Dennis Tito To Announce Private Human Mars Mission

[longship]

1. Going to Mars is a very tough task.

Even landing safely on Mars is extremely difficult. Getting there alive is likely even more difficult. Just taking along the food and other consumables for a well over one year round trip for the crew is out of our current capabilities.

Plus, you have:

* Solar flares
* Cosmic rays
* Cosmic particles at 25,000 miles per hour.
* Long term exposure to micro gravity
* Psychological stresses from long term isolation.
* Fuel requirements for return trip likely prohibitive.
* Unknown unknowns, not listed above.

I don't see this happening that soon. The space craft would have to be large just to store the consumables and protect the astronauts from the dangers of deep space for well over a year.

We're not talking about living on the ISS, which is still in low Earth orbit and within the protection of the Van Allen belts. And we're not talking a three day trip to the moon. This is an over 500 day trip to Mars and back, where if anything goes wrong, those guys are toast.

I am sure there will plenty of volunteers, and I wish them well. But this is a very tough nut to crack. They ought to send two couples. Interpret that whatever way you want. But sex in microgravity ought to be just grand.

I am for this. I just don't see it happening that soon.