The Mars One Project -‐ Life on Mars? ADRIANA MARAIS “You want to move to Mars… are you crazy?” NASA/JPL Mars One concept To establish a human colony on Mars by 2025 Bas Lansdorp and Arno Wielder founded the non-‐proﬁt group in 2011 Mars One concept It is a one-‐way trip “Earth return vehicles that can take oﬀ from Mars are currently unavailable …” -‐ www.mars-‐one.com (2014) “… it would be almost impossible to readjust to Earth's much stronger gravity.” -‐ Bas Lansdorp, BBC News (2013) Mars One concept 6 BILLION DOLLARS US -‐ The es^mated cost of ge_ng the ﬁrst 4 there -‐  Bill Gates is currently worth 76 billion USD! Mars One concept Funded by a global reality-‐TV media event -‐ 2009-‐2012: Olympic marke^ng revenue > 8 billion USD -‐  Intellectual property developed for mission Mars One concept A unique model for an ambi^ous project: -‐ Selle humans on Mars in a decade -‐ Outsource all technology -‐ Fund the project through a media event www.mars-‐one.com/ Seller requirements “Astronauts must be intelligent, crea^ve, psychologically stable and physically healthy” -‐ 2014: 705 candidates remain out of ~200 000 -‐ 2016: several teams of 2 men 2 women will commence training www.mars-‐one.com/ Seller training -‐ 7 years full-‐^me training -‐ Use and repair equipment -‐ Medical training -‐ Crop cul^va^on -‐ Geology, exobiology -‐ Simula^on missions 6 par^cipants in Hawai’i Space Explora^on Analog and Simula^on Habitat spent 4 months living together in a small dome hlps://community.mars-‐one.com 705 remaining candidates … … “The audience will help select Earth’s ﬁrst ambassadors to a new planet-‐ the most important elec^on in the history of our species.” -‐ Bas Lansdorp, Space.com (2013) “You want to move to Mars… is it possible?” hlp://www.thesouthafrican.com/news/ 19-‐south-‐africans-‐on-‐shortlist-‐for-‐one-‐way-‐mission-‐to-‐mars.htm Mars Mars facts: -‐  -‐  -‐  -‐  -‐  -‐  -‐  -‐  -‐  -‐  Iron oxide colours the planet Orbital period 1.88 Earth years Solar day 24 hours, 39 minutes, and 35 seconds Distance to Earth between ~55 and ~400 million km Gravita^onal accelera^on 0.38 g Temperature range -‐143°C to 35°C (mean -‐63°C) Surface pressure 0.6% of Earth (96% CO2) No evidence of current global magne^c ﬁeld Olympus Mons volcano ~25 km Valles Marineris canyon ~4 000km long, ~7 km deep Mars One technologies The absence of a return-‐mission “Each stage of the Mars One mission plan employs exis^ng, validated and available technology.” -‐ www.mars-‐one.com (2014) Mars One technologies Space X’s Falcon Heavy is the world’s most powerful rocket “I'm hopeful we'll have Falcon Heavy cores produced approximately around the end of the year… I think it's probably going to be some^me early next year when we launch.” Space-‐X -‐ Elon Musk, CEO and chief designer Space X (2014) Mars One technologies Thales Alenia Space: poten^al transit habitat supplier -‐  Living module -‐  Lander -‐  800kg food, 3000l water, 700kg oxygen Mars One technologies Lockheed Mar^n contracted for lander Space-‐X “Landing on Mars is tremendously diﬃcult... The technology capable of landing a spacecrau carrying the weight of mul^ple humans on Mars has not yet been developed.” -‐ Ethan Siegel, theore^cal astrophysicist (2014) Mars One technologies Surrey Satellite Tech. Ltd. contracted for satellites -‐  1st satellite areosta^onary over sellement -‐  2nd satellite in orbit around Sun -‐  3-‐21 minute communica^on delays Mars One technologies Astrobo^c Tech.: poten^al rover supplier -‐  Find loca^on for sellement -‐  Transport large hardware components -‐  General assembly Mars One technologies ILC Dover: poten^al Mars suit supplier -‐  Protect from cold, low pressure & noxious atmosphere -‐  Allow sellers to work with both cumbersome construc^on materials and sophis^cated machinery Mars One technologies Solar-‐powered living unit -‐ Genera^ng energy, water and breathable air from Mar^an resources “Soil from Mar^an surface contains ~2% water by weight” -‐ Mars Curiosity Rover (2013) Mars One technologies The Living Unit is a 1000 m3 habitable living area Bryan Versteeg -‐  50m2 per seller -‐  50m2 for crops grown hydroponically with LED ligh^ng Mars One Project High radia^on exposure levels? ~400 millisieverts (mSv) (radia^on one-‐way trip) 1 hour per day outside ~ 10 mSv per year 1000 mSv (space agencies’ maximum life^me exposure) Mars One Project Source of protein? “… we have found out that the (cosmic) creatures run faster than ordinary cockroaches, and are much more energe^c and resilient.” -‐ Dmitry Atyakshin, Foton-‐M bio satellite researcher (2008) Mars One Project Footprints on the Moon are 40+ years old “You want to move to Mars… what for?” joyreactor.com/post/451423 “You want to move to Mars… what for?” hlps://readymag.com “How did early pioneers jus^fy their expedi^on to the New World? Opportunity? Curiosity? Spirit? It's no coincidence that those are the names of Mars rovers.” -‐ Kellie Gerardi, Round 2 Mars One Candidate (2014) Objec^ves of mission Extraterrestrial life Wikipedia “Extraterrestrials will be welcome in the church” -‐ Pope Francis, Interna^onal Business Times (2014) Objec^ves of mission Space is the next fron^er Na^onal Archives UK Scol expedi^on of 1911 “Explora^on is the engine that drives innova^on.” -‐ Edith Widder, CEO and Senior Scien^st at the Ocean Research & Conserva^on Associa^on (2013) Objec^ves of mission Long-‐term preserva^on of terrestrial life www.geek.com “Your life or even your species' might be owed to a restless few drawn by a craving they can hardly understand to new worlds.” -‐ Carl Sagan, Pale Blue Dot (1994) Thank you for your alen^on Thanks to my ﬁrst sponsors: The Durban Jesters Club Baobab Pictures : hlp://ndabaonline.ukzn.ac.za/UkzndabaNewsleler/NdabaOnline-‐Vol2-‐Issue6 @adrianamarais