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Subscribe to RSSThe Inspiration Mars Foundation, led by millionaire space tourist Dennis Tito, has unveiled plans for a 501-day round trip to Mars. They are aiming for a 2018 launch. Tom Clarke of Channel Four Europe reports.
Millionaire space tourist Dennis Tito and his partners have had to tell questioners repeatedly that they're not "crazy" or "nuts" to think they can launch a man and a woman to Mars and back by 2019 — but if the Inspiration Mars Foundation's "Mission for America" succeeds, it may well be because it's just crazy enough.
Other private space ventures, ranging from SpaceX to the Golden Spike Company and Planetary Resources, are depending on turning a profit someday through the sale of rocket flights, or missions to the moon, or water and precious metals mined from asteroids. Tito, in contrast, freely admits the 501-day mission is a "one-shot deal" that's unencumbered by a long-range business plan. He's committed to supporting the five-year development effort for the first two years, during which time he and the rest of the team will try to raise the money and perfect the technologies for the three more expensive years to follow.
So how much is that going to cost him? "Who knows?" Tito said.
Tito expects to look in all the usual places for funding, including sponsorships, the sale of media rights, the sale of scientific data from the flight and private contributions. A 6-year-old boy has already sent in one of the first contributions, amounting to $10. "This is my Apollo," he was quoted as saying.
If Tito had a dime for every time the Apollo era was invoked on Wednesday, he'd be making a good start toward a fund-raising goal that is estimated to range around $1 billion. Some questioned whether the non-stop Mars flyby would be worth it, on scientific or economic grounds. But that's missing the point: Like Tito's eight-day trip to the International Space Station in 2001, the payoff would be purely inspirational rather than scientific.
"Inspiration Mars reminds me of Apollo 8 in 1968, going around the moon," software billionaire Charles Simonyi, who spent tens of millions of dollars buying two flights to the International Space Station, said in a Twitter update. "Inspiration is a goal for humans, science should be left to the rovers."
In a follow-up exchange of messages, Simonyi told NBC News that he wouldn't be spending millions more to support Tito's effort. He noted that his philanthropic foundation, the Charles Simonyi Fund for Arts and Sciences, "has spent the $100M it had in 10 years, as planned."
"But I think Inspiration will have broad-based support," he said. "Very exciting."
NASA also voiced moral support, saying in a statement that the Inspiration Mars mission was "a testament to the audacity of America's commercial aerospace industry and the adventurous spirit of America's citizen-explorers." Inspiration Mars plans to pay NASA for access to the agency's know-how about thermal protection systems for re-entry, said Taber MacCallum, the foundation's chief technology officer and a co-founder of Paragon Space Development Corp.
Inspiration Mars
A graphic from Inspiration Mars shows the expected path of a spacecraft going around the far side of Mars during a 501-day round trip launched in 2018.
Technical issues
In addition to the craziness about the money, there's the craziness about thinking that the rocket and crew capsule will be ready to launch on Jan. 5, 2018, when the planets literally align. A launch on or around that date would result in a straightforward, no-fuss trajectory that would come within 100 miles of Mars' backside on Aug. 20, 2018, and bring the spacecraft back to Earth on May 21, 2019. The mission plan is outlined in a feasibility analysis prepared for an aerospace conference, but Tito and his co-authors acknowledge that the space vehicles cited in the paper don't yet exist.
The paper says it'd be feasible to use the still-under-development SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket and a modified SpaceX Dragon capsule, with a Bigelow-type inflatable module added on. But MacCallum acknowledged that Inspiration Mars was still talking with potential industry partners on what the launch configuration might be. He said choosing that configuration, as well as designing the life-support system and the thermal protection system, were high priorities on the to-do list.
MacCallum stressed that simplicity would be the key. "This is going to be a Lewis and Clark mission to Mars," MacCallum said. "Keep it bare bones, keep it simple."
Tito provided scant details about the five-year development timeline but said that the mission would rely upon technologies developed for flights to the space station. "It uses low-Earth-orbit architecture ... and we're just adapting it in effect to a very large Earth orbit," he said. Responding to questions about the tight time frame, Tito pointed out that Apollo 8's around-the-moon mission took place just a year after the first unmanned test launch of NASA's Saturn 5 rocket in 1967. (However, it took five years to design and develop the Saturn 5 in preparation for that first launch.)
The trajectory for the "Mission for America" is designed such that only minor course corrections would be required along the way. There'd be no engine burn required for the return leg of the trip, and no deorbit burn. However, the spacecraft's speed at re-entry would be 32,000 mph (14.2 kilometers per second), or almost twice as fast as the space shuttle's re-entry speed. And if the trajectory went slightly off for some reason, there's a chance that the capsule could slam into Mars — or miss Earth entirely on the way back, dooming the crew to another deadly circuit.
Who will go?
Jonathan Clark, a former NASA flight surgeon who has served as an adviser for several space ventures, acknowledged that "there's no question this is a risky and bold endeavor." He estimated that there was a roughly 7 percent chance that one of the two astronauts on board would experience a serious medical issue during the mission. That's the big reason why it'd be a two-person trip rather than a solo flight: so that one of the astronauts could serve as the backup for the other. That, and the fact that it'd be an awfully lonely year and a half for just one astronaut.
Tito insists that the two-person crew should consist of a man and a woman, preferably a married couple, in order to combat the loneliness and reduce the risk of crew incompatibility. Tito joked that one of the mission's media deals might involve Dr. Phil giving "marital advice" to the couple while they're in flight.
Like most of the spacecraft components, the crew would be American, Tito said. He described the key attribute for prospective crew members as "the Right Stuff times 10." MacCallum, meanwhile, said the astronauts would have to have "an amazing mechanical skill" in order to keep the onboard systems running smoothly. MacCallum's wife, Paragon co-founder Jane Poynter, said they'd have to be "even-keeled" to get along for a year and a half while cooped up in the outer-space equivalent of an RV. (MacCallum has said that he and Poynter would be interested in taking the Mars trip themselves.)
Clark estimated that it would take six months to a year to work out the process for crew selection.
Tito faced repeated questions about why he was taking on this mission — and it was clear that American pride was part of the equation. One reporter asked whether Tito merely wanted to get to Mars before the Chinese. "Beat China to Mars?" he replied. "Wouldn't I want to do that? Wouldn't I want America to do that? Wouldn't you want America to do that?"
He also noted that if Inspiration Mars missed the launch opportunity in 2018, the next opportunity for a 501-day mission wouldn't come around again until 2031. "If we don't fly in '18, the next low-hanging fruit is in '31, and we better have our crew trained to recognize other flags," he said. "They're going to be out there."
Update for 8:25 p.m. ET: Tito's plan has also gotten a vote of support from Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin, who is writing a book titled "Mission to Mars: My Vision for Exploration." The Washington Post's Brian Vastag quotes Aldrin as saying, "I've talked with Dennis, and I've strongly encouraged him. The purpose is to inspire, to say we're going to do something and then we do it." It doesn't hurt that the schedule calls for the round trip to end two months before the 50th anniversary of the Apollo 11 moon landing.
Update for 9:50 p.m. ET: Here's another vote of support from planetary scientist Alan Stern, president and CEO of the Golden Spike Company: "Very excited about Inspiration Mars and the way they and we at Golden Spike are both breaking the mold in human space exploration in this country — and around the world," Stern wrote in an email. Golden Spike is working on a plan to launch missions to the moon at a cost of $1.4 billion per mission (that's $700 million per seat for a two-person flight). The company is currently in the midst of an Indiegogo crowdfunding campaign.
More about flights to Mars:
- Married couple wanted for Mars trip
- 500-day mock Mars trip raises problem
- Does Mars need women? Russians say no
Alan Boyle is NBCNews.com's science editor. Connect with the Cosmic Log community by "liking" the log's Facebook page, following @b0yle on Twitter and adding the Cosmic Log page to your Google+ presence. To keep up with Cosmic Log as well as NBCNews.com's other stories about science and space, sign up for the Tech & Science newsletter, delivered to your email in-box every weekday. You can also check out "The Case for Pluto," my book about the controversial dwarf planet and the search for new worlds.
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Send Kim and Kanye and with just enough fuel to get there! I'd pay top dollar for that kind of reality TV!!
I'll second that! 1.5 years without any of their BS, wow!
She's hoarded plenty of ass for the trip...
They better not be trying another hoax like those "moon landings" ;-)
Here's proof
"http://stuffucanuse.com/fake_moon_landings/moon_landings.htm"
My wife and I will go.....for a price.....say.....$25,000,000.....each!
As opposed to those people who would pay them for a chance to go...?
It's probably already too late.
Why?
NASA has recently discovered a Comet named C/2013 A1 (Siding Spring) that is going to pass within 67,000 miles of Mars and once additional measurements are made -- the 'probability cone' for impact may actually include Mars itself and so it could actually collide with Mars.
Why is that a problem for us when Mars is so far away?
Because this Comet is 125 times more volume than the one that killed the dinosaurs 65 million years ago here on Earth--and will be traveling at 126,000 mph when it approaches Mars.
To put that in perspective--the 6 mile wide asteroid that hit Chixilub created a 180 mile crater. If this one does indeed hit Mars it will create a crater over 1000 miles across and throw up an enormous amount of material out into space---millions of rocks from inches across to hundreds of feet across. And much of that will exceed the escape velocity and become 'Martian Asteroids'.
Thus we could be in the path of a huge Martian Asteroid swarm as it heads away from Mars in multiple directions in about 6 to 7 months later when the Earth swings around the sun.
To see this in a diagram visit this link http://ssd.jpl.nasa.gov/sbdb.cgi?sstr=2013A1;cad=1;orb=1;cov=0;log=0#orb
The energy of the impact is estimated at 20 billion megatons. That's more than an order of magnitude bigger than the biggest Shoemaker Comet that hit Jupiter.
Comet C/2013 A1 is nearly 34 times larger than largest Comet that hit Jupiter (Shoemaker 9)--the largest of which was 9.3 miles across and created a plume bigger than the Earth itself.
So if this Comet DOES hit Mars will be able to see the light show from Earth during broad daylight as it will shine brighter than the sun for a moment--almost like a Super Nova as seen from millions of light years away--it will be a stupendous explosion and the energy released will be truly awesome. This Comet won't have the energy slow down from an atmosphere like on Earth or the massive 'digester' atmosphere that is on Jupiter.
So Earth could very well get hit from the 'fallout'.
Which would be a meteor storm unlike anything the Earth has experienced in millions if not hundreds of millions of years.
Insane huh?
So if this thing does impact Mars there will be at least 10 feet of dust covering the entire Planet and not much to look at!!!!
And that's ONLY IF it doesn't split the planet into two like the asteroid belt between Jupiter and Mars and create a 2nd asteroid belt.
Mars may be history, and Life on our Planet as well.
To check out the NASA article see this: http://science.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/26/17107085-comet-just-might-hit-mars-in-2014?lite
Good! That way the Gubmint won't be able to keep it a secret like they usually do!
"So Earth could very well get hit from the 'fallout'."
Ignoring the rest of your hype, the most this would do is cause a thin 'torus' of material around the Sun in the orbit of Mars.
It's one thing for impact ejecta from any planet to reach its escape velocity, quite another for it to get much farther from, or closer to the Sun afterward...
"And that's ONLY IF it doesn't split the planet into two..."
That's hype that I couldn't ignore.
Gizmo
You might want to check out http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/C/2013_A1
It could help you calm down a little. ;-)
That just came out yesterday about the comet. They are not sure about it yet. What this Mar adventure is scary and then you have to say something more scary. But then again I do have some ideas of who we should send and they are not Americans, but they do have money.
Benjoh....Yes! We can send ALL of the Islamic people to Mars! They can have it, live on it and breath its atmosphere!!
@giz, you have a gift for exaggeration.
According to the article, the comet predicted to pass near Mars is only 30 miles across ... making it only 3x to 4x times larger than the one that hit Jupiter, NOT 34x larger.
While it is certainly true an impact would create a huge crater, and would throw a lot of debris into space and into the atmosphere, there is no possibility of it doing any more than surface damage to the planet.
This hoax that it would "crack open the planet" is pure sensationalism, with no basis in reality and scientific knowledge. It would require a rocky-iron asteroid at least 500 miles across to do significant damage to the planet itself. Comets are much less dense than asteroids, so for a comet to do that kind of damage it would have to be over 1000 miles across to even have a chance of "cracking open the planet" or even making a significant change in the planet's orbit.
Correction to my own post above:
For a comet to do more than surface damage to Mars, it would have to be at least half the size of the planet itself.
The density of a comet's core is listed at 0.3 to 0.6 grams per cubic centimeter. The density of Mars is listed as 3.93 grams per cubic centimeter. That means a comet the size of Mars would still only have 1/10th the mass of the planet.
It's like a Nerf ball colliding with a baseball.
Kevin in Texas, every once in a while you have worthwhile comments.. and then you go and spout off intolerant garbage like that. What is your problem man? Get over yourself and come back to reality. Stop being so hateful.
It is incredible how few people care about this imminent threat to the existence all of mankind. Please see NBC news link below if you truly care! - Rick Carter
http://science.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/02/26/17107085-comet-just-might-hit-mars-in-2014?threadId=3674859&commentId=74512447#c74512447
(They are going to try to make everything about this disappear!)
Being in the same room with your wife for 500+ days would drive any man insane.
How can you say that? You don't even know my wife? (Otherwise, you would have said 5 days.)
Maybe he knows your wife better than you think...
No, otherwise, like I said, the time period to reach insanity would have been MUCH shorter. Maybe he meant your wife?
Maybe they should put them in a cabin in Alaska for a winter. If there's no Denali Divorce, they could probably make it to Mars and maybe back home.
Oh!! Make it a two room capsule with a locking door between them and separate toilets. Probably live longer that way.
Or maybe keep them locked in separate rooms for 29 of 30 days and a post hypnotic order to return to their own room the next day.
With no gravity the seat will always be up
a collision with mars might be a good thing...in that it might create conditions on mars that are condusive to life on mars again...sort of terraforming the planet naturally..which is what we were eventually planning to do to mars,however,I think we lost control of this planet thru experimentation with terra forming....remember 50 to 60 years ago when we were able to make it rain for military gain in vietnam...just think of how much we have advanced since then..that probably is why our weather is haywire now...experiments gone awry.
"a collision with mars might be a good thing...in that it might create conditions on mars that are condusive to life on mars again..."
??
Sorry, but massive impacts tend to do just the opposite...
The only good thing about a collision is that it would wake us up to the dangers we face. Imagine what that thing would do to Earth! The anti-asteroid systems talked about lately would not help against this monster.
We'd sure find out what is under the surface. Save billions of bucks.
I volunteer... No wait........ Couple?........ I'd have to take someone with me, forget it.....
The Mars One Project is much more viable: http://mars-one.com/en/
You consider a long flyby and return as more viable than a one-way commitment to colonization, this soon...?
for usa/no party.just give me a playstation/x-box.a 1/2 ton of pot,f-the bitch. they talk to much.i would go for free.thks 2012
Some pringles and slim jiims, oh yeah... I've been playing video games for 35 years in my basement.
Do a year and a half standing on my head.
I wonder how bad the COD lag would be?
Let me get this straight. You want to send a couple on a round-trip mission to Mars, but a trip where they don't even land on Mars, don't even stop long enough to pee. You want to send a couple past the child-rearing age because our anti-radiation technology is so crappy that their reproductive systems will be fried, toasted so badly that they would come back sterile, anyway. And, speaking of radiation, these astronauts stand a good chance of becoming the most talked about cancer risks ever. So, really this trip to Mars is a suicide mission? I love it. Where do you sign up?
Yep. Pretty much like Apollo 8. Maybe they'll read the Bible while making their closest approach and a few atheists' heads will explode.
"Coming back sterile" is not the concern. If that was the likely outcome then they wouldn't have to be past childbearing age. The concern is that there could be enough genetic damage that any child they produced later would be deformed or otherwise incapacitated.
One of the scientific objectives would almost certainly be to determine how much real-world radiation damage actually accrues on such a mission.
Yeah, people who want to control how other people live their lives will be forever berating them for endangering themselves.
By that definition, being born is a suicide mission you know. Something is going to kill you no matter what you do. They bias the odds in favor of its being cancer, which is not the same as saying that they surely will die of radiation-induced cancer.
I'm sure many said the to sail around the Earth was a "suicide mission" or the journey west in the early colonies of the US was a suicide mission or going into orbit around the Earth or going to the moon was a suicide mission. Humans need their exploration and colonies off planet. Bring on the "suicide missions" and lets move the ball forward!
Just freeze some eggs and sperm, for when they get back and you can send a couple in their early 20s. Or take some along if they decide to attempt a colonization mission, much easier to shield a small container.
A one-way trip should not be that much harder to do, I would have several stages of possible missions. Like;
Drop a space station in orbit (either free orbit or drop on one of the moons).
Drop a HAB on Mars
Drop solar powered aircraft into the Mars atmosphere.
Go for a one-way Mars landing, not necessarily a suicide mission or at least not an immediate one (once you get your feet on Mars, it is possible they could make enough air, water and food) look at the success rate for the early american pioneers. I for one would want the opportunity to be one of the first to try.
Regarding the comet impact, the volume is not that important (density, mass is). A significantly fluffy ball might still vaporize/explode in the Mars atmosphere, regardless if it is mainly water-ice, it might give Mars a boost toward a return to a more livable period. If it looks like it is going to miss, that might be another mission of a trip to Mars. Try to divert it so it hits, or skims the surface (leaving most of its water-ice behind).
If all else fails, you still have the free return path back to Earth to fall back on.
I think it's time to start preparing to send humans to Mars.. The thing I don't get is this: They're going to send this couple all that distance To make "one pass" around the planet. I would think, considering the distance and expense, that these astronauts would want stick around for a while and do some exploring...
Which makes for a much, much, much more complex mission that could not be ready in the time available with the resources available.
I am all for a martian landing like everyone else, but doing a flyby first is an extremely normal move. Apollo 8 did it, NASA was planning one as part of a future Martian landing, etc. This is great.
I would do this in a heartbeat! Who do I need to marry?
She's better have a mute button, or you'd go looney toons.
Landing would make the trip 10 times harder.
And you still could only stay a week or two or you will have to wait 4 years before planets line up again.
With a fly-by you don't need rocket fuel to slow down and more of it to start up again.
You just use Mars gravity to sling shoot you back to earth.
They will certainly have plenty of time to perfect their zero-G technique. It should be a best seller when they get back. (Don't forget the instructional DVDs, too! (What? What'd I say?)) Ah, the lure of deep space! - RC
I think we should all be going-why not go to mars and recreate and atmosphere by taking the earth and taking each stage of it's development- if we look at it's size and gravitational pull we can the work out exactly what we need
if metal lets take all the old coins of earth and put them on mars - earth as metal ores-then we could also place magnets to increase a pull -then using nasa idea of the ozone layer hole (filling it with space dust ) we can replicate the atmosphere -if we find polar ice areas we can melt them using similar technology to the old star wars project with the ray which would heat it up and release the necessary water molecules in the atmosphere
and combine with oxygen-we could deposit old tree stumps and leaves to break down to release other gases
we just copy earth as our blue print -we need to work out the sunlight for photosynthesis-then introduce life into the water
if we need oil maybe we can use old rubber tires and drop them into active volcanoes which would melt then and liquefy then -most rubber contains oil -
what affect would removing the extra weight off earth -you have to remember with a greater population comes more weight and uneven weight distribution combined with more cars more metal products each one adds density to the earth which creates a greater gravitational pull on the earth which might cause a disturbance in how the lunar affect on tides causes
increase pop increases fossil fuel consumption that releases heat into the atmosphere as well as particles which are black so retain heat more -also more people greater body heat-everything contributes
now in the Pluto article I proposed that if the earth heats up it would spin faster think of it as a molecule-this causes a wobble on the axis which increases with speed-
WE CAN SEE IF WE ARE WOBBLING BY RECORDING WHERE THE HOLE IN THE OZONE LAYER-that would remain in one place or should or grow-maybe that is a necessary vent right now to let hot air out
also if all hot air is leaving the atmosphere in one area would that create a force to push the planet in the opposite direction out of axis-worth looking in to
what affect would the earth spinning faster have on the weather
well the earth spins east to west -so the weather would go in the opposite direction west to east because the spin would cause increase in the jet steams and add the wobble some countries would experience weather from other zones as the cross with the wobble-also higher temps creates more lightening an electrical storms
would the spinning affect our aging-also the higher the temp the quicker the oceans evaporate leaving a greater saline count -to combat this if you let fresh water out of the dams it will nullify or bring the oceans back to balance
-you have to remember we are creating large densities in the areas of the dams just by the shear weight of the water
we need to really start defending our planet-what would we do to combat a death ray scenario -it's no different-rays that usually don't come through are coming through thanks to the ozone depletion
p.s what's a trinity city
what affect would removing the extra weight off earth -you have to remember with a greater population comes more weight and uneven weight distribution combined with more cars more metal products each one adds density to the earth which creates a greater gravitational pull on the earth which might cause a disturbance in how the lunar affect on tides causes
Not a possibility. Moving an object from one part of the boat to another does not change its weight. There is nothing large and heavy enough created by people to cause any imbalance.
what are water molecules contain now it's not just h20-it;s combined with other chemicals and gases
also the theory of dropping a penny off the Eiffel tower an the damage it would do-so as the atmosphere gets more dense to wards the earths surface at what point does rain actually form because it floats in the air which means it is lighter than it until it reaches a density that pulls it to the surface but why does rain not hurt more often take water boarding -is water considerable heavier on the surface then 100 ft up
what happens to photosynthesis in plants with increased warming- are pockets of water in the earths crust evaporating faster so less water in the soil means less plant growth which leads to the problem in the drought areas which creates a dust bowl as there are no roots to hold the soil together
also freezing the ice caps would help-we can cool the planet also by putting reflectors on buildings and on ships that reflect the heat back into the atmosphere or al least diffuse the intensity
just some thoughts -but lets explore the universe that's what it's there for we might as well enjoy it
In my view the only successful voyage to Mars would have to
be a one way trip. The first thing would be to land an environmental module or “living
quarters”. Then send the astronauts to Mars. Unmanned resupply vehicles could
then be sent to Mars much like the ones sent to the ISS. This would pave the
way for more environmental modules and thus the first Martian colony would then
be established. Just An Idea…
There are as couple of things he could do that would probably massively increase public donations. I know it would make the mission cost more, but if he could have the mission include a small lander that included a plaque, or nonperishable (metallic possibly) scrolls with the names of all donors, that would be a big perk. Advertise heavily on science sites, through the media, etc. Set up a webpage where people can contribute any amount they want, but if they contribute at lease $10, they can get a certificate with their name on it and a picture of the scroll/plaque/lander. I am sure people would go crazy over it. A fun thing people could give their kids or friends for gifts. The money would mount up quickly. A lot of people would like the idea of, someday in the future when mankind does start landing on Mars with regularity, knowing they have a plaque with their name on it already there, showing they were first.
Not to sound morbid, but on such a mission, what would they do with the body if one of them should pass away? Jettison it into deep space? Would there be enough room for cold storage?
Would the change in mass of the space capsule if the body is jettison change the calculations for the slingshot back to earth?
Just strap it to the outside, it would keep definitively.
At least until the capsule re-entered the Earth's atmosphere, then it would be cremated on the way down.
Exposure to the variant cosmic radiations has not been considered in their equation. Also longterm spaceflight turns muscles into jelly, bones into potatoe chips and the rest diminishes as well. Psychological factors of long space flights still have not been worked out. Newer technologies are needed to speed the ship along, cutting roundtrip travel time to one third of the present numbers. This potential spaceship could be the first space coffin. I humbly suggest a shorter flight before they spread their wings.
Please show us the equation in question. I love it when nontechnical types throw around technical terms in a manner that clearly shows that they have no clue what they mean.
However it has been clearly stated in other articles that radiation has been considered and there has been discussion of the countermeasures being considered to deal with it.
Your point being? One of the scientific objectives for the mission would almost certainly be to evaluate the extent to which this occurs on a mission to Mars. And there are ways to deal with that particular issue.
Again your point being? This would also be a valid scientific objective for the mission. "Psychological factors for long sea voyages" had not been "worked out" when Columbus left Spain in search of China. If he had waited for "psychological factors" to be "worked out", he'd have had to wait several hundred years for psychology to be invented before "they" could even start "working out". Either two will go out and two will come back, or two will go out and two won't come back. Whichever is the case, we've learned something.
You, like the Congress, should learn the difference between need and want. A mission to Mars of any kind is not needed. We are not all going to die or suffer irreparable harm if it doesn't happen. Some of us want one to happen and some of those of us who do want one to happen are willing to undertake a longer mission and see what happens.
I believe Columbia already has that honor. However Vostok 1 could have been "the first space coffin". So could any other spaceflight. Apollo 13 came close.
So show us your mission plan.
a mother ship is needed and can be put together using new technology. a mother craft to fly to mars and back. it would be a craft that protects the travelers from the sun's radiation and contains enough air to breathe, water to drink and food to eat. 501 days means that the craft would orbit mars for a while before returning. it would be time to think about robotics in real time. maybe sample returns could be possible on a flyby mission.
OK, hotshot, let's see you do all that by 2018 on a budget that Tito can afford. And since there's only one ship going on this mission, whatever that ship might be, it's the "mothership", even if it's a Gemini capsule pulled out of a museum.
Send congress. One way tickets.
I'm all for manned flight but i don't get humans rather than robotics for a drive-by.
Humans can explain the "Feeling" of being there a whole lot better than our most advanced AI 'puters even today can.
Big issue is this, you want to keep it bare bones fine, but if something does happen out there they are seriously fooked. Why not keep it basic for now, lets see if your hair brained plan can get a couple safely around the MOON first. Sides, NASA may be a complete mess right now with funding and how they are managed but I would trust them to get to Mars over some rich guy that wants to have an experience.
This mission doesn't strike me as "crazy". It could work. It does strike me as pointless and wasteful.