For “kids” of a certain age, the ultimate dream was to be an astronaut. Space Age Whiz Kids, to borrow from Joe Walsh. We grew up in the era of space exploration. President Kennedy challenged America to put a man on the moon. The bold stretch putting men into orbit, then to lunar orbit and finally on the moon fired our imagination, peppered our conversations and, for us kids, fueled many dreams and aspirations.
As young adults, most of whom had not entered the space program, we watched in continued awe, and occasional stunned sorrow, as men and women pioneered what we were sure would be the age of space travel. The very name “Space Shuttle” implied that we would be moving people from one location, Earth, to another, off-Earth, on a regular basis. Rendezvous with orbiting crafts and, eventually, a permanent space station seemed harbingers of space industry and tourism.
So far, this has not become the reality most of us Space Age Whiz Kids envisioned. We don’t have a colony on the moon, nor George Jetson’s flying car. Yet. But we do have a chance to see Mars up close and personal. Well, maybe we do. Some of us. Two of us, to be exact, could be part of a drive to reach Mars in 2018. The Inspiration Mars Foundation is organizing the effort, and says two human inhabitants, preferably a married couple, would be on-board for the 501-day mission to Mars and back.
Lift-off is set for January 2018 to take advantage of a close passing of the planets. The ship and its occupants would travel 228 days to reach Mars, loop around the planet and slingshot back to Earth, splashing down, hopefully, 273 days later. That’s a 501 day journey. You’d better like your partner for this journey.
Artist’s rendering of the Inspiration Mars Foundation’s spacecraft for a manned fly-by mission to Mars.
Organizers say this is a very bare-bones effort, a “Lewis and Clark type expedition,” as Project Chief Technical Officer Taber MacCallum calls it. The spacecraft, which has yet to be built, will house the crew of two in 600-cubic-feet of living space. The capsule will host life-support systems similar to those used in the international space station along with, and equipment to conduct experiments and take measurements. Tight quarters.
Aside from the obvious zero-g temptations (wink wink), what will the crew be doing for those 501 days? Not flying, since there will be no propulsion system, per se. Once the ship has launched there is no turning back should something go awry. For the next year and a half, the crew will spend their days conducting experiments, taking measurements and maintaining their less-than-palatial habitat. You’d better really, REALLY like your partner.
You’d be forgiven for being a bit skeptical that this expedition will ever leave the ground. Costs are expected to be similar to what NASA has paid for the Curiosity Rover project, which hit $2.5-billion. Millionaire Dennis Tito, who paid $20-million for a trip to the International Space Station in 2001, has agreed to cover start-up costs to develop the life support and other critical systems for two years; the remainder is expected to come from private donations and sponsorships.
Provided funding can be secured, is this the type of adventure you would sign up for? The rewards would be unparalleled – you’d be the first Foursquare Check-In from Mars! – but it’s an all-or-nothing proposition with no guarantee of success, let alone survival. Then again, to some degree, risk is inherent in travel. Do you dare reach beyond the bounds of comfort, safety, sanity? Some say it’s only then that you truly experience life. Perhaps, in this age, a venture to the Red Planet may be the only way to feel a true kinship with Sir Edmund Hillary, reaching for the heavens and experiencing for the first time a truly unique view of our world and our place on it…or, in this case, off of it.
Feedback We’d love to hear your comments! Would you volunteer to be blasted to Mars, spending a year and a half with just one other human in cramped quarters? Would you be willing to undertake an adventure with high risk and now guarantee of survival, but with outstanding personal rewards? What’s the craziest / riskiest / scariest adventure you’ve had? Let us know in the comments below.
