Nope! Not the answer you were expecting from a steely-eyed space flier with 167 days in space under his belt? Well, first of all, I’m not steely-eyed. Second of all, I love my wife and kids. And they are the preeminent reason I have no desire to go to Mars. Third? I’m guessing it will be pretty damned boring.
Now, if there was a transporter beam that could send me there instantaneously, such that I could spend a few weeks or a few months (or maybe 167 days or so) and then beam home, I’d be in!
My wife and kids sacrificed greatly for me to be able to become an astronaut. They sacrificed further to allow me the opportunity to finally make it to space. And they have sacrificed enough for their husband/dad. It’s time for me to be there for them, and I am proud to be able to do just that.
Many of my colleagues will LEAP at the chance to go to Mars.
It’s a journey that I estimate will cover almost 2.5 years in space. 6–9 months travel to the Red Planet will then require an approximate stay of 9 months or so. That stay time allows Mars and Earth to re-position themselves in their respective orbits to provide a second set of 6–9 months to get home.
That’s a long time in deep space, and IMHO we are not even close to being ready to do that. Those astronauts who say they will “…leap at the chance,” can have at it. Perhaps they are not married. Perhaps they have no children. Perhaps those things don’t even matter to highly motivated Type-A personalities seeking challenge after challenge. But they matter very much to me.
Picture Source Wikipedia
Thanks for Reading
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