Update: Scott’s name has landed on Mars! His name is engraved on a silicon chip aboard NASA’s Perseverance Rover. Read the full story. By the way, the adventure below didn’t work out, but it is strange how this dream took on a new shape. Who would have ever imagined my name would be trundling around Mars onboard a robot?
In case you didn’t hear, I made round 2.5 of the Mars One project and my quest to be the first person to bicycle two planets.
First off, I was honored to participate in a radio interview on the local NPR affiliate station WVXU. Listen to the interview about my trip and news on new fusion rocket engines by NASA.
At this moment, 705 candidates from the original pool of over 200,000 applicants remain in Mars One’s astronaut selection process. 349 were eliminated in the medical exam.
The next step will be an interview by the Mars One selection committee, which will be conducted by Dr. Norbert Kraft, Chief Medical Officer of Mars One, who has worked with NASA and the Japanese Space Agency in astronaut selection and crew preparation. I think they will begin the rigorous physical and psychological testing. In fact, I already had to pass a minor physical exam. The interviews will also become the first stage of a documentary that will be filmed.
More about their requirements here.*
Stay tuned for more news. I have to admit that this is a long shot, but it is surprisingly nerve-racking.
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Also for your diehard Martian fans, you may be interested in some articles in the recent media regarding a government report “Pathways to Exploration: Rationales and Approaches for a U.S. Program of Human Space Exploration”, which details the future manned spaceflight and Mars as being the ultimate goal for humanity.
WASHINGTON — Landing astronauts on Mars is unaffordable given today’s budget realities, but the U.S. can’t afford not to undertake such a mission. That’s the thrust of a new congressionally mandated report by the National Research Council. Via USA TODAY
(Reuters) – The United States should abandon its “flexible approach” to human missions beyond Earth, set Mars as its ultimate goal and open the door to China among other potential partners, a review of the human space flight program said on Wednesday.
Read all of the articles about Scott’s Mars One adventure.
Footnotes
* 2019: The website is no longer working. I’m sad to report that Mars One has been declared bankrupt by a Swiss court. I do belive they had good intentions.
