First of all, sorry about my rambling and hopefully this hasn't been posted before (I searched for "would you go to Mars" and didn't find anything), but I'm curious... So while sending Jeb to Duna the other day, I started thinking about what I would do if I was in his shoes. Considering that traveling to Mars, I would think in some ways, has parallels to Europeans traveling to the New World, I would expect that the people that go there have their own motivations and what not. So here's my thoughts and opinions, and I would seriously like to know how other people feel about the idea of traveling to Mars given these considerations: with whatever necessary technology, you will (most likely) survive the trip there and (if you choose) back the expedition will consist of less than 10 people you most likely have never met before being chosen for the trip (you don't get to choose any of them! And for argument's sake let's say it's equal men and women) you can't come home until Mars and Earth are in alignment for a return trip (I'm going by my less-than-perfect non-sciency memory, but isn't it like 20-something years?) the only interaction you can have with people on Earth is through phone and/or video calls Here's my thoughts (and for the record, I'm 25) -- first the positive: Currently my two biggest interests in life and career possibilities are agriculture and aviation. Going to Mars involves both of those things in some way. Currently, I'm teaching students about nutrition and gardening. I think about what I want to do next, and I think it would be neat to work on an agricultural development project in a developing country. After that, maybe trying to farm at a research station in Antarctica, and after that... the moon... Mars? Obviously this probably won't all happen (maybe not even most of it), but it's fun to dream. The challenge and adventure of going to, living, and growing food on Mars is enticing, even if it's far-fetched. Plus there's the idea of being the first, and building something from absolutely nothing. The problem is, however, that although I'm not married, I do want to eventually have a family. If I left for Mars today, I wouldn't be back until I was in my 50s. That makes having a family hard, unless it was with another crew member and on Mars, which brings up another point. I'd be seeing the same people for years. And years. It'd be like the Real World, only on Mars, and for YEARS. I'd be stuck with the same people, for better or worse, for a couple decades. THAT is scary. Plus, I couldn't visit my family or friends. At best, I'd just see them on a video screen, which would really suck. And finally, I kind of like Earth. Yes, it has it's problems, but I like all the rivers and forests and animals. There wouldn't be any of that on Mars. It's basically a desert. There's barely even an atmosphere... or water. Even with terraforming it wouldn't be the same. So what would you do? I'm interested in what people's motives for going/not going and their ages. I would assume younger people would be more willing to "leave it all behind for adventure and science!" but maybe I'm wrong.
