MarsOne
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Mars One is dead
The company that aimed to put humanity on the red planet has met an unfortunate, but wholly-expected end. Mars One Ventures, the for-profit arm of the Mars One mission was declared bankrupt back in January, but wasn't reported until a keen-eyed Redditor (and a Swiss newspaper) found the listing. It was the brainchild of Dutch entrepreneur Bas Lansdorp, previously the founder of green energy company Ampyx Power. Lansdorp's aim was to start a company that could colonize one of our nearest neighbors.
The app promising to make anyone an astronaut
Every kid dreams of becoming an astronaut, of exploring what lies beyond our planet out there in the unknown. It's a romantic notion, but something few ever achieve. The growth of the private space industry in recent times has made it seem all the more attainable, however. Under current projections, SpaceX, Blue Origin and Virgin Galactic will start taking space tourists on trips next year, perhaps even earlier. Naturally, seats on these craft are reserved for the extremely wealthy right now, but there could be another way. Space Nation is a company that's promising anyone can become an astronaut, irrespective of how deep their pockets are. And all you need to do to become a viable candidate is to play a bunch of mobile minigames.
Researchers grow crops in simulated Martian and Lunar soil
Researchers from the Dutch Wageningen University and Research Center announced on Tuesday that they had successfully cultivated 10 food crops in soil that simulates what astronauts would encounter both on the Moon and on Mars. The team managed to harvest tomatoes, peas, rye, garden rocket, radish and garden cress -- a much better result than the team's initial experiments in 2015 which saw only a few individual plants even germinate.
Citizen Mars: the bonus bits
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-942801{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-942801, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-942801{width:630px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-942801").style.display="none";}catch(e){} The Mars One candidates have a single goal: to help establish the first human settlement on the Red Planet. Over the course of five episodes, we've seen them weigh up what it takes to become a Mars One astronaut and the costs of leaving everyone and everything behind. Now, in these bonus clips, they're asked how they would face some particularly challenging situations in their new Martian habitat.
Las Vegas bets that SpaceX will make it to Mars before NASA
NASA may believe that it'll be the first to land humans on Mars, but don't tell that to Las Vegas betting houses. Popular Mechanics has asked Docsports' Raphael Esparza to set odds for the first organization to put people on Mars, and he believes that SpaceX stands a much better chance of reaching the Red Planet (5 to 1) than anyone else, including NASA (80 to 1). To put it bluntly, SpaceX has the money and the motivation that others don't -- NASA would be the favorite, but its budget cuts are holding it back.
Citizen Mars, Episode Five: the future is closer than you think
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-878529{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-878529, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-878529{width:629px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-878529").style.display="none";}catch(e){} There are plenty of reasons why people should be skeptical of Mars One's ability to establish a colony on the Red Planet. The science is doubtful, it needs aerospace companies to commit to the project and it will require billions of dollars in funding -- money that simply isn't there yet. Despite all the technological and financial hurdles, a Martian colony is going to happen -- and sooner than anyone realises. The only question is: What comes next?
Citizen Mars, Episode Four: The detachment of attachment
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-907521{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-907521, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-907521{width:629px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-907521").style.display="none";}catch(e){} Sue Ann, Mido, Adriana, Shradha and Pietro have made their decision -- they want to help establish the first human colony on Mars. They know it's a mission from which they won't return, but that doesn't make it any easier for friends and family to accept. For some, what's less difficult is other people. Sue Ann admits she doesn't want kids. Adriana says she's a robot. Will the future will be conquered by those with the fewest attachments to human beings?
'Citizen Mars,' Episode 3: the lives they leave behind
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-189518{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-189518, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-189518{width:629px;display:block;} If everything goes to plan, the first Mars One probe will touch down on the red planet sometime around 2018 to 2020. Two years later, it'll then start scouting for potential colony sites. In 2022, life support systems and other essential equipment will be sent to Mars ahead of the first manned mission. Sue Ann, Mido, Adriana, Shradha and Pietro are doing what they can to be ready for blastoff knowing they won't return. try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-189518").style.display="none";}catch(e){}The most difficult thing about going away forever is leaving behind the world they know: a dinner party with friends, a game of soccer, a hike through Griffith Park.
'Citizen Mars,' Episode 2: What makes a Mars One astronaut?
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-423531{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-423531, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-423531{width:629px;display:block;} In episode two of our original Citizen Mars series, the five candidates we're following dive deeper into one of the big questions of the Mars One project: What drives a person to sign up for a one-way trip into space? Adriana, Mido, Sue Ann, Shradha and Pietro show why they are willing candidates for a dangerous mission, and the downsides of potentially leaving everything behind. As it turns out, a desire to explore is just the start.
'Citizen Mars,' Episode 1: Meet the people fighting to colonize the red planet
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-928939{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-928939, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-928939{width:629px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-928939").style.display="none";}catch(e){} Sending a rover to Mars was hard, but putting humans on the surface of our nearest planetary neighbour? Until now that's been in the realm of science fiction. But for the Mars One Foundation, it's more than just a distant dream. The Dutch nonprofit has launched a multi-billion dollar project to establish a permanent human settlement on the planet by 2027. Mars One certainly has its skeptics, who question whether its ambitions are scientifically and technologically feasible, and also whether the foundation will receive the financing that it needs.
'Citizen Mars': five ordinary people, one extraordinary mission
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-928939{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-928939, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-928939{width:629px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-928939").style.display="none";}catch(e){} More than two years ago, Mars One began its search to find those it would send on a one-way trip to the red planet. In the time since, plenty of questions have been asked about the organization and its plans to colonize a world 140 million miles away. Will we have the technology and scientific know-how to deliver four humans safely to the Martian surface by 2027? Can those people build a sustainable settlement so far from Earthly aid? What are the psychological and physical tolls of both the six-month trip and the ensuing mission? Can a reality TV show actually pay for it all? Despite those and other questions, people from around the world pledged their time and money to Mars One for the opportunity to go on its mission. Earlier this year, the pool of applicants seeking to live and die on Mars (starting in 2027) was whittled down to a group of 100. Citizen Mars is a five-part series about a group of those would-be astronauts.
'Citizen Mars': the story of five people and a one-way trip to the red planet
#fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-351169{display:none;} .cke_show_borders #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-351169, #postcontentcontainer #fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-351169{width:570px;display:block;} try{document.getElementById("fivemin-widget-blogsmith-image-351169").style.display="none";}catch(e){} You've heard about Mars One. We've spoken to its CEO and co-founder. And, plenty of ink's been spilled on the project due to the unanswered questions regarding its scientific, technological and financial feasibility. The concerns don't end there, either. Traveling to Mars is an incredibly lengthy and dangerous endeavor, and it's unclear how the crew will deal with the social and psychological stresses inherent to the mission. There are those who believe Mars One is preying upon the largesse of its backers and would-be colonists. Who would, despite such questions, still dedicate themselves to Mars One and the dream of walking on another planet? Citizen Mars tells the story of five such individuals. The five-part series premieres on Engadget September 1st.
In Mars One we trust
Mars One promises to send humans on a one-way trip to the red planet, with the intent to colonize, by 2027. Once the first four people leave Earth for Mars, there's no turning back, no panic button, no chance to return home. This aspect of the trip isn't just for drama -- it's a core tenet of Mars One's technical feasibility. CEO Bas Lansdorp believes that it's possible, using current technology, to land and sustain human life on Mars. But the systems that would power a human settlement on an alien planet are ridiculously complex. They're so complicated that Lansdorp isn't yet sure what they will actually be. This lack of ready research has mired Mars One in controversy, thanks to a recent one-two credibility punch: First, a 2014 research paper from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology concludes that the program is not realistic. Second, a series of articles for Matter magazine calls into question the feasibility of Mars One financially, scientifically and ethically. Still, Lansdorp promises to send humans to live on Mars, but he can't yet say how. He wants the world to trust him.
Here's why people are volunteering for a one-way trip to Mars
If you've heard about the Mars One mission, you've probably had one overriding question: what the hell would prompt someone to volunteer for a one-way trip to another planet? Thanks to The Guardian, we now have a clearer answer. The news outlet has just published If I Die on Mars, a documentary that asks three Mars One finalists why they're willing to leave Earth (and everyone they know) behind. In short, they have little to lose and a lot to gain. None of the three candidates has a romantic attachment, and they all feel that they're achieving a higher purpose by settling a distant world. That common response won't be very reassuring to their families, but it does help make sense of a seemingly irrational desire for interplanetary travel.
A colony on Mars will be the 'next giant leap for mankind'
Bas Lansdorp, CEO and co-founder of Mars One, is nothing if not ambitious. His dream is the stuff of science fiction -- not only does he want to put humans on Mars in 2025, but he wants to leave them there to establish a self-sufficient settlement. And he plans to fund the enterprise, in part, by televising everything from pre-mission training to daily life on the Red Planet. Or as much as the colonists want us to see, anyway, as they'll ultimately be in control. As you can imagine, he's a pretty interesting guy to talk to, which is why we were psyched to have him on the Engadget Expand stage to articulate his vision, and what he hopes it'll mean for humanity.
More to expect at our free Engadget Expand event in NYC!
If you're keeping score, we've announced a bunch of great speakers heading to this year's Engadget Expand (such as RJD2 and the head of DARPA, Arati Prabhakar). Of course there's plenty more where that came from and we're excited to announce what else you'll see at the Javits Center on November 7-8 in New York City!
Unmanned Mars One mission to blast off with experiments (and ads) in tow
Mars One announced sometime ago that it plans to scope things out with an unmanned mission before it ships off humans to the red planet in 2025. Today, the non-profit org has finally revealed that mission's details, and by the looks of it, the unmanned spacecraft could very well carry advertisements to space. Mars One says the vehicle will have seven payloads in all, four of which are scientific experiments that'll help determine if a human settlement can thrive on the planet by 2025. These payloads include a liquid extractor that'll attempt to extract water from Martian soil collected by the another payload. There's also a thin-film solar panel to test if the sun can provide all the energy needs of a human settlement, and a camera system that the org will use to get a live feed of Mars 24/7.
Mars One expedition whittles down its applicant pool to just over 1,000
Apparently, over 200,000 people applied for Mars One's mission to permanently leave Earth -- and while there's room to spare on the Martian plains, moving that many humans off-planet simply isn't feasible. The outfit culled that initial pool to 1,058 candidates, and emailed them to say that they'd made it past the first round of (many) cuts for the one-way mission. These remaining astronaut-hopefuls will undergo a battery of team-based training and simulations on Earth to separate the weak links, shrinking the ranks even further. When exactly those trials are going to take place hasn't been determined yet: Mars One says it needs to sort out its broadcast TV-rights first. After all, inter-planetary travel isn't cheap.
Mars One to send unmanned probe to Mars, broadcast mission live on earth in 2018
Sending humans to Mars is a multi-step process, and today, the Mars One project -- you know, the folks who aim to colonize the Red Planet and fund the mission, in part, by televising the whole thing -- has outlined its plans for a preliminary mission to check things out before shooting folks into space. It's partnered up with long time aerospace contractor Lockheed Martin and European satellite firm SSTL to send an unmanned probe to Mars in 2018. Lockheed will provide a mission concept study to update its Phoenix lander that went to the fourth rock from the sun back in 2008, while SSTL is going to figure out how to build a communications relay satellite system capable of sending live broadcasts of the probe's doings back to earth. The lander will be equipped to test out technologies needed to make human settlement possible, but part of its mission is currently undefined. You see, Mars One is going to hold a contest next year, soliciting ideas from university and school-age students as to what types of other activities the probe should perform. Additionally, the plan is for the public to help direct the lander, too -- those who back the Mars One project on Indiegogo will get to vote on some mission decisions down the line. Oh, and if you were planning to be among the first wave of settlers when the manned missions start, you'll have to wait an extra two years, as that launch date's been pushed back to 2025.
Alt-week 5.4.13: Atacama's mystery skeleton, move to Mars, and lights out for Herschel
Alt-week takes a look at the best science and alternative tech stories from the last seven days. Well, here we are. It's happening. We're officially talking about setting up a human colony on Mars. Not only is this very real, it's something you can be part of. You don't have to leave the planet to get your extra-terrestrial fix though, as our two other stories demonstrate. This is alt-week.
