501-day round trip to Mars is dangerous, but important, says Leicester University scientist
A University of Leicester space scientist has described a proposal to send two people on a 501-day round trip to Mars as "dangerous, but important".
Scientist Dr John Bridges was commenting on American multi-millionaire Dennis Tito's plans, unveiled on Wednesday, to send the first manned rocket to Mars in January, 2018.
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Space race: An artist's impression of the spacecraft that could take a couple on a 501-day round trip to Mars in January, 2018
The independent project, called Inspiration Mars, would cost up to $2 billion (£1.32 billion), does not have funding yet. Mr Tito is searching for a middle-aged couple to be the first tourists to flyby the Red Planet.
He said the likelihood of radiation poisoning was high and the psychological effects of spending 16 months locked in a small capsule with someone meant a married, older couple would be preferential.
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Dr Bridges, who is part of the Nasa mission currently exploring Mars using the Curiosity rover, said the ambitious plan was dangerous but important for stimulating independent space exploration.
"We have never returned a spacecraft from a Mars flyby or orbit, so it would be a dangerous to start that with a manned spacecraft," said Dr Bridges. It's certainly extremely challenging and expensive.
"For instance, to protect astronauts in the spacecraft from radiation would probably require extra mass, which would make the launch vehicle more expensive.
"To give an idea of cost, the Mars Science Laboratory (Curiosity) unmanned mission has cost $2.5 billion and took more than 10 years to develop."
The Inspiration Mars mission would have to be ready in just six years.
Dr Bridges said: "I think it is good that entrepreneurs like Dennis Tito are getting involved in space exploration. In the long run, that will stimulate a lot of new activity, even if it doesn't result in a manned mission to Mars by 2018."
The mission has been scheduled for January 5, 2018, to take advantage of an alignment in the planets that occurs once every 15 years.
During that brief window, Mars would be close enough to be able to complete the mission in 501 days and then use the planet's gravitational force to slingshot the spacecraft back to Earth without the need for any course adjustments.
The chosen couple would spend the entire journey in a tiny capsule. They would have about a tonne of dehydrated food and 28kg of toilet paper.
"It's like being locked inside a car without being able to get out," said Josh Barker, from the Space Communication Team at Leicester's National Space Centre. In that space you've got to eat, exercise, wash and go to the toilet, and if you need some time alone there's nowhere to go. It'll be physically and mentally tough.
"The first week after blasting off would be okay, because you'd be able to see Earth and it would be nice and exciting, but after that it would just be black nothingness – a void – until you reached Mars. Then it would be the same thing on the way home.''
4 Comments
by buschka
Sunday, March 03 2013, 9:45PM
“All the starving souls in the World and they want to spend this kind of money sending people to Mars?? Wow just goes to show the mindset of some folk........the wealthiest "elite" ????? LMAO good un !”
by Graham_LE8
Sunday, March 03 2013, 11:54AM
“501 days eh?... how about the LM running a competition for nominations as to who we could send on this trip?”
by AnotherRobert
Saturday, March 02 2013, 8:04PM
“I think we live in a world where all of us are wrapped in cotton wool (not just kids) and not allowed to do anything even vaguely adventurous due to Health and Safety b*ll*cks.
Compare that to the great age of exploration, where people took their lives in their hands to explore the Amazon, or to climb Mnt Everest, or to sail into uncharted waters.
While I'm old and boring enough to not want to do it myself, I do think it's interesting that there might be a new area of risky exploration opening up, and that those of us who are most daring can go where no-one else has gone before.”
by LikeItaLot
Saturday, March 02 2013, 6:39PM
“But not to land. No matter I hear there is not much to do out of season”