REAL LIFE NEWS: MARS ONE PARTICIPANTS WOULD DIE IN 68 DAYS
by Hazed
A new study questions whether the Mars One mission would be feasible, and comes to the conclusion that the humans living on the planet would start to die within 68 days of landing. Yikes!
Mars One plans to send people to Mars by 2025, and more than 200,000 people have applied to be part of the mission. But researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have examined the data provided by the Mars One group and used computer modelling to determine the amounts of oxygen, food and technology required for the project.
Their computer models have spotted a big problem. The mission plans to grow its crops in the same space that the people will live. When the first crop of wheat reaches maturity, at around the 68 day mark, there will be a spike in oxygen. This is a problem because excess oxygen means things that are flammable are likely to spontaneously combust. Using existing technology, there is no way to vent out the excess oxygen without also getting rid of nitrogen – and if they do that, the people will suffocate. That means they will either die in a big fireball or die from lack of air, neither of which sounds much like fun.
But that’s not all. The MIT researchers also reckon that while the wheat ripens, the colonists would be living in sweltering 100 degree humidity. They also think that the Mars One group hasn’t taken into account the cost of spare parts and maintenance to keep the station going, and the logistics of operating so far from Earth.
Oh dear. Well, I always did think the idea of the Mars One mission sounded very dodgy and this just confirms it! We’ll have to wait and see what the company’s response is to this report.
