Mars colonist candidate expresses grave doubts about mission
and will not work, according to an essay by the
candidate published on Wednesday.
Joseph Roche, an astrophysicist and lecturer at
Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, is among 100
finalists selected by Mars One, a nonprofit Dutch
organization, for possible permanent resettlement
on Mars in 10 years.
“I do not think we will see a one-way mission in
my lifetime,” Roche wrote in an article published
on Wednesday in the Guardian newspaper.
His comments are not the first words of
skepticism about the project in the scientific
community. In October, researchers with the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology concluded
that the plan, which aims to establish a self-
sufficient colony of 24 settlers, is flawed.
“Although Mars One was never likely to overcome
the financial and technical barriers during the
proposed timeline, it was refreshing to hear a
new idea that challenges us to think about our
own role in the future of space exploration,”
Roche wrote.
Roche broke his silence after Mars One issued a
“top 10 candidates” list which he said was based
on how much financial support candidates had
donated to the organization.
“I think that the shortcomings of the selection
process, coupled with (Mars One's) unwillingness
to engage and collaborate with the scientific
community, means that the time might have
come for Mars One to acknowledge the
implausibility of this particular venture,” Roche
said in the essay.
Mars One denied that candidates’ financial
contributions affect the selection process. Many
successful candidates "have never contributed
financially beyond the application fee, and there
are many that did contribute significantly, but
were not selected to proceed to the next selection
round,” Mars One communications director
Suzanne Flinkenflögel wrote in an email to
Reuters.
Mars One skeptics have questioned various
aspects of the project. "For example, if all food is
obtained from locally grown crops, as Mars One
envisions, the vegetation would produce unsafe
levels of oxygen, which would set off a series of
events that would eventually cause human
inhabitants to suffocate," MIT said.
Likewise, a system to bake out ice from Martian
soil for drinking water does not exist, the study
found.
Last month, industry trade publication Space
News reported that Mars One contractors
Lockheed Martin and Surrey Satellite Technology
had completed concept studies for robotic
precursor missions, but had not signed contracts
for follow-on work.
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