Board index › Topical Discussion › Politics, Philosophy, and Religion

What would u do if spouse told u, "honey I'm on Mars 1!"?

Page 1 of 3 [ 33 posts ]  Go to page 1, 2, 3  Next

Previous topic | Next topic

naturalplastic
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 26 Aug 2010
Age: 69
Gender: Male
Posts: 34,150
Location: temperate zone

19 Feb 2015, 4:06 pm

ooOoOoOAnaOoOoOoo wrote:
The_Walrus wrote:
ooOoOoOAnaOoOoOoo wrote:
Not sure how long it takes emails to get here from Mars. Longer than on earth, I suppose.

Mars doesn't have email as we understand it.

Mars' orbit is just over three light-minutes away from Earth's. Theoretically, you could transmit a message between the two planets in that time. In practice, the planets can be nearly 25 light minutes apart. The message would need to be sent to NASA or whoever, who could then forward it as an email to their family. Very slow conversations.

I assume they will figure out a way to relay information before they go but how can there not be a delay? How long a delay I dunno. Maybe it will only be a few minutes?


Just thinking aloud here:

In theory it could be done at the speed of light. Earth is 8 light minutes from the sun, and the orbit of Mars is another 3 light minutes beyond earth. So when the two planets are lined up next to each other on the same side of the sun (rare) there would be a three minute delay. But if the planets were on opposite sides of their respective orbits it would be 8+8+3=19 light minutes of seperation between the two planets. So in theory the lag would vary between 3, and 19 minutes. But in practice e-mails would have to be sent to some central transmitter at NASA, and then sent. So I dunno.



naturalplastic
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 26 Aug 2010
Age: 69
Gender: Male
Posts: 34,150
Location: temperate zone

19 Feb 2015, 4:11 pm

ooOoOoOAnaOoOoOoo wrote:
If your spouse ended up going to Mars, it is highly unlikely you would ever see them again. The chances of them returning to Earth are remote. Would you stay married even though you would be pretty much abandoned? Divorce and try to find someone new? I read at least one candidate is married and will leave their wife.


On TV they just profiled a lady who is leaving her husband to do this. Maybe her husband should hook up with that^ guy's wife, and on Mars the lady I saw on TV should pair off with that guy who is leaving his wife on Earth.



Inventor
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 15 Feb 2007
Gender: Male
Posts: 6,014
Location: New Orleans

19 Feb 2015, 11:43 pm

Stay married, it is not like they could spend money on Mars.

For what it will cost to send a person, then provide habitat, food, paying them would be minor.

Also, Insure that life!

While it may attract attention, sending robots would make more sense.

Robots do not consume on the way there, can live on the surface, and the damaged can be used for parts.

I ask why? It is not a base for reaching farther, there is nothing there, it does not have a magnetic field, nor enough mass to hold an atmosphere.

Far Earth orbit, 30,000 miles, build something big, that can service the satellite belt, gather junk from near Earth orbit, and be a shipyard for building some big deep space explorers. Something with magnetic shielding, gravity, a swimming pool. Something that can produce food, and mine the asteroid belt. Meteors bring Palatinates to Earth, there is a good chance that it was a planet that something hit, so sections of the old core would be heavy metals.

Radioactive elements for heat and power, gold and platinum for industrial use, this mission could pay.



aghogday
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 25 Nov 2010
Age: 63
Gender: Male
Posts: 11,596

21 Feb 2015, 12:56 pm

It'll never happen to me, I can't even talk wife Katrina in to going dancing..;)


_________________
KATiE MiA FredericK!iI

Gravatar is one of the coolest things ever!! !

http://en.gravatar.com/katiemiafrederick


Kraichgauer
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 12 Apr 2010
Gender: Male
Posts: 47,796
Location: Spokane area, Washington state.

21 Feb 2015, 2:51 pm

I would think that my lovely wife had been replaced by a pod person (Invasion Of The Body Snatchers reference :lol: ), as I know she would never disregard our marriage vows to love and honor till death do us part.


_________________
-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer


naturalplastic
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 26 Aug 2010
Age: 69
Gender: Male
Posts: 34,150
Location: temperate zone

21 Feb 2015, 3:24 pm

Not only would divorce my wife for leaving me for Mars I would probably also sue the Mars Project for 'alienation of affection' to collect alimony (if I we had had kids)!



guzzle
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 25 Sep 2013
Age: 59
Gender: Female
Posts: 1,298
Location: Close To The Border

21 Feb 2015, 3:31 pm

SignOfLazarus wrote:
Just from a practical standpoint- are they accepting married applicants?


Was in the paper couple of days ago about a Belgian that pulled out. His wife was fine with it but his children didn't want him to leave on a one-way ticket. He was in his fifties. Was also mentioned they are down to a shortlist of 650 applicants iirc.



guzzle
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 25 Sep 2013
Age: 59
Gender: Female
Posts: 1,298
Location: Close To The Border

21 Feb 2015, 6:12 pm

Spouse wouldn't go Mars if he got no internet connection to play World of Tanks. End of.



thomas81
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 2 May 2012
Age: 42
Gender: Male
Posts: 5,147
Location: County Down, Northern Ireland

21 Feb 2015, 6:27 pm

naturalplastic wrote:
why do you all consider living on Mars to be desirable?


If you need to ask that then the whole point is obviously past you.

Its about adventurism, having your name in the history books. If it wasn't for my wife, family and home responsibilities I would have tripped over myself to apply.


_________________
Being 'normal' is over rated.

My deviant art profile


thomas81
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 2 May 2012
Age: 42
Gender: Male
Posts: 5,147
Location: County Down, Northern Ireland

21 Feb 2015, 6:31 pm

The_Walrus wrote:

Mars' orbit is just over three light-minutes away from Earth's. Theoretically, you could transmit a message between the two planets in that time. In practice, the planets can be nearly 25 light minutes apart. The message would need to be sent to NASA or whoever, who could then forward it as an email to their family. Very slow conversations.


I believe that typically its actually closer to ten light minutes. At least that was the kind of delay that NASA experienced when controlling the three rovers they sent. Either way conversationalism would be impossible between the planets and there will need to be satellites with significantly superior bandwidth in orbit around Mars before any kind of Earth-Mars 'internet' is feasible. I believe it will happen though.

I am concerned for the individuals that Mars One and Space X are sending though. We aren't talking about hardened astronauts but members of the general public plucked off of the street. Going to Mars carries all kinds of health risks not even faced by professional astronauts, such as greatly increased radiation exposure and hightened risk of muscle atrophy, sterilisation and exposure to cancers. The longer you stay in space the more dangerous it becomes and these people will certainly be breaking the records.


_________________
Being 'normal' is over rated.

My deviant art profile


Kraichgauer
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 12 Apr 2010
Gender: Male
Posts: 47,796
Location: Spokane area, Washington state.

21 Feb 2015, 6:55 pm

thomas81 wrote:
The_Walrus wrote:

Mars' orbit is just over three light-minutes away from Earth's. Theoretically, you could transmit a message between the two planets in that time. In practice, the planets can be nearly 25 light minutes apart. The message would need to be sent to NASA or whoever, who could then forward it as an email to their family. Very slow conversations.


I believe that typically its actually closer to ten light minutes. At least that was the kind of delay that NASA experienced when controlling the three rovers they sent. Either way conversationalism would be impossible between the planets and there will need to be satellites with significantly superior bandwidth in orbit around Mars before any kind of Earth-Mars 'internet' is feasible. I believe it will happen though.

I am concerned for the individuals that Mars One and Space X are sending though. We aren't talking about hardened astronauts but members of the general public plucked off of the street. Going to Mars carries all kinds of health risks not even faced by professional astronauts, such as greatly increased radiation exposure and hightened risk of muscle atrophy, sterilisation and exposure to cancers. The longer you stay in space the more dangerous it becomes and these people will certainly be breaking the records.


Then there's the concern about mental health. To say that many could be expected to express "buyers remorse," once they are away from home and loved ones for a significant amount of time, would be an understatement. With growing depression, and the accompanying anger, one or more team members will suffer psychotic breaks, cover their faces with their own feces, and crack open everyone else' skulls for the yummy brains inside.


_________________
-Bill, otherwise known as Kraichgauer


thomas81
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 2 May 2012
Age: 42
Gender: Male
Posts: 5,147
Location: County Down, Northern Ireland

22 Feb 2015, 12:04 am

yes, the issue with mental health is also a legitimate concern. 100 million km away is not a good place to be getting second thoughts about this kind of mission.

This is why I thought maybe autistics who have Mars as a special interest would be the best sort of individuals to send on the first excursion. I wonder how long the neurotypical brain can maintain the novelty of staring at red rocks and dust for months on end.


_________________
Being 'normal' is over rated.

My deviant art profile


BuyerBeware
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 28 Sep 2011
Gender: Female
Posts: 3,476
Location: PA, USA

23 Feb 2015, 7:05 pm

Well, I guess that's ONE way to end a bad marriage...

I'm not sure how I'd react to that one.

"You're going to Mars?? I'm happy for you, Honey. I hope it's OK if I take the kids back to WV and make some decisions without consulting you first..."

He's following it with... I don't know what. Fascination?? Envy?? Lust??

I believe that, if the kids and I weren't tying him to Earth, he'd apply for the Mission to Mars.

Goddamn ADHDers. I suppose we need them, or we'd still be sitting in caves roasting stored nuts over our fires (I guess an Aspie might have figured out the fire thing AND taken the risk of using it if it seemed useful enough). I suppose we need them, but I will never understand them.


_________________
"Alas, our dried voices when we whisper together are quiet and meaningless, as wind in dry grass, or rats' feet over broken glass in our dry cellar." --TS Eliot, "The Hollow Men"


Narrator
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 26 Jul 2014
Age: 66
Gender: Male
Posts: 1,060
Location: Melbourne, Australia

23 Feb 2015, 8:10 pm

The_Walrus wrote:
ooOoOoOAnaOoOoOoo wrote:
Not sure how long it takes emails to get here from Mars. Longer than on earth, I suppose.

Mars doesn't have email as we understand it.

Mars' orbit is just over three light-minutes away from Earth's. Theoretically, you could transmit a message between the two planets in that time. In practice, the planets can be nearly 25 light minutes apart. The message would need to be sent to NASA or whoever, who could then forward it as an email to their family. Very slow conversations.

I imagine it would be a lot like posting in this forum. Conversations that stretch over days/weeks, complete with attachments. And with the right kind of satellites acting as relays, our Martian humans may even get to surf the web, using a kind of caching. They just wouldn't be able to buy off Ebay or get a UPS delivery... well, maybe in time... :P

Inventor wrote:
While it may attract attention, sending robots would make more sense.

Ummm... we already have robots there.
Unless you want to send some terraforming robots... ?


_________________
I'm not blind to your facial expression - but it may take me a few minutes to comprehend it.
A smile is not always a smile.
A frown is not always a frown.
And a blank look rarely means a blank mind.


guzzle
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 25 Sep 2013
Age: 59
Gender: Female
Posts: 1,298
Location: Close To The Border

24 Feb 2015, 6:10 pm

Kraichgauer wrote:
thomas81 wrote:
The_Walrus wrote:

Mars' orbit is just over three light-minutes away from Earth's. Theoretically, you could transmit a message between the two planets in that time. In practice, the planets can be nearly 25 light minutes apart. The message would need to be sent to NASA or whoever, who could then forward it as an email to their family. Very slow conversations.


I believe that typically its actually closer to ten light minutes. At least that was the kind of delay that NASA experienced when controlling the three rovers they sent. Either way conversationalism would be impossible between the planets and there will need to be satellites with significantly superior bandwidth in orbit around Mars before any kind of Earth-Mars 'internet' is feasible. I believe it will happen though.

I am concerned for the individuals that Mars One and Space X are sending though. We aren't talking about hardened astronauts but members of the general public plucked off of the street. Going to Mars carries all kinds of health risks not even faced by professional astronauts, such as greatly increased radiation exposure and hightened risk of muscle atrophy, sterilisation and exposure to cancers. The longer you stay in space the more dangerous it becomes and these people will certainly be breaking the records.


Then there's the concern about mental health. To say that many could be expected to express "buyers remorse," once they are away from home and loved ones for a significant amount of time, would be an understatement. With growing depression, and the accompanying anger, one or more team members will suffer psychotic breaks, cover their faces with their own feces, and crack open everyone else' skulls for the yummy brains inside.


Might have some good reality TV coming your way and get the chance to decide for yourself which 'contestants' are emotionally up to the job 8O :lol:

Quote:
The regional selection may be broadcast on TV and Internet in countries around the world. In each region, plans include 20–40 applicants participating in challenges including rigorous simulations, many in team settings, with focus on testing the physical and emotional capabilities of the remaining candidates, with the aim of demonstrating their suitability to become the first humans on Mars. The audience is to select one winner per region, and the experts can select additional participants, if needed, to continue to the international level. The regional selection may be broadcast on TV and Internet in countries around the world. In each region, plans include 20–40 applicants participating in challenges including rigorous simulations, many in team settings, with focus on testing the physical and emotional capabilities of the remaining candidates, with the aim of demonstrating their suitability to become the first humans on Mars. The audience is to select one winner per region, and the experts can select additional participants, if needed, to continue to the international level.[36][37]

From the previous selection series, six groups of four are to become full-time employees of the Mars One astronaut corps, after which they are to train for the mission. Whole teams and individuals might be deselected during training if they prove not to be suitable for the mission. Six to ten[citation needed] teams, of four people, are to be selected for seven years of full-time training. It is anticipated that this selection round is planned to run until the end of 2015
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_One#R ... ion_period



BuyerBeware
Veteran
Veteran

User avatar

Joined: 28 Sep 2011
Gender: Female
Posts: 3,476
Location: PA, USA

24 Feb 2015, 11:09 pm

^^^^

Oh good lord. I'm living in a dystopian novel, I swear I am living in a dystopian novel.

"Happy Hunger Games! And may the odds be ever in your favor!!"

Actually off the top of my head, I'm reminded more of The Long Walk (an early short novel of King's).

Or maybe Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

Which I did not actually find all that enjoyable-- Dick's style really wasn't up my alley. I only read it twice-- once because it was assigned, and once because it was hanging around the house. But the story and the underlying themes stuck with me. Major English Lit Nerd Moment!! ! :nerdy: :nerdy:


_________________
"Alas, our dried voices when we whisper together are quiet and meaningless, as wind in dry grass, or rats' feet over broken glass in our dry cellar." --TS Eliot, "The Hollow Men"