Anyone Volunteering for a One Way Trip to Mars?

[Lisa]

I have too many medical conditions that rely on advanced technology and medication that would not be available in space or on Mars. I'll stay here, but thanks for the offer.

 

[GIJane]

It would be possible to build a permanent colony on Mars using current technology. However, it would require multiple unmanned missions to prepare the location and provide enough resources to survive a Martian year (687 Earth days long). By "prepare the location" I mean building an underground shelter. It only needs to be about a meter underground to get adequate protection from solar and cosmic radiation, but the living quarters would need to be underground. While the radiation will not kill them outright, it will certainly shorten their lives. Mars' background radiation is ~700 times that of Earth.

The location would also be dependent on where we were able to locate subsurface water, or surface ice. At only 600 pascals of atmospheric pressure, Mars is incapable of supporting liquid water on its surface. Surface ice sublimates directly into a gaseous state.

Once an adequate underground living quarters was prepared, with atmospheric and subsurface processing for fuel and the oxygen that we will require, plus 23 months of supplies and a fully fueled return rocket, then we will be ready to send a manned mission to Mars.

Mars lacks that pesky Van Allen belt.

Thank goodness for our magnetic field.