"

"WE'RE NOT"

"Shhh, pipe down. The show contract says we are"

[Dave 126]

Re: "Ah, but we're on Mars now"

>Who else read the Dr Strangelove lines in his voice? lol.

How could I not? :)

[DropBear]

Re: "Ah, but we're on Mars now"

"The show contract says we are"

Reminds me of the old anecdote - student gets a summer job at the zoo impersonating a gorilla using a monkey suit. Guy gets a bit overly spirited, climbs up a tree, falls off it into the neighbouring pen next to a lion, panics and proceeds to scream like a little girl. The lion walks up to him and whispers "Shhh, are you trying to get us BOTH fired?!?"

[MrXavia]

While they won't do it,

I thing they should have a 3 women to one man ratio, all women should be young (25ish) healthy, no history of cancers, attractive (since you want good genes and good genetics usually means attractive, but not models... Plus a good varied supply of healthy sperm, preferably selected from gene pools proven to be resistant to cancers (i.e. no family history of cancer)

Then the man is really only needed for heavy lifting and recreation....

[Aristotles slow and dimwitted horse]

Sod that...

I think I'll stay here on planet Earth thanks. I'd be itching to get away from everyone else and either out for a run or out on my bike ASAP after launch. My strategy is to wait until you are all nicely settled in that lovely cosy B-Ark, and then claim Hampshire as my own nation state once you've all departed.

[Tony S]

"My nightmare about it is that people continue to support it and give it money and attention, and it then gets to the point where it inevitably falls on its face," said Roche.

That's actually a really cogent point. Think how quickly the American Public (and Congress) lost interest in the Moon Landings. Apollo 12 had considerably less viewers than Apollo 11; and it seems that none of the networks were interested in Apollo 13 until they thought that someone might die.

If they make a complete lash up of this, then the public and potential investors will lose any interest in future space exploration.

[Anonymous Coward]

live feed?

like, when I send them a micro-payment, they will cut off oxygen supply to the participants, on account of a meteorite shower?! Can I then nominate someone?! Hang on!!!

[Nick Davey]

Anyone see the program Ascension?

Pretty sure they could just copy that and do it with this, then the $6billion sounds far more reasonable. As long as the people believe they are heading to Mars you have an interesting social experiment for the better part of a year. Even more kudos if you can fake the landing and carry on with a faux Mars environment.

[Anonymous Coward]

Re: Anyone see the program Ascension?

Problem with that is the gravity, can't fake the lower g's. on ascension they were supposedly in a constant acceleration ship (althouhg HOW that could ever achieve 1G for decades I have no idea... and surely 1G acceleration would have meant they should have arrived at their destination already time dialation etc...??)

[John Mangan]

Re: Anyone see the program Ascension?

Yes, it was shit!

On so many levels and for so many reasons.

Thanks for asking.

[Anonymous Coward]

'And then we'll just be watching a pile of corpses millions of miles away'

A bit like tuning into BBC News then?

[Stoneshop]

Re: 'And then we'll just be watching a pile of corpses millions of miles away'

Nah, initially it'll be just four, and only if the last one stacks the other three, then goes to die on top of them. Otherwise it won't be much of a pile, really.

Most of the remaining 96 will die of old age, traffic accidents, collapsing scaffolding, choking on chicken bones, dropped pianos, DIYing and other conventional earthly mishap before even half of them have been added to the heap.

[Hans Neeson-Bumpsadese]

Space Cadets

Is this just https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Space_Cadets_(TV_series) all over again? (note the Endemol association)

[davidp231]

Endemol...

...well the newest series of BB is due to start tonight, so they must still be in for madcap wastes of time?

[Stevie]

Bah!

There is worth in this. Watch how the expendable lumpen die and Don't Do That when real astronauts go for real.

Yes I'm kidding. No organized official Mars mission will ever fund.

[Tim 11]

selection criteria

"knowledge, clarity of communication, and their ability to handle conflict" - Yup you've pretty much summed up the typical reality show contestant. This thing is sure to fly.

[lglethal]

Re: selection criteria

They are telling the truth - That is exactly what they are looking for. To be selected for reality television you must have no knowledge, no ability to communcate clearly and no ability to handle conflict reasonably...

[BebopWeBop]

Well might give a merciful death to the Big Bang Theory?

[John Smith 19]

Now that's what I call car crash TV

or in this case Mars smash TV.

You may not like it.

But you know I'm right.

[100113.1537]

The real cost -

- is bringing them back.

The NASA $100B is based on sending lots and lots of fuel to get the peeps (in their ship) back up from Mars. Mars One makes the explicit point that they don't have a plan for this - which is why El Reg refers to them as 'corpses'. As gruesome as it sounds, it costs a lot less to keep re-supplying the colonists with stuff to stay alive than it does to bring them home. Still a lot more than $6B I suppose, but hey, these are TV numbers we are talking about here.

[peabody3000]

even spacex wont be going to mars. musk can talk it up all he wants but nobody is going to commit billions of dollars for what is essentially a photo-op

[MrXavia]

I thought spacex had a plan for Red Dragon? where they send a dragon capsule to mars?

Then if that is succesful, I can assume Mars One could pay spaceX for the flights... at a significant discount I expect if their happy to use 2nd hand rockets....

[Mike Flugennock]

Cripes, are they still going ahead with this?

Jeezus, I thought these clowns had been laughed out of the place long ago.

[Mr Dogshit]

But what about Uranus?

[Ember]

To boldy go home and stay put

All these Mars missions and Venus ideas are a waste of time and money, at this point of time.

If we were able to stop wasting billions on war, targeted extinction of the caucasian white male, political smear campaigns, strictly come dancing and similar TV shows that carry the expressed purpose of reducing the population's IQ, etc...., then we might be able to get enough science done to start fantasising about off-world colonies again in....say....120 years....

The way to go would be for starters researching technologies for isolated bio-dome colonies, improving existing artificial gravity technology, finding solutions to the problems of low-gravity related bone and other physiological problems, shooting corrupt politicians in the head, finding more economic and ecological methods of getting us into orbit and beyond, getting rid of the need for fossil fuels of any description, .....

And then, when all that is done, build a world-ship type, or at the very least generation-ship type, ark and go straight to a planet that already is habitable...The colonists on whatever planet we settle will within two generation no longer consider themselves as beholden to Earth anyways, so best put them in a distance that a planetary war of independence would be neither necessary nor possible in the first place.

[x 7]

isn't suicide illegal?