Elon Musk wants to send humanity to Mars. He also does not want to work as a philanthropist in this matter, so those who want to go to the Red Planet would already be just right to prepare their dollars, hundreds of thousands of dollars, to be more precise. The last successful project of SpaceX is the first in the history of rocket science, the launch and landing of an already worked out stage of a carrier rocket, so it is not surprising if "space enthusiasts" - usually billionaires - could activate after such news and have already begun to save their hard-earned money for a one-way ticket …
"I hope you are already thinking about your tickets to Mars?" - either jokingly or seriously said SpaceX President Gwynne Shotwell, speaking at the 33rd annual Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, according to Inverse.
“Reusability is a truly amazing feature and I highly recommend that you all adapt this technology,” she added.
Musk first spoke about tickets to Mars in September 2016 at the 67th meeting of the International Astronautical Congress, held in Mexico. The owner of SpaceX said that such a trip would cost a person $ 200,000. At the same meeting, he discussed his plans on how he is going to turn humanity into an "interplanetary species." The implementation of this plan, in his opinion, will be possible only with the use of reusable missiles. This will not only reduce the cost of the projects involved in this business, but also the amount of time for their preparation, which together should have a positive effect, including on the issue of the cost of tickets for Martian tourists.
But even in the presence of reusable rockets, the cost of such flights is likely to be significantly higher than these same $ 200,000. And, for example, Ella Atkins, professor of the Department of Aerospace Technology at the University of Michigan, agrees with this, expressing serious skepticism about such numbers, especially when it comes to saving people's lives. Moreover, not only as part of a flight to Mars, but also when landing on it, and then when returning home.
“Just if we start at least from the point of view of a basic analysis of the peculiarities of missiles and gravity, as well as simple calculations of how much you have to take with you to save people their lives … and all this for just $ 200,000? Too ambitious,”says Atkins.
"But politics can play a significant role in this, as well as the level of support from people for the company, even if it announces that the cost of flights to Mars will be several million dollars."
The $ 200,000 announced - although it may end up being much higher - leaves people feeling hopeful. According to Atkins, some individual enthusiasts of flights to Mars may in this case believe that they will be able to accumulate the necessary funds, even in 20 or 30 years.
Promotional video:
“I think SpaceX is doing exactly what it needs to do right now if it wants the support of the American people. In addition, in this way they want to put some pressure on Congress to support such companies as SpaceX, Blue Origin and so on. If they go there and say: "Yes, flights to Mars will only be available to billionaires," - this will certainly not generate support from both Congress and non-billionaires, who in any other case would be willing to give their money ".
Yet Atkins notes that there will be far more at stake in the trip to Mars than just $ 200,000. A much more expensive thing is human life.
“The risk of dying in space travel is incredibly high. I think people just don't understand exactly how tall it is,”she says.
To tell you the truth, Musk has already warned his fans that they "must be ready to die for his dream", especially when it comes to the first such mission.
“The risk of death will be very high. The situation will be such that you will be forced to answer here and now: are you really ready to die? If you agree with this, then you can safely enroll yourself as potential candidates. The likelihood of dying on the first such mission will be very high indeed,”Musk said at a speech in Mexico last September.
Even if we omit the likelihood of unexpected breakdown, as was the case with the Apollo 13 or Columbia missions, there are many factors that threaten not only the health, but also the lives of the first Martian tourists. And you will have to somehow put up with these factors - the word to cope here will not be the most appropriate - not only during a one-year flight to the planet, but also during landing, and after landing on it. The early results of a medical study of the "astro-twins" Mark and Scott Kelly (NASA astronauts, if anyone does not know - ed.) Showed that being on board the International Space Station for one year seriously affected the changes in the work of Scott's body, up to to the genetic level.
In another, also recent study, it was found that the volume of the gray matter of the brain, which is responsible for sensory perception, emotions and other important functions in those who have been in space, is reduced in different proportions during any space flight, be it short or long. Scientists are still trying to figure out what other health effects such changes might have. At the same time, it is already known that prolonged exposure to microgravity (as well as exposure to cosmic radiation) leads to loss of bone and muscle mass, as well as visual impairment.
It is not yet clear how SpaceX will (and if at all) prepare space tourists to understand that a flight to Mars will most likely be a one-way flight for them, or at least have very serious health consequences. But Musk has previously admitted that his idea was originally "crazy", while adding that "a long stay in Earth's orbit is much worse than being on Mars."
“Astronauts not only have to do this. They want to do this because they are real researchers who believe that the risk is fully justified in this case,”says Atkins.
“But if we are talking about a set of random people“from the street”who most likely expect to return home safe and sound, then it seems to me that this issue should be approached from a position of realism. Because there will be little chance of returning home. Very little.
We all understand perfectly well that space is a dangerous place. Even launching an ordinary piece of iron, no matter how cool it is designed, is a big problem and a very difficult task. If someone is ready to spend an insane amount of money on a flight to Mars, then bon voyage. You just need to understand that the rate on this trip will not be on your money. Your life will be at stake.
“There will always be someone who really, really, really wants to fly there. But people should be honest with themselves and realize how all this is likely to end,”sums up Atkins.