Scientists have recently suggested that colonizing the planet Mars is possible.
Mars has been the subject of some horrible films over the years. The little red planet was the destination of manned missions in two of the year 2000’s films “Red Planet” and “Mission to Mars.”
The films involve the first manned missions to Mars and are rife with implausible scenarios and pure science fiction fantasy. Fans of suspending their disbelief will appreciate these two films, which serve to show how difficult manned missions to Mars would be.
But according to scientists Dirk Shulze-Makuch and Paul Davies, a trip to Mars is well within reach. Schulze-Makuch and Davies co-authored an article that appeared in the Journal of Cosmology’s Oct. 2010 issue.
In the article, the two suggest that volunteers could colonize Mars. The catch? It’s a one-way mission. Those that would volunteer for this mission would never return to Earth.
Schulze-Makuch and Davies went on to explain that the reason the National Aeronautics and Space Agency (NASA) had not previously considered a manned mission to Mars is purely financial. The two authors argue that sending volunteers on a one-way mission to Mars would cost significantly less than a traditional mission because all of the preparations for an Earth return trip would not need to be made.
Detractors of Schulze-Makuch and Davies’ plan would argue that the volunteers would essentially be abandoned on an alien planet, but as the two scientists explain in the article, provisions would have been sent from Earth before the volunteers reached Mars.
Prices for a one-way trip to Mars start at $10 billion, according to NASA Ames Director Pete Worden.
If going to Mars is possible after all, even via a one-way trip, a lot of training will be required. Because a trip to Mars still feels like a dream to some, perhaps those people can begin training by watching a horrible sci-fi fantasy film about Mars. Accordingly, 1990’s “Total Recall” is available on Netflix.
-By Kevin Michael Kramer
