Would You Go to Mars? Meet the Four Women Astronauts Who Can't Wait to Get There

[fizzgig]

In first grade Jessica Meir made a drawing of herself standing on the moon. Turns out she underestimated her own ambition: Today, at 38, Meir could become the first human to touch down on an even farther destination: Mars. A next step for man? Yes, and a giant leap for womankind.

The mission itself is at least 15 years away—it will take that long to build and test every last piece of equipment. But it's already the most hotly anticipated space-exploration effort ever. Governments around the world—in China, Europe, and Russia—have plans in the works to at least land robots on Mars, while in the U.S., private companies like SpaceX are partnering with NASA on a human mission and plotting their own commercial trips. And unlike the 1960s race to the moon, this time women are playing pivotal roles—building rockets, designing space suits, and controlling the remote rovers that are already sending momentous insights back from Mars.

A human landing will not, to put it mildly, be easy. The shortest route to our planetary neighbor is 35 million miles. Just getting there will take six to nine months; a round-trip, two to three years. "This will be the longest, farthest, and most ambitious space-­exploration mission in history," says Dava Newman, Ph.D., NASA's deputy administrator. Once they've landed, the astronauts will have to navigate giant dust storms, temperatures that can plummet to minus 284 degrees Fahrenheit in winter, and an atmosphere filled with cancer-causing galactic radiation. If their equipment fails? NASA won't hear an SOS for 10 minutes. And there's no turning back. "It's not like the moon; that's a three-day trip," says Jason Crusan, director of advanced exploration systems at the agency. "When you go to Mars, you're going. You can't abort."

And yet the pull is irresistible: The rovers have revealed a land of swooping red dunes and craters. Evidence of water—not just ice, but actual flowing water—has surfaced, and water is often considered a sign of possible life. "Mars can teach us so much about the past, present, and future of our own planet," says Meir. "That's a phenomenal thing."

http://www.glamour.com/inspired/2016/01/nasa-women-astronauts-first-trip-to-mars

[roguevalley]

1. they speculate that because of fuel concerns and the like that the radiation

exposure they get will wipe their short term memory out and begin the cancer process. It would be dangerous when they get there to remember to do the things they need to do. This is a one way trip to the grave for those who go with the tech we have now.

[malthaussen]

2. Much like life, then. n/t

[jakeXT]

3. If Matt Damon can do it... still haven't watched the movie