Bas Lansdorp, co-founder and CEO of Mars One, and Helen Greiner, CEO of CyPhy Works and co-founder of iRobot, discuss the efforts to put a human colony on Mars with Pimm Fox on “Taking Stock.” (Source: Bloomberg)
Lansdorp claims that the one-way approach lowers costs. However, Elon Musk has said he cannot provide lost cost transport to Mars unless he can reuse his vehicles. So the vehicles need to return from Mars.
There is no doubt that Mars One is risky concept, and if it is to ever gain real traction, it will have to endure a lot more scrutiny than presented in the MIT study. It should probably begin with a clear statement that Mars One is meant as an evolving concept, in which the final product may differ considerable from what has initially been put forward on a time frame which like all space projects, is subject to change. At the same time, its many critics might want to at least consider how much of the risk to any future Mars mission, whether one way of with a return ticket, could be reduced through advancing the Technological Readiness Level (TRL) of some of the core technologies the MIT team identifies.
Finally, they might want to ask why the U.S. is committed to a very different, but perhaps even more financially implausible plan.
The project, which was funded via crowd-sourcing, was reported on here several times. Unfortunately, the propulsion system could not be restarted and so they could not place the ISEE-3 probe into an orbit that would keep it close to earth and let it resume its solar science measurements. Nevertheless, the project demonstrated a great deal: a private group can raise funding for such a project, can gain access to elaborated ground control systems, and can contact and control a sophisticated scientific spacecraft. This may inspire many more such projects.
Mr. Melvin started out by telling us about SEG which he said was formed to do good in the world. He talked about their contest for raising money to send people to space so that they will experience an orbital shift in perception (The Overview Effect) and upon return, do work and good with this new perspective of Earth. They want this new perspective shared with others for the benefit of all. He talked about the application for the contest and the fee structure which you will find fully explained on their website so see the above URL.
Leland explained that this was a crowd funding program though not like others that use specific crowd funding program such as Kickstarter or Indiegogo. We also learned from a listener question that the contest winners will choose their own carrier for going to space and will need to comply with the rules & conditions set by that particular carrier. Later, he mentioned that they would have a spaceflight training academy but details would not be announced until later in October.
The first was a successful M-class 6-grain APCP 75mm motor by Eric Beckner. The second is a successful K-class 2-grain 89mm sugar motor by Rick Maschek for the Sugar Shot to Space program using sorbitol as the fuel and does not have a core, it burns on two exterior flat sides of the grains. The third and final test is a 6-grain 4.5″ (115mm) sugar motor using dextrose as the fuel by Randy Dorman and his son Theo. Unfortunately, the motor over-pressurized and CATOed at start up.
“NASA is committed to engaging the public, and specifically the maker community through innovative activities like the Mars Balance Mass Challenge,” said NASA Chief Technologist David Miller. “And NASA Solve is a great way for members of the public, makers and other citizen scientists to see all NASA challenges and prizes in one location.”
The Mars Balance Mass Challenge seeks design ideas for small science and technology payloads that could potentially provide dual purpose as ejectable balance masses on spacecraft entering the Martian atmosphere.
The payloads will serve two roles: perform scientific or technology functions that help us learn more about the Red Planet, and provide the necessary weight to balance planetary landers.
Submissions are due by Nov. 21. A winner will be announced in mid-January 2015 and receive an award of $20,000.
“We want people to get involved in our journey to Mars,” said Lisa May, lead program executive for NASA’s Mars exploration program. “This challenge is a creative way to bring innovative ideas into our planning process, and perhaps help NASA find another way to pack more science and technology into a mission.”
In addition to the challenge and website announcements, NASA is hosting an exhibit at the World Maker Faire through 6 p.m. EDT Sunday, Sept. 21, where citizen scientists and makers can learn about other ways to engage with the space agency, including Centennial Challenges, the CubeSat program, a 3-D printer challenge, and the Asteroid Grand Challenge.
The exhibit also features information on a NASA mission that will mark a major milestone Sunday. NASA’s Mars Atmosphere and Volatile Evolution (MAVEN) spacecraft is scheduled to enter Mars’ orbit at approximately 9:50 p.m., after a 10-month interplanetary journey of more than 440 million miles. NASA Television coverage of the orbit insertion and post-event news conference begins at 9:30 p.m. The broadcast also will be available on the agency’s website.
Launched on Nov. 18, 2013, from Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida, MAVEN is the first spacecraft dedicated to exploring the upper atmosphere of Mars. It is another NASA robotic scientific explorer paving the way for the journey to Mars.
The Mars Balance Mass challenge is managed by NASA’s Center of Excellence for Collaborative Innovation (CoECI). CoECI was established in coordination with White House Office of Science and Technology Policy to advance NASA open innovation efforts and extend that expertise to other federal agencies. The challenges are being released on the NASA Innovation Pavilion, one of the CoECI platforms available to NASA team members, through its contract with InnoCentive, Inc.
To learn more about MAVEN and view the live broadcast of orbit insertion activities, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/maven
For NASA Television downlink information, scheduling information and streaming video, visit: http://www.nasa.gov/nasatv