I’ve read a lot of ideas about how we might expand our space program to include Mars but I think that this one is probably the topper. It’s a idea proposed by Jim McLane, who worked at NASA until 2007 that I read on Universe Today about a “One man, One way” misson.
The idea is that somebody, presumably a volunteer, would be sent on a manned exploration mission. With only one crew member, the supplies carried would last longer, etc.
The problem with this is obvious. Nobody is ever going to get funding for a suicide mission. If the government even tried to fund something like this there would be a royal mess and whatever politician tried to support such an idea would find themselves out of a job pronto.
It only makes sense that if there were to be a one way mission, it would be a colonizing trip with plenty of people and supplies to make a viable, self supporting colony. I kinda doubt it’s going to happen anytime soon either.
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