One way program to Mars. Human colony on Mars

Events

A private organization begins to look candidates who would like to settle on Mars... forever.

The Dutch Mars One organization, which plans colonization of the Red Planet by 2023, recently published its application criteria and announced that it will finally select the first Earthlings to fly to Mars.

Colonization of Mars: selection of candidates

Who can apply for a one-way trip to the planet Mars? According to representatives of the Mars One project, any person who meets the requirements can become a marsonaut. following requirements:

Physically and mentally healthy person

Age over 18 years

Personal qualities: "hardy, easily adapts to new environments, inquisitive, creative and resourceful"

Possesses a deep understanding of the mission's purpose

Able to build and maintain healthy relationships

Possessing a penchant for introspection and the ability to trust

Candidates may be from any country in the world, but it is advisable to have basic knowledge of English. Also, everyone will have to devote 8 years of preparation for the 2023 mission.

And, given that this will be a flight without returning to Earth, perhaps a daredevil who decides on such a feat must either deeply hate planet Earth or have nothing to live for.

Mars flight program

The selection process begins in the first half of 2013. Experts and viewers of the reality show, which will talk about the preparation process, will select 6 groups of four people for the mission. Only one of these groups will travel to the Red Planet in September 2022 and settle on Mars, with other groups gradually joining them in the following years.

Participants will conduct 8 years of preparation, including mission simulations, practice in restricted environments, lessons on electronics, equipment repair, and basic medical care.

According to the Mars One project plan, reality TV will not only will help earthlings decide who will represent our planet, but will also become the main source of funding for the mission. The television show will cover the process of selection and preparation for the mission and document the lives of astronauts on Mars.

The first tests will be carried out in 2016, when rovers, equipment and power supplies will be sent to Mars.

Helpful information:

You can find useful information on the official project pages at Twitter and on Facebook.

For questions about selection and preparation, visit this page.

To receive updates about the project, fill out this form.

Project Mars 500: what will astronauts face on Mars?

Meanwhile, recently Russian space experiment Mars 500, which simulated a manned flight to Mars, revealed new challenges that Marsonauts will face.

Mars 500 is a space experiment that has been carried out under the auspices of the Russian Academy of Sciences, the European Space Agency ESA and other international partners for more than 520 days from 2010 to 2011. In the experiment, a team of six astronauts were in a confined space, simulating a mission to the Red Planet. Data was collected on their daily activities, as well as the physical and mental health of the volunteers.

Most of the time, the volunteers had limited contact with the outside world, and the complex had no windows. Was held more than 100 different experiments, and the first results of the project have recently appeared.

All crew members left the project mentally and physically healthy.

Participants' sleep time increased by more than 8 percent on average ( 35 minutes more per day)

Crew members became less active. Most participants succumbed to boredom and monotony, led a sedentary lifestyle, and moved less.

- Sleep quality varied greatly among all 6 volunteers. One participant began sleeping on a 25-hour cycle rather than a 24-hour cycle. Another slept at different times of the day, some began to sleep less and less, unlike others.

One participant developed a mild form of depression

Aspects such as radiation and the effects of reduced gravity remained unexplored. Additionally, participants knew they weren't actually on Mars, which may have had a positive effect on their mental health.

Project will create a human settlement on the red planet in 2023. It is this year that the first group, consisting of 4 people, will land on Mars. Subsequently, such groups will join the settlement every two years. Of course, a mission like Mars 1 has both opponents and supporters. Some people consider this idea an extraordinary project, created by people with great imagination and a broad outlook. Someone thinks that this is quite achievable and this project can become the brightest media event in the history of all mankind. The people of planet Earth will follow the progress of this journey.

A little about the red planet

We've already been to the moon. Mars is so far from us; no human has ever set foot on this planet. The Red Planet and Planet Earth move around the Sun in their own orbit at different speeds. Therefore, the distance from Earth to Mars changes all the time, that is, it is not fixed. Thus, the minimum distance is about 58 million km, the maximum approaches 400 million km. For comparison, the average distance from Earth to the Sun is about 150 million km, and from Mars to the Sun -228 million km.

Project Mars One developed a mission that is much simpler than previous programs for the study and development of the red planet. One of the main conditions is that the crew will settle on the planet forever, that is, there will be no way back home.

Of course, this will allow the organizers of this mission to reduce project costs and reduce technical difficulties. Perhaps the return trip home would have cost the project organizers much more. But there is another side to the coin. Returns will not be possible due to the physical condition of the participants. A long flight (about 8 months) will cause muscle and bone loss. The gravitational field of the red planet is much stronger than the gravitational field of the Earth, so astronauts will no longer be able to get used to their previous terrestrial living conditions.

Anyone can apply to participate in the project.

Candidate requirements for the Mars One project

These must be persons at least 18 years of age.
They must pursue their goals with firm determination.
Learn to build and maintain friendly relationships with people.
Be curious, have a creative approach to business.
The official language in which the settlers will communicate will be English. Although the organizers do not place any restrictions on the nationality and citizenship of participants.
The project organizers also note that the selection will not take into account whether the candidate is already a ready-made specialist, for example, a doctor, geologist or pilot; anyone who has passed the selection and subsequent eight-year training course can become a participant. The final stage of selecting the four astronauts who will be the first to land on Mars will be broadcast live on television. Organizers of Mars 1 say they have no shortage of candidates. Even before the official announcement of the project, they received thousands of letters from those wishing to travel to the red planet.

By the way, the Dutch company Mars One has already begun selecting candidates to participate in the reality show. Currently, 10,000 applications have been registered from those interested. To apply, you must send a 30-second video with a story about why you want to leave planet Earth and settle on Mars.

All selected astronauts will be divided into three camps. They will undergo training in conditions close to those on Mars.

How the Mars One project is developing

Mars One employees have already visited leading aerospace companies. During the meetings, these companies confirmed their readiness to produce all the necessary equipment. At least one potential supplier was identified for each equipment component.

Funding for the Mars One project

This project is entirely a private enterprise, that is, only private companies will participate in financing.

Plan to conquer Mars

2016 A communications satellite and resupply mission will be launched to Mars.
In 2018, a rover will be delivered to the red planet, which will determine the optimal location for the settlement.
In 2020, living quarters, life support systems, rovers and additional supplies will also be sent to Mars.
Mars rovers will prepare the settlement for the arrival of people. They will install inflatable sections of living quarters.
The first crew will go to Mars in September 2022, when all components of the settlement will be operational and will be able to provide human habitation.
In 7 months, in April 2023, humans will land on the red planet.

Undoubtedly, this will be a new giant leap for humanity and will make people's dream of exploring and conquering outer space come true. It will be an exciting experiment.

prepared the material

Darina Obukhova

Over the past two years, nearly 200,000 people from 107 countries have applied to participate in the project to colonize Mars in 2024. The Mars One mission, which does not involve returning, plans to send new participants every 2 years. Of all the applicants, only 1,058 advanced to the new qualifying stage. We talked with potential first settlers of Mars and found out why they want to fly to the Red Planet without the right of return.

Mars One

project founder: Bas Lansdorp
project start: 2011
mission: human colony on Mars

The Mars One project was founded by Dutchman Bas Lansdorp. After becoming a Master of Science in mechanical engineering, he worked for 5 years at the Delft University of Technology, then (in 2008) founded the company Ampyx Power, which was developing a new way to generate energy using wind. In 2011, he sold some shares to launch Mars One.

The rovers Opportunity and Curiosity are currently operating on Mars. which deliver to Earth photographs of relief and data on the planet’s habitability. Every year there is more and more data on Mars, making it possible to colonize the planet: wind maps, the presence of perchlorates (perchloric acid salts), soil containing nitrogen, alkali and other substances (bringing its composition closer to the earth’s soil), an ancient cold lake in a crater, whose age is 3.6 billion years. The Mars One project aims to make life on Mars a reality for humans. The approximate cost of the first expedition is $6 billion, subsequent ones - $4 billion each. The mission's founders already have significant contracts with Lockheed Martin, which designed Phoenix in 2007, and Surrey Satellite Technology. In addition, it is planned to raise funds through a crowdfunding campaign on Indiegogo, which offers bonuses for selfies and a message into space, as well as through the sale of rights to broadcast a reality show, which will begin at the stage of selecting participants.

Number of candidate applications
from different countries of the world

according to the official Mars One website

USA - 24%. India is in second place with 10% of the total number of requests, followed by: China (6%), Brazil (5%), UK (4%), Canada (4%), Russia (4%), Mexico (4%). ),

Philippines (2%), Spain (2%), Colombia (2%), Argentina (2%), Australia (1%), France (1%), Turkey (1%), Chile (1%), Ukraine ( 1%), Peru (1%), Germany (1%), Italy (1%) and Poland (1%).

Foundation of the project

Beginning of the international selection of astronauts

Start of preparation and training of selected candidates

2018

Launch of demo mission and communications satellite

Sending a research rover to Mars

Delivery of two residential blocks to Mars, two life support units and two power supply units

The rover sets up an outpost before the humans arrive, activates life support and energy supply units

2024

Launch of the first manned spacecraft with four astronauts on board

Disembarkation of the first group of people to create a settlement on Mars

Sending the next group of people (4 people), new modules, all-terrain vehicles
and other equipment

Criticism Mars One

Criticism of Mars one is mainly related to the technical and financial feasibility of the project. In 2012, Wired magazine, as part of an article on the most daring private space exploration initiatives, rated the credibility of the mission as only 2 points out of 10.

Rown Joseph, who in 2010 simultaneously developed his own marketing campaign, as well as branding, a candidate screening program and the financial side of a colony on Mars, calls Mars One nothing less than a scam: “They have no spaceship, no space port, no launch complexes - it’s scam and deception."

Chris Welch director of master's programs at the International Space University, stated that "even without taking into account the potential discrepancy between the project's revenues and its costs and questions about its long-term viability, the Mars One plans do not demonstrate a deep enough understanding of the problem to give us confidence that the project will be in able to fulfill my ambitious schedule.”

Space tourist Richard Garriott expressed: “There are many projects with viable start-up plans. But it’s not enough to just raise money to be able to do this.”

Robert Zubrin, an advocate for manned Mars exploration and founder of the Mars Society, also expressed skepticism about the mission's financial estimates, expecting that Mars One's proposed business plan would not cover its costs. Even based on the most optimistic calculations, this kind of program will not cost 6 or 10 billion, but several hundred billion dollars, and its development will take decades.

We met with potential participants in the Mars One program.

Mikhail Rumyantsev

24 years old, physicist,
works as a programmer, Minsk

Did you have an interest in Mars before starting the Mars One project? How did you find out about the project and did you immediately decide to apply?

My interest in Mars is based on my fascination with new technologies.
Mars is the most tangible target for astronautics. This is a planet with resources that can be colonized.

There is known skepticism from some space agencies about the mission. There is an opinion that there is no technology for the existence of a colony yet. What do you think about it?

The point is that Mars One is based on technologies that already exist. Delivering people will be little different from delivering Curiosity. Long-standing NASA projects failed because at that time there was no technology to implement them. Now the organizers' attention is focused on 2018 - then they plan to send a drone that will choose a place to build a colony. It must be a place where there is water to reduce dependence on the Earth. The colonizers will have to develop and expand the built complex. The problem is to reduce the weight of the landing module in order to reduce fuel consumption, and therefore financial costs.

Soil research is being actively carried out on Mars. The latter were associated with a lake in a crater near the Curiosity base site. How do you see the resource potential of Mars? How will the colony be provided for?

the presence of life on Mars is an open question, to which the mission will provide an answer. Of course, the presence of water indicates that some form of life may have existed. Water on Mars is the same as on Earth, only in solid form, there may be a different tritium content ( superheavy hydrogen). I think that it can be used for technical purposes - for example, for taking a shower. As for food, at the initial stages you will need to bring it with you. Later - I see huge potential in 3D printing. This is the ability to create simple parts for equipment. I believe that someday there will be Internet on Mars. Already at this stage it will be possible to build a closed biological system in which water reproduction will reach 95%. It is also important that the initial settlement will be slightly recessed below the surface. It is important to provide protection from radiation, since Mars has a weak atmosphere.

Motivation and ability to work are most important
in Group. I have enough motivation.
I believe that people are capable of anything for a purpose.

What was included in the first tests?

There was a huge questionnaire that took me several hours to fill out. For example, the question: “How do you feel about the fact that you will never see your loved ones?” The first selection eliminated those who were romantic about the project. Also, technical education is a priority - not so much a formal one, but a way of thinking. Now you will need to undergo a medical examination.

The list of required qualities for a mission participant on the project website includes stability, creativity, adaptability, and the ability to joke. Which ones are your strong point?

The most important thing is the ability to work in a group and motivation. I have enough motivation. This is an opportunity to become part of a turning point project in human history. The final four will be people who can exist without conflict. They will be trained in a Mars-like environment - in Antarctica, in the desert. I believe that people are capable of anything for a purpose. In Mars One, it is not the individual that is important, but teamwork.

Photographer: Sergey Gudilin

How do you see your contribution to the mission?

This will be a research contribution - an analysis of the resources of Mars, its past. There will be unique conditions for people to interact - a new challenge. Colonization of space is inevitable, someday the Sun will go out, this is a natural stage in the evolution of a star. It won't be easy for anyone, but it's worth overcoming. The idealistic goal is to create a society, although in the initial stages creating a family will be impossible, for example, pregnancy in conditions of gravity different from Earth's has not been studied.

What do you see as the main potential of Mars One? Is this more of a reality show, an exploration, or truly a future place to live?

There is still a long way to go until the final stage, but I really hope that everything will work out. The main problem is financing; the mission will cost more than the announced 6 billion. The TV show model is good for monetization - the rights to broadcast the Olympics cost 20 billion, for example. I heard that the Mars One reality will be run by John de Mol, the creator of Big Brother. Bas Lansdorp is a very competent manager: contracts have already been concluded with serious sponsors.

Such missions will allow humanity to change its priorities. For example, the project’s campaign is currently not collecting the required amount on Indiegogo, but a new gadget for the iPhone is. People should think not only about how to buy a new device, but also how to make their life better. Starting with not throwing garbage on the street and parking in the designated places, and ending with solving global problems. The development of technology is ahead of the development of social consciousness. Mars One is a case where I put public interests above my own personal ones.

Artyom Goncharov

22 years old, engineer, Voronezh

“I read an article about the project back in 2011. I immediately wrote to the organizers, but they replied that everything was at the preparation stage and we should wait. I think that the final four will be people from different continents - two Americans or Russians will not be there. The main goal of the mission is to colonize other planets and create settlements. I think that Mars is suitable for life: the atmosphere protects people, there is a magnetic field. I think the equator will be chosen for the colony - during the day the temperature there is up to +30, at night up to –99. It will be possible to cope with technical means. I think that initial research will be aimed at how best to obtain water, oxygen, and equip the colony. Mars One succeeded in raising interest in space in a way that the government failed to do. If it doesn't exist, a similar project will appear. I think the final outcome depends on finances and the decision of some international organization. But sending people is inevitable. Even in the 70s, the USSR had a project for an interplanetary spacecraft, which was planned to be sent to Mars together with people.”

Alexey Kozhukhovsky

20 years old, Krasnoyarsk

“I became interested in Mars after reading the novel War of the Worlds.
I like that this is a mission without return: not just to fly back and forth, but to colonize another planet. The most rational way out is not to wait for terraforming, but to organize a colony on Mars in the near future and develop it. Gradually increasing the population, it will be possible to place production facilities that will emit greenhouse gases into the atmosphere, then plant microorganisms: some are capable of not only surviving, but also giving birth to offspring in the Martian atmosphere. The primary purpose of the mission is research."

Alexey Isaiko

35 years old, consultant in the field of television technology support, Moscow

“The beauty of the project is that all the technologies for its implementation are already available today. The only thing that can happen is their reduction in price or improvement. There was life on Mars, here I agree with Robert Zubrin: the ocean existed for a billion years. My goal in the project is knowledge, the opportunity to realize myself. The main potential is to create a future place to live. I have children, but at the time of the mission they will be 20 years old. I hope that Mars One will allow us to communicate with them, despite physical distances.”

Yulia Yaglova

37 years old, sales manager,
Ekaterinburg

“My favorite childhood book is “I'll Return in 1000 Years.” Soviet science fiction about a camp in which people of different professions from all over the world are preparing to become colonists on a distant planet. Mars One is a chance to make your dream come true. My most important skill is working in a team. The colonists will live in a narrow world and it is necessary that they do not kill each other, but work effectively. I have experience managing people of different ages and effectively organizing work.

Next year there will be a simulation of isolation - 50-60 people will be sent to a confined space for three months. 24 of them will undergo 10 years of training. For me, an expedition is a chance to live two different ones in one physical life. With 10 years of preparation, I will be able to live out my earthly life at an accelerated pace. In life on Mars, I set research tasks: I wonder how the functioning of the brain will change. In my free time, I want to work there writing music, programming, algorithms - things that there is not enough time for on Earth.”

An interesting project called Mars One plans to populate the planet with people.

The plan is to send a crew of four people on a journey for 7 months, then send a new team, and so every two years new people will join the settlement.

The first settlement is planned to be created in April 2023, and by 2033, more than 20 people will live and work on Mars.

The Mars One project team has been working on this plan since early 2011. In that first year, extensive and exhaustive research was carried out into the feasibility of the idea, all details were studied with numerous specialists and expert organizations. This analysis not only included technical elements, but also comprehensively discussed financial, psychological and ethical aspects.

Mars One has an impressive list of people who support the mission to Mars. One of them is Professor Dr. Gerard Hooft, physicist and Nobel Prize winner in 1999.

2011

In 2011, members of the Mars One project worked on the mission privately. Once the mission was planned, Mars One contacted suppliers of the necessary components. All potential suppliers were excited about the apolitical, commercial, manned mission to Mars and confirmed their ability to produce components as needed.

2013

This will be the year in which the selection of astronauts begins. Who will be one of the first four people on Mars and of those who will follow them every two years after that? Anyone who feels they can handle this task can apply for this position. There will be a total of 40 astronauts there. From those wishing to fly, the strongest physically and mentally will be selected.

Mars One will build a replica of a Martian desert settlement on Earth to train astronauts and provide a realistic environment to test equipment. The selection of astronauts and their training at the simulated Mars base will be broadcast on television and online for public viewing.

2014

This will be the year in which preparations for the support mission begin. And it will last until the launch in 2016. Production of the first Martian communications satellites will also begin. (Photo: Surrey Satellite Technology)

2016

The support mission will be launched to Mars in January 2016. The module will land on the Red Planet in October 2016 with a cargo of 2,500 kg of food or other materials. The landing will be made not far from the place where the outpost is supposed to be located.

2018

A rover will land on Mars in 2018. While the general location of the base will be known, the rover's task will be to find the best location in that area.

2021

In 2021, all components of the settlement will reach their destination. In general, these will be two residential modules, two life support modules, a second support module, and a second rover. Two rovers will transport all the components to the found base location and prepare them for the arrival of the astronauts.

2022

All the water and oxygen to create the atmosphere will be ready in early 2022, when the Earth crew gets the go-ahead to launch the first team. Each component of the transport ship will be launched into low Earth orbit, where they will be assembled together. September 14, 2022 will go down in history as the start of the flight of the first four astronauts after the last check. Each stage of this flight will be available for viewing on the project website 24/7.

2023

The astronauts will land in 2023 and become the first people in history to set foot on Mars. They will connect all the settlement modules together using rovers. They will then install solar panels and begin their great exploration of Mars, their new planet.

2025

The second group will land in June 2025. By the time they arrive, the construction of the Martian base will already be completed. The second group will also bring new equipment. For example, these could be several more rovers that will help them explore their new planet.

Is it possible for astronauts to have children on Mars?

In the early years, a settlement on Mars will not be a good place for children to live. The choice of medical facilities will be limited and the group will be too small. In addition, the human ability to reproduce in low gravity conditions is unknown, and there is not enough research on whether a fetus can grow and develop normally in such conditions. Therefore, Mars One strongly recommends that residents of the settlement not try to have children.

In order to create a real Martian colony, having children is very important. This will be an important moment in exploration on Mars.

An interesting project called Mars One plans to populate the planet with people.
The plan is to send a crew of four people on a journey for 7 months, then send a new team, and so every two years new people will join the settlement.
The first settlement is planned to be created in April 2023, and by 2033, more than 20 people will live and work on Mars.

Chronology
2011
In 2011, members of the Mars One project worked on the mission privately. Once the mission was planned, Mars One contacted suppliers of the necessary components. All potential suppliers were excited about the apolitical, commercial, manned mission to Mars and confirmed their ability to produce components as needed.

2013
This will be the year in which the selection of astronauts begins. Who will be one of the first four people on Mars and of those who will follow them every two years after that? Anyone who feels they can handle this task can apply for this position. There will be a total of 40 astronauts there. From those wishing to fly, the strongest physically and mentally will be selected.
Mars One will build a replica of a Martian desert settlement on Earth to train astronauts and provide a realistic environment to test equipment. The selection of astronauts and their training at the simulated Mars base will be broadcast on television and online for public viewing.

2014
This will be the year in which preparations for the support mission begin. And it will last until the launch in 2016. Production of the first Martian communications satellites will also begin. (Photo: Surrey Satellite Technology)

2016
The support mission will be launched to Mars in January 2016. The module will land on the Red Planet in October 2016 with a cargo of 2,500 kg of food or other materials. The landing will be made not far from the place where the outpost is supposed to be located.

2018
A rover will land on Mars in 2018. While the general location of the base will be known, the rover's task will be to find the best location in that area.

2021
In 2021, all components of the settlement will reach their destination. In general, these will be two residential modules, two life support modules, a second support module, and a second rover. Two rovers will transport all the components to the found base location and prepare them for the arrival of the astronauts.

2022
All the water and oxygen to create the atmosphere will be ready in early 2022, when the Earth crew gets the go-ahead to launch the first team. Each component of the transport ship will be launched into low Earth orbit, where they will be assembled together. September 14, 2022 will go down in history as the start of the flight of the first four astronauts after the last check. Each stage of this flight will be available for viewing on the project website 24/7.

2023
The astronauts will land in 2023 and become the first people in history to set foot on Mars. They will connect all the settlement modules together using rovers. They will then install solar panels and begin their great exploration of Mars, their new planet.

2025
The second group will land in June 2025. By the time they arrive, the construction of the Martian base will already be completed. The second group will also bring new equipment. For example, these could be several more rovers that will help them explore their new planet.

Is it possible for astronauts to have children on Mars?
In the early years, a settlement on Mars will not be a good place for children to live. The choice of medical facilities will be limited and the group will be too small. In addition, the human ability to reproduce in low gravity conditions is unknown, and there is not enough research on whether a fetus can grow and develop normally in such conditions. Therefore, Mars One strongly recommends that residents of the settlement not try to have children.
In order to create a real Martian colony, having children is very important. This will be an important moment in exploration on Mars.