Comments on: Cantonment Teacher Is Finalist For Trip To Mars

By: Joshua Atkins

Joshua Atkins — Tue, 08 Apr 2014 20:34:17 +0000

I had Mr. O as my science teacher back in 1994. His hair was a little darker back then, but he hasn’t changed.
In fact, that classroom looks exactly the same as when I was there! Crazy town banana pants.

Anyway, here’s to Mr. O in space! I still remember Bernoulli’s Principle!! GO O!

By: Rachel's Mom

Rachel's Mom — Wed, 22 Jan 2014 06:56:30 +0000

Ohhh , Just came across this and many of my kids Had Mr .O , What a wonderful teacher who made learning fun and smart too, kids who wanted to buy him a Christmas Gift , He said bring me toilet paper – lol – Im sure this man hasn’t had to buy paper in 15 years – Love it !!!
Support Mr. O and share this post – sincerely hoping he get this adventure of a lifetime !!!

By: perdido fisherman

perdido fisherman — Wed, 15 Jan 2014 05:27:40 +0000

Dlo, this does not compare to the ISS in any way shape or form. The ISS has regular supply ships servicing them and this mars thing is to be totally self sufficient. Some of the technology exist but we are still a loooong ways away from where these folks will need to be to sustain themselves. Also, the moon landing was a planned round trip operation. This is a one way trip. I bet not one of the planners or people paying for this trip will be going along because they know it is a suicide trip and lets face it. thats going to be the face of reality tv in the near future. They can’t wait to show death as it happens on television. People are getting more and more callous with other peoples lives. I would bet money some would love to have a real hunger games on tv.

By: LEO GUY

LEO GUY — Wed, 15 Jan 2014 03:58:40 +0000

That private Dutch firm is a reality television show. Look it up.

By: David Huie Green

David Huie Green — Wed, 15 Jan 2014 00:31:16 +0000

DLo,
Let us hope so.
David for longevity

By: DLo

DLo — Tue, 14 Jan 2014 23:19:54 +0000

David
I don’t dispute any of that, and I am not saying that they will raise the astronomical amount of money it will take, or if they do if they will be successful. I agree that the margin for error on something like this is almost nonexistent. It would be the most ambitious undertaking, possibly in human history. But the technology for everything they are trying to accomplish exists now, we have successfully landed on Mars, we have been able to keep people alive and healthy on the ISS for extended amounts of time, and there is gravity on the surface of Mars, just about a third of the Earth’s gravity. My problem is with the dismissal of the idea as fantasy, for whatever reason. I firmly believe that I will live to see humans on the surface of Mars, whether this project gets off the ground or not.

By: David Huie Green

David Huie Green — Tue, 14 Jan 2014 14:34:05 +0000

DLo,
The reasons to doubt the success are several.
Interplanetary radiation does much biological damage over time.
Even when they land, they will basically still be exposed to outer space radiation with 1% atmospheric shielding.
Weightlessness causes muscular and bone weakening.
Previous attempts to survive in a closed environment failed.
If they forget some essential item, they will be dead ere it reaches them.
With an atmosphere basically a weak vacuum, they will need space suits to move around.
Clothes wear out; when those clothes protect you from vacuum, failure is unpleasant.
Even if they grow their own crops, crops fail.
Lifting any mass into space is energy and money demanding.
Carelessness kills.
There is little margin of error

By: DLo

DLo — Tue, 14 Jan 2014 12:48:06 +0000

So the Dutch live in a fantasy world too? ;- ])

You are aware we have sent spacecraft to Mars, right. We successfully landed space crafts on the surface and deployed remote control rovers, several, that explored and took samples. The Russians landed the first spacecraft on Mars in 1971. Why would it be fantasy to imagine that you could man a flight to Mars, especially when you cut out the cost and logistics of having to make a return trip. I’m fairly certain this is the same type of thing that people said before the first manned moon landing.

By: Space Punk

Space Punk — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 20:22:48 +0000

In the year 2025, there will be RETURN trips… and there will be a Grocery Store very close – time wise

By: d.b.

d.b. — Mon, 13 Jan 2014 20:14:39 +0000

o.k. bro.here is food for thought…
supposedly it takes about 210 days to get to mars from whichever side of earth they get trajected from. not sure about the claustrophobic aspect of being in a very small unit for 210 days and not being able to move around much (if they are not going to be asleep for that long). also, who says their transit unit won’t be hit by a meteor or comet while on their 210 day very, very long journey! oops! ha! he has 2 children. if i were a father i’d like to know what my grand kids were like if or when i had them! once you get trajected, there is no coming back…at all. (now, if they were to send a piggy back transit vehicle along with them, that would be the ticket back to the first transit habitat and then they could switch places with another crew that just got into orbit. don’t know why they don’t think of that?) oh well. what ever. i believe all of the applicants have the ability to back out at the last moment and the people funding the mission has the ability to say who can and can’t go at the last minute. it makes my head spin just thinking about it all!!