Mars, here we come - Deccan Chronicle

At its closest alignment with Earth, Mars is 56 million km away. That's a journey of at least nine months and over 6,000 hours. There's no natural daylight, no natural foods and, in fact, no natural anything for earthlings. And, at least for volunteers of the Mars One project, there's no coming back - ever. So, whose idea was this? To send a 'colonising' team of four humans on a voluntary one-way trip to the Red Planet? Meet Dutch entrepreneur Bas Lansdorp, CEO of Mars One, non-profit initiative. "The images of Mars' surface taken by the Sojourner rover in 1997 made me want to go there. I was a student at the time and since then, I have been exploring the idea during the years that followed. I then sold part of my shares in my previous company to finance the start-up of Mars One." Seems crazy? No. Over 8,000 Indians have replied positively to Mars One's call. Mars One officials also claim they're receiving thousands of dollars in funding. Praveen Sake, a 28-year-old techie from Hyderabad is one of the mission hopefuls. He seems completely prepared to take off from Earth in 2023 (mission date). "My application was born out of my special interest in aviation and astronautics. Also, I'm well aware of the fact that applicants will be subjected to extreme pressure. But given the fact that you will be part of a pioneering group to reach and land on Mars, and explore life (if any), that in itself is enough to motivate me," Sake says. He also doesn't plan on missing people back home. "By the time we are selected for the mission (seven years in training), we will be way past home sickness. And, on a positive note, each astronaut will still be able to access the Internet (delayed by 20 mins). So, though it's not quite practical to have a video chat, you still have the option of email exchanges with dear ones." The ultimate aim of Mars One is to completely colonise the Red planet. Initially, four people will be sent from Earth. If the mission is successful (and there's still someone answering the phone), Mars One will continue sending four more volunteers every two years. The humans, after reaching Mars, will have to struggle all day long to gather basic necessities - food and water. They are not going to be carrying raw materials for any of these from Earth. They must but plan to extract it from the dunes of Mars. But it has to be noted that Mars One plans to transport rations for the first four 'Farmernauts' - but, later, they'll have to live off the soil. All that sweat in the spacesuit has not deterred 22-year-old Coimbatore 'astronaut', Rajkamal Mohanram, much. "Why wouldn't I grab the chance? This is a one-time opportunity. For a mission this big, giving up everything is a worthy sacrifice. Even if we do not find any life on Mars, it will still be the first step towards expanding the human race to other parts of the Solar system." Another Hyderabadi Kota Anwesh Reddy, has packed his bags because "It's permanently away from home." "I have a dream of landing on Mars because I want to be among the first batch to humans on the planet. It is a one-way trip and permanently away from home. Also, I like to take challenges," reads his application. Meanwhile, Goutham Mannuru, a trainee pilot from Chennai, adds a celebrity angle too. "After applying, I realised they're also planning a reality show. And that the project is selling t-shirts and coffee mugs. People are mostly applying for fun but very few must have applied to serve the cause. I have applied to serve the cause," he said. A very positive Goutham has already announced on Facebook that he's working for Mars One. The reality show part is actually true. With mission costs reaching $6billion, Bas plans to make a reality show out of the trip. Every minute of the 'Farmernaut's lives will be streamed on TV for Earth to watch. And now, comes the final question. Why would anyone leave their homes, family, the country and the planet on a one-way trip across Space? Dr K. Prashant, a psychologist at Yashoda Hospital at Somajiguda, makes a point. "There are two sets of people in this. The first are those, who seek demographic changes. Like the one's who say: 'Bengaluru was better than Hyderabad, Mumbai is better than Hyderabad...' and when they finally tire off trying all the streets and states, they move out. The second set are the explorers, like Christopher Columbus - the risk takers, the adventurers. They are opening a new frontier. For them, life is experiential, more than a lesson." But personally, I would ask myself this: "Those who are going will be the 'seeds' or the first humans there, if it really does happen. Are they the type of people we want representing our entire race?" Well, like the mission itself, it could be too early to start asking these questions. But Dr Prashant did bring up a point. Five hundred years ago, the new world was discovered after Columbus stood on the shores of Spain and called for volunteers - to make four different voyages across the Atlantic. Some might have called Columbus crazy. But he did find land. MARS ONE MISSION Only 4 aspirants out of the millions who had applied will take off to Mars. This group of 4 will leave Earth in 2023, after going through rigorous training for years to adapt themselves to the harsh conditions of the Red Planet. If the mission is 3 successful, Mars One will send 4 people every two years, to the planet. MARS POINTERS Like Earth, Mars has four seasons. This is due to the fact the Mars' axis is titled away from the sun. Mars' atmosphere comprises 95% carbon dioxide, 3% nitrogen, 1.6% argon and trace amounts of water and oxygen. The fact about Mars having water is confirmed. There have been observations by the NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter of flowing water during the summer time on Mars. via Science - Google News http://news.google.com/news/url?sa=t&fd=R&usg=AFQjCNGUPClv7Eol8k1OqXAskGGRYSZCBw&url=http://www.deccanchronicle.com/130908/lifestyle-offbeat/article/mars-here-we-come

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