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By Liam and Dane Mars One
Mars One is a privately funded mission to colonize the red planet, founded by Bas Lansdorp and Arno Wielders. It began in 2011, and the first astronauts are scheduled to depart for Mars in 2024. In the coming years, a demonstration mission, communication satellites, two rovers and several cargo missions will be sent to Mars, so that the astronauts will already have much of what they need to establish a colony before they even arrive. The Colonization of Mars
Founders: Bas Lansdorp and Arno Wielders • Chief Medical Officer: Norbert Kraft • Director of Communications: Suzanne Flinkenflögel • Communication Specialist: Anne Boeshoten • Mission Concept artist: Bryan Versteeg • Senior Marketing Strategist: KC Frank Mars One Team
One of the biggest challenges for the developers of Mars One is the fact that no one has ever built a rocket that could carry human beings to Mars. Fortunately, Mars One will integrate the systems of successful missions that have been improved and refined in over fifty years of space flight. This will help ensure the success of the mission and the survival of the astronauts. Risks and Challenges
To launch, Mars One is going to use Space X Falcon Heavy, a type of rocket used by Space X. Test flights for the rocket will begin in 2014, so that there is plenty of time for fine-tuning. The astronauts will travel through space in the Mars Transit Vehicle, and will also use the Dragon Capsule, a type of landing capsule. To help the astronauts survive on Mars, there will be a variety of cargo carried by the rockets travelling to Mars. Some of the rockets will bring life support units that generate energy, water, and breathable air. Some will carry supply units, with food, solar panels, and spare parts. Some will carry the living units, where the astronauts will live out there day to day lives. Of course, some of the later rockets will carry humans to colonize the red planet. And lastly, some of the rockets will also carry rovers, to explore the surface of Mars. Technology
So far, more than 78,000 people have applied to travel to Mars. Every one of these people knows that if they are selected they will become the first people to step foot on Mars, and they also know they will most likely never be able to come back. Maybe eventually mankind will be able travel to Mars and back, but for now, anyone who is selected to go to Mars will never be able to return. As well, if they want to communicate with their loved ones back on Earth, it would still take 7 minutes for the message to reach them. There is an extensive training program, which every astronaut will go through and which takes eight years to complete. They will spend a few months every two years living in isolation with only three other people, so that they get used to living in close confines with only a handful of other human beings. Additionally, they will learn skills needed while on the red planet, such as physical and electrical repairs, for maintaining the settlement, and cultivating crops in confined spaces, to learn how to grow their food. They will also learn medical skills, for dealing with injuries such as broken bones, cuts, dental upkeep, and muscle tears. Astronauts
Every astronaut will have a spacious living environment, with over 50m2 for each person. The settlement will have inflatable components which contain bedrooms, working areas, a living room, and a small “plant production unit”, which will be used to grow food. They inhabitants will be able to wear regular clothes and essentially live out normal lives. They’ll grow their own food, and will be able to prepare it in the kitchen. As well, all of the units will be connected by passageways, so the colonists can move about the settlement without having to go outside. However, when the inhabitants want to go outside, they will be able to using Mars Suits. Prior to their arrival, the rovers will have already completed most of the construction, so all the colonists will have to do is smaller jobs, like setting up the wiring and installing the plumbing. What this means is that the astronauts will quickly finish the installment work, and get to valuable research and construction. By the time the second set of astronauts arrive, their will already be a working outpost on Mars, and they will be able to learn more about Mars rather than spend all their time trying to stay alive. Living on Mars
The astronauts will travel to Mars using Space X Falcon Heavy rockets, and Mars Transit Vehicles in space. They will land using Dragon Capsules, and from there will be able to begin setting up a colony. However, not all the astronauts will go at once. Every two years starting in 2024, four astronauts will make the eight month journey to Mars, and as more time passes he colony will grow larger and larger. During the eight months in space, the astronauts will spend all of their time in close confines with their fellow colonists. The astronauts will have to use wet wipes to shower, and the ship will be Spartan, with no luxuries for any of them. This is the reason for the months they spent in isolation together on Earth. The astronauts will eat freeze dried and canned food, and the flight will be extremely noisy from the ventilators and life-support. Every day, the astronauts will have to spend 3 hours working out to keep up muscle mass, and if they are hit by a solar storm, they will have to take refuge in a special area of the rocket. However, although the journey there will be challenging, and it may sound horrible, once the trip is over, they will be the first humans to step foot on Mars. Getting to Mars
