Hope For Man's Survival?

Hope for Man's survival rests with European Space Agency!

I subscribe to a lot of different updates such as political, general news, and one of my favorites space news updates.

I just received one concerning the European Space Agency (ESA) and their accouncement Tuesday that they are taking applications for volunteers to simulate a trip to Mars and then a return to Earth.

If it was an actual trip being planned by the ESA, it would take some 520 days, it would take 250 days to reach Mars, allow for 30 days on surface and then a return voyage of 240 days.

The program that was announced today would only be for 105 days in 2008, with another 105 days later in 2008, to test the premise, and then the full 520 days in 2009 or thereabouts.

Four of the crew will be Russian and a total of 12 Europeans will be needed to test the physical and psychological implications of being confined for long periods of time. Emergencies will be included in the program to see how people handle stressors.
I was wondering if we were doing any type of experiments in the United States as it sounds fascinating. I am currently going to several websites with NASA information to check it out, and will update this story if I find anything of interest.

If we are not doing this we should, as the trip to Mars, while very expensive and dangerous is a necessary step that we need to take if we ever plan to get anywhere else in this solar system and galaxy. The rate that we are trashing this planet is a good indicator that we need to find alternative housing elsewhere before this planet is totally bereft of life.

I realize it would be easier and less expensive to take care of the lifeboat that we call Earth, but the sad truth is that we will not stop the human activities that are poisoning this planet, and that will ultimately lead to the end of human life here. So a contingency plan is called for and the sooner we begin thinking of our departure the better.

I know the Bush adminstration has said we should go to the Moon again and then on to Mars at a later date, but nothing is decided or funded yet. It is lame to return to the Moon and makes for too long a wait to head to Mars. Time is critical and it is time that we again take Bold, Giant steps as we did when President John F. Kennedy made the committment to have a Man on the Moon, by the end of the decade. There were dangers and deaths, but America saw the culimination of the Vision when a Man did Walk on the Moon, July 20th,1969.

It is again that time of Bold Vision to take man to the next step away from home.

My Best Wishes to the volunteers in the ESA experiments, and my discouragement that it is not the United States of America, leading the way this time.
The full story can be read by following the link below.

Mars