[FPSPACE] A One-Way, One-Person Mission to Mars

[LARRY KLAES]

A One-Way, One-Person Mission to Mars

Written by Nancy Atkinson

Will humans ever really go to Mars? Let’s face it, the obstacles are quite 
daunting. Not only are there numerous, difficult, technical issues to 
overcome, but the political will and perseverance of any one nation to 
undertake such an arduous task just can’t be counted on. However, one former 
NASA engineer believes a human mission to Mars is quite doable, and such an 
event would unify the world as never before. But Jim McLane’s proposal 
includes a couple of major caveats: the trip to Mars should be one-way, and 
have a crew of only one person.

Full article here:

http://www.universetoday.com/2008/03/04/a-one-way-one-person-mission-to-mars/

To quote:

McLane’s idea came from his acquaintance with a Russian cosmonaut. “I 
noticed the cosmonaut seemed to be a slightly different type of person than 
the American astronaut,” McLane said. “Cosmonauts are primarily pilots, and 
like test pilots, they are very focused on getting the job done. The current 
American astronauts are picked for things such as their speaking ability and 
social skills, and most of them have advanced degrees. But the cosmonaut 
struck me as an adventurous, get-things-done-type person, like our original 
astronauts back in the 1960’s.”

A return to the “get it done” attitude of the 1960’s and a goal of a manned 
landing within a short time frame, like Apollo, is the only way we’ll get to 
Mars, McLane believes. Additionally, a no-return, solo mission solves many 
of the problems currently facing a round-trip, multiple person crew.