Survival and Sacrifice in Mars Exploration

With current technology, a voyage to Mars and back will take three

years. That’s a lot of time for things to go wrong. But sooner or later

a commercial enterprise will commit itself to sending humans to Mars.

How will the astronauts survive? Some things to consider are:

ith current technology, a voyage to Mars and back will take three

years. That’s a lot of time for things to go wrong. But sooner or later

a commercial enterprise will commit itself to sending humans to Mars.

How will the astronauts survive? Some things to consider are:

• Who decides what medical resources are used for whom?

Who decides what medical resources are used for whom?

• What is the relative weight of mission success and the health of the

crew?

What is the relative weight of mission success and the health of the

crew?

• Do we allow crewmembers to sacrifi ce their lives for the good of the

mission?

Do we allow crewmembers to sacrifi ce their lives for the good of the

mission?

• And what if a crewmember does perish? Do we store the body for

return to Earth or give the member a burial in space?

Questions like these, and hundreds of others, have been explored by

science fi ction, but scant attention has been paid by those designing

missions. Fortunately, the experience gained in polar exploration more

than 100 years ago provides crews and mission planners with a framework

to deal with contingencies and it is this that forms the core of this book.

Why the parallels between polar and space exploration? Because polar

exploration offers a better analogy for a Mars mission today than those

invoked by the space community. Although astronauts are routinely

compared to Lewis and Clark, Mars-bound astronauts will be closer in their

roles to polar explorers. And, as much as space has been described as a

New Frontier, Mars bears greater similarity to the polar regions, which is

why so much can be learned from those who ventured there.

And what if a crewmember does perish? Do we store the body forreturn to Earth or givethe member a burial in space?

Questions like these, and hundreds of others, have been explored by

science fi ction, but scant attention has been paid by those designing

missions. Fortunately, the experience gained in polar exploration more

than 100 years ago provides crews and mission planners with a framework

to deal with contingencies and it is this that forms the core of this book.

Why the parallels between polar and space exploration? Because polar

exploration offers a better analogy for a Mars mission today than those

invoked by the space community. Although astronauts are routinely

compared to Lewis and Clark, Mars-bound astronauts will be closer in their

roles to polar explorers. And, as much as space has been described as a

New Frontier, Mars bears greater similarity to the polar regions, which is

why so much can be learned from those who ventured there.