WEBVTT - Get Your Podcast To Mars! 0:00:04.200 --> 0:00:07.160 Get in touch with technology with tech stuff from how 0:00:07.240 --> 0:00:13.840 stuff works dot com. Say there, everyone, and welcome to 0:00:13.960 --> 0:00:17.880 tech stuff. I'm Jonathan Strickland. And and we're gonna take 0:00:17.960 --> 0:00:24.920 you to Mars. Fore maybe maybe the possibility. So so 0:00:24.960 --> 0:00:28.440 Mars one, Yeah, Mars one. It's this. It's this proposed 0:00:28.640 --> 0:00:32.960 project that would set up a human colony on Mars, 0:00:33.000 --> 0:00:37.320 funded mostly by the televisation of the entire process. Yes, so, 0:00:37.440 --> 0:00:44.000 um yeah, essentially turning a space exploration and colonization project 0:00:44.120 --> 0:00:47.199 into a reality TV show in a way actually more 0:00:47.240 --> 0:00:49.720 than just in a way a giant reality TV show 0:00:49.960 --> 0:00:54.080 in an entire like thirteen year series of reality TV shows, 0:00:54.120 --> 0:00:56.280 which is pretty impressive to sit there and say that 0:00:56.320 --> 0:01:01.440 any particular property is going to maintain interest in the 0:01:01.480 --> 0:01:05.440 public for at least thirteen years. Uh, and maybe it will, 0:01:05.520 --> 0:01:09.480 but um, it's it's kind of an interesting approach to this, 0:01:09.480 --> 0:01:12.199 this question of when are we going to actually set 0:01:12.280 --> 0:01:16.200 up a colony somewhere other than on Earth, like like 0:01:16.360 --> 0:01:18.800 on Mars, and and proposing the fact that it can 0:01:18.880 --> 0:01:24.240 be not only commercial but um but but driven specifically 0:01:24.520 --> 0:01:27.760 by public interest. Really, I mean, because because here's the 0:01:27.760 --> 0:01:31.120 thing is that we know that the government officials that 0:01:31.280 --> 0:01:34.600 are behind things like like the space industry in the 0:01:34.680 --> 0:01:42.240 United States anyway, are facing increasingly difficult battles in in funding. Right. 0:01:42.280 --> 0:01:47.560 It's it's getting harder and harder to get a working budget. 0:01:47.920 --> 0:01:50.720 And some of that is due to problems that the 0:01:51.600 --> 0:01:55.760 various space industries have had, like specifically what NASA has undergone, 0:01:56.080 --> 0:01:58.600 where NASA has had a few projects more than a 0:01:58.600 --> 0:02:03.800 few maybe that some would argue we're improperly governed so 0:02:03.840 --> 0:02:07.360 that they ballooned out of control as far as budget 0:02:07.360 --> 0:02:10.320 and timeline is considered. And part partially this was also 0:02:10.400 --> 0:02:14.520 due to just uh, everyone at the at the outset 0:02:14.520 --> 0:02:17.600 and not understanding exactly what kinds of issues we're going 0:02:17.639 --> 0:02:19.240 to crop up along the way and what kinds of 0:02:19.240 --> 0:02:21.960 problems would need to be solved, right, And sometimes it 0:02:22.040 --> 0:02:25.360 was because you know, it wasn't necessarily mismanagement, but it 0:02:25.440 --> 0:02:29.119 might be that you know, you have very limited uh 0:02:29.240 --> 0:02:31.520 people you can go to when you need something like 0:02:31.840 --> 0:02:36.079 an enormous rocket, and if the only company that provides 0:02:36.120 --> 0:02:39.000 the enormous rockets that you need says, you know, I 0:02:39.040 --> 0:02:40.920 know that originally we were going to say that this 0:02:41.000 --> 0:02:44.440 was going to be you know, twenty million dollars per rocket, 0:02:44.480 --> 0:02:46.160 but in reality it looks like it's gonna be closer 0:02:46.200 --> 0:02:49.120 to sixty five. You don't have a lot of options left. 0:02:49.160 --> 0:02:52.920 So it's I don't mean to suggest that NASA was 0:02:53.480 --> 0:02:56.440 really bad at managing this stuff. It's just that a 0:02:56.480 --> 0:03:02.440 lot of several high profile projects, uh ended up getting 0:03:02.480 --> 0:03:05.480 bogged down in lots of problems, which and when you're 0:03:05.480 --> 0:03:07.679 and when you're publicly funded, it's a lot more difficult 0:03:07.720 --> 0:03:12.760 to handle that This this private funding could hypothetically, you know, 0:03:13.120 --> 0:03:15.040 eat around some of those problems. You can sell more 0:03:15.040 --> 0:03:17.760 advertising space or something like that. Right, I mean that 0:03:17.880 --> 0:03:21.440 that's the whole idea behind the privatization of space exploration, right, 0:03:21.560 --> 0:03:25.679 is that they aren't uh, they aren't tied down to 0:03:26.320 --> 0:03:29.680 things like tax income. They don't have to go and 0:03:29.720 --> 0:03:33.200 petition they have to answer to the taxpayers. That's right, 0:03:33.320 --> 0:03:35.640 that's right. But they do have to raise those funds 0:03:35.680 --> 0:03:38.400 some other way, because it's not like they just magically 0:03:38.440 --> 0:03:42.920 have access to those giant rockets. Uh. The supposed funds 0:03:42.960 --> 0:03:46.920 that MARS one will require to to establish the settlement 0:03:47.040 --> 0:03:51.400 is six billion dollars. That sounds so low, phenomenally low 0:03:51.440 --> 0:03:54.160 to me low, But but it's it's starting with just 0:03:54.280 --> 0:03:58.400 four settlers, um to to expand hypothetically by teams of 0:03:58.440 --> 0:04:01.280 four every two years. And they're aiming for the first 0:04:01.480 --> 0:04:06.200 round of settlers to to land and um uh is 0:04:06.520 --> 0:04:10.440 the is the current proposed date, which is ten years away. 0:04:11.680 --> 0:04:14.920 I mean, this isn't This is already blowing my mind. 0:04:14.960 --> 0:04:17.560 And we haven't even gotten into what the actual challenges 0:04:17.560 --> 0:04:22.359 are yet. But just the challenge of getting the materials together, 0:04:22.600 --> 0:04:26.120 testing your your various spacecraft because obviously you're going to 0:04:26.160 --> 0:04:28.719 have to design special spacecraft for these teams to go 0:04:28.839 --> 0:04:31.760 up in there. They're they're talking right now to Elon 0:04:31.839 --> 0:04:34.679 Musk and the other kids are at SpaceX R about 0:04:34.800 --> 0:04:37.480 about using their their stuff, which would be important. I mean, 0:04:37.720 --> 0:04:40.520 like using the Dragon spacecraft that kind of stuff. Uh, 0:04:41.080 --> 0:04:44.800 obviously that would be something they'd have to take into consideration. 0:04:44.960 --> 0:04:48.120 It just seems it seems really ambitious. That's not to 0:04:48.160 --> 0:04:50.840 say that it can't be done or that they shouldn't try. 0:04:51.120 --> 0:04:54.680 I think being ambitious is fantastic. It's just one of 0:04:54.680 --> 0:04:58.440 those things where having seen how difficult it is to 0:04:58.560 --> 0:05:02.320 get a space project and I hate to use this 0:05:02.360 --> 0:05:07.800 phrase off the ground, uh tells me that things are 0:05:07.800 --> 0:05:09.760 going to have to go really really well for them 0:05:09.800 --> 0:05:12.440 to make that budget and to make that timeline. Maybe 0:05:12.520 --> 0:05:14.920 it will, but let's let's talk a little bit more 0:05:14.920 --> 0:05:16.920 about what this whole project is. So, Yeah, the first 0:05:17.000 --> 0:05:21.320 team lands, and now the thing is that in order 0:05:21.360 --> 0:05:25.839 for anyone to land on Mars and have any expectation 0:05:25.880 --> 0:05:28.840 of being able to survive there, other stuff is gonna 0:05:28.839 --> 0:05:31.920 have to get there first. A whole bunch of other stuff. Yeah, 0:05:31.960 --> 0:05:37.080 because Mars doesn't have any supermarkets, so you would need 0:05:37.240 --> 0:05:40.680 some way of getting supplies there. And I mean, you know, 0:05:40.760 --> 0:05:43.760 you can't just pack everything you would need in your 0:05:44.240 --> 0:05:46.680 single rocket. That would be very inefficient. That would be 0:05:46.680 --> 0:05:48.880 way too much weight, right, Yeah, the more weight you 0:05:48.920 --> 0:05:52.320 add to your launch vehicle, the more fuel you need. 0:05:52.400 --> 0:05:54.240 And the more fuel you need, the more weight you 0:05:54.279 --> 0:05:56.560 add to your launch vehicle. There does come a point 0:05:56.960 --> 0:05:59.839 where your launch vehicle is too heavy for you to 0:05:59.880 --> 0:06:02.159 be to launch it using the fuel sources that we 0:06:02.240 --> 0:06:04.960 typically use here on Earth. And and they are they 0:06:04.960 --> 0:06:08.600 are planning a space launch rather than an Earth launch 0:06:08.800 --> 0:06:13.320 of the actual crew module. Interesting, I did not read 0:06:13.400 --> 0:06:15.440 that part, so you'll have to tell me more about that. 0:06:15.480 --> 0:06:18.200 If if you get a chance. Sure, but but but 0:06:18.279 --> 0:06:21.000 let's let's let's back all of this back up the so, so, 0:06:21.040 --> 0:06:24.440 the Mars one project is run by the by by 0:06:24.560 --> 0:06:27.840 by two parts. It's a there's a nonprofit foundation called 0:06:27.880 --> 0:06:31.760 Mars one and there's a for profit company called Interplanetary 0:06:31.800 --> 0:06:36.040 Media Group, which makes me laugh so hard that they 0:06:36.040 --> 0:06:40.720 are interplanetary serving all your needs, whether you are on 0:06:40.800 --> 0:06:45.800 Earth or somewhere else. That's I do wonder whether whether 0:06:45.839 --> 0:06:47.880 the nice people who founded it are on Earth or 0:06:47.920 --> 0:06:53.240 somewhere else. There is a fair, fair request? Are you 0:06:53.600 --> 0:06:56.960 from here? Uh? This this is these but both of 0:06:57.000 --> 0:06:59.839 these of these organizations are are are based in the 0:07:00.000 --> 0:07:05.160 Otherland's co founded by Bob's Landsdorp and ar Noo Wielders 0:07:06.279 --> 0:07:09.280 and uh Landscorpe says that he got the idea when 0:07:09.320 --> 0:07:12.640 he saw the revenue figures for the International Olympic Committee 0:07:12.840 --> 0:07:18.000 a bunch of years ago and said, hey, there's money there, 0:07:18.000 --> 0:07:21.720 there's money there, there's there's money in in televising these 0:07:22.040 --> 0:07:27.920 epic human events. And you also uncovered that that Interplanetary 0:07:28.000 --> 0:07:32.240 Media Group the you know, they're they're different organizations that 0:07:32.280 --> 0:07:37.600 own shares in Interplanetary Media Group. Who owns the majority. 0:07:37.840 --> 0:07:42.720 The Mars One Foundation owns almost of the shares in 0:07:42.920 --> 0:07:48.080 Interplanetary Media Group. The nonprofit arm of Mars One owns 0:07:48.240 --> 0:07:54.000 nine of the for profit arm of the project. It's 0:07:54.080 --> 0:07:58.880 it's also the sole supervisor of the for profit sectors 0:07:58.960 --> 0:08:05.000 operations weights the nonprofit organization overseas the for profit arm 0:08:05.160 --> 0:08:08.280 of this. Now, now this is just it raises alarm 0:08:08.320 --> 0:08:11.480 flags in my mind. However, I will say, if this works, 0:08:11.800 --> 0:08:15.720 it's a brilliant way of of funding this because the 0:08:15.760 --> 0:08:19.880 nonprofit part can take them any money that's generally from 0:08:20.160 --> 0:08:23.080 right and there's no there's no processing fee or whatever 0:08:23.080 --> 0:08:25.720 you want. There's not a convenience fee here. Because they 0:08:25.760 --> 0:08:28.840 have this governance and they have this ownership of the 0:08:28.840 --> 0:08:31.960 the for profit arm. And if that money indeed is 0:08:32.000 --> 0:08:37.439 going to fund this Mars project, that's exactly what they're 0:08:37.480 --> 0:08:40.400 going to need in order to have that That a 0:08:40.520 --> 0:08:44.560 massive amount of capital they're going to need because the 0:08:44.559 --> 0:08:46.640 foundation is going to be is going to be the 0:08:46.679 --> 0:08:49.400 owner of the settlement on Mars and UH and the 0:08:49.440 --> 0:08:52.439 employer of the mission teams right, and then I am G. 0:08:52.760 --> 0:08:57.400 The the Media group is essentially in charge of of 0:08:57.559 --> 0:09:02.720 generating funds through things like the olevised broadcast of the 0:09:02.800 --> 0:09:05.560 process of selecting people to go to Mars even and 0:09:05.600 --> 0:09:10.440 then once they get there, their ongoing experience on Mars 0:09:10.920 --> 0:09:15.120 to be live stream televised seven six, five days a year. Yeah, 0:09:15.160 --> 0:09:18.080 it's big brother Red Planet edition. And then they also 0:09:18.240 --> 0:09:20.520 but they're also going to be generating money through things 0:09:20.520 --> 0:09:23.880 like merchandizing, right right, And I AMG will in fact 0:09:23.880 --> 0:09:27.320 hold exclusive rights um to use this project to generate 0:09:27.360 --> 0:09:32.560 revenue through broadcasting, advertising, etcetera, etcetera. Right, So you've got 0:09:33.240 --> 0:09:40.800 this interesting approach to trying to uh to fund space colonization. Obviously, 0:09:41.080 --> 0:09:43.959 the only way this really works is if it captures 0:09:44.040 --> 0:09:47.480 the public's attention enough for them to want to watch it, right, 0:09:47.720 --> 0:09:50.360 Because otherwise that flow of revenue isn't going to come 0:09:50.360 --> 0:09:52.800 to dry up immediately, and then they don't have any 0:09:52.840 --> 0:09:55.520 money to build or buy all the stuff they need 0:09:55.559 --> 0:09:58.600 in order to get things to Mars. So let's talk 0:09:58.640 --> 0:10:01.720 a little bit about what they are looking for, because 0:10:01.720 --> 0:10:05.280 clearly they need to have people want to go, and 0:10:05.400 --> 0:10:07.880 I would I would argue that that part of this 0:10:07.880 --> 0:10:11.439 this application process that we're about to talk about proves 0:10:11.720 --> 0:10:14.480 that the interest is there because within the first two 0:10:14.520 --> 0:10:19.760 weeks that applications were open, they got seventy eight thousand applicants. Yeah, 0:10:19.880 --> 0:10:24.359 that's that's a that's a huge number. And the application 0:10:24.400 --> 0:10:27.760 process is still open as of the recording of this podcast, right, yeah, 0:10:27.840 --> 0:10:31.840 this is uh it opened in April. We are recording 0:10:31.840 --> 0:10:37.400 this in May, and it will be open until August one. Right, 0:10:37.520 --> 0:10:40.400 so so there's still time, still time. And they say 0:10:40.440 --> 0:10:44.120 that they expect half a million applicants by the time 0:10:44.120 --> 0:10:47.200 it's all over, because obviously that that first rush is 0:10:47.240 --> 0:10:49.240 from all the people who hear about it at the 0:10:49.320 --> 0:10:52.800 very beginning. Now, before you rush out and fill out 0:10:52.840 --> 0:10:56.280 your application, maybe you should uh learn a little bit 0:10:56.320 --> 0:10:59.880 more about the parameters of the mission. This is mortal 0:11:00.000 --> 0:11:04.760 likely than not a one way ticket. You will not 0:11:04.840 --> 0:11:07.440 be coming back from Mars. If you were to go 0:11:07.600 --> 0:11:12.240 to Mars on this mission. Um, there is every possibility 0:11:12.280 --> 0:11:13.960 that that is where you would have to spend the 0:11:14.040 --> 0:11:17.640 rest of your life. The expense incurred to get you 0:11:17.679 --> 0:11:21.760 back here would basically not be worth you, well, no, 0:11:21.760 --> 0:11:24.120 no offense to you beyond that, I mean, just the 0:11:24.160 --> 0:11:31.800 logistics of designing a spacecraft that could and yeah, you'd 0:11:31.840 --> 0:11:34.600 have to have even more fuel. So that you could 0:11:35.200 --> 0:11:38.079 escape the gravity of Mars. Remember, mars is gravity is 0:11:38.080 --> 0:11:41.640 is not that different from Earth's, so you would have 0:11:41.720 --> 0:11:44.720 the same issue. Now that the atmosphere is thinner, so 0:11:45.040 --> 0:11:48.560 you'd have less air resistance, but that's kind of negligible 0:11:48.559 --> 0:11:52.240 when you're talking about gravity. UM. So I mean to 0:11:52.240 --> 0:11:55.640 to create a spacecraft that could get there and then 0:11:55.800 --> 0:11:58.960 launch from the surface and come back is beyond the 0:11:59.000 --> 0:12:04.600 scope of this project. So that leaves you literally on Mars. 0:12:04.880 --> 0:12:06.200 So if you don't want to spend the rest of 0:12:06.200 --> 0:12:09.640 your life there, you probably don't want to. Um to apply, 0:12:09.800 --> 0:12:12.840 to apply very seriously. They're they're looking for people who 0:12:12.840 --> 0:12:16.080 are at least eighteen years of age or older, keeping 0:12:16.120 --> 0:12:18.600 in mind you will be ten years older if you 0:12:18.640 --> 0:12:20.840 were selected to be one of the four people who 0:12:20.920 --> 0:12:24.120 go up on that first launch. As of as of 0:12:24.200 --> 0:12:27.079 May seven, the oldest person to apply was seventy one 0:12:27.160 --> 0:12:33.280 years old, UM, which seems like probably he won't be chosen. Yeah, no, 0:12:33.400 --> 0:12:36.920 we don't know that for sure. And it's interesting that 0:12:37.880 --> 0:12:40.480 how they're going to go about choosing the people who 0:12:40.520 --> 0:12:44.000 go through this, right. There's there, there's there's first of all, 0:12:44.000 --> 0:12:48.640 a whole bunch of of application of selection criteria and 0:12:48.880 --> 0:12:50.480 did you want to you want to sure sure that 0:12:50.600 --> 0:12:54.560 they're looking for people who have the following characteristics. And 0:12:55.080 --> 0:12:57.400 this is because they need people who are going to 0:12:57.400 --> 0:13:03.000 be psychologically prepared for the challenge, for the training and 0:13:03.000 --> 0:13:05.600 for the trip and to be stuck on Mars for 0:13:05.640 --> 0:13:07.360 the rest of their lives, right, And they have to 0:13:07.400 --> 0:13:11.640 not only be have the psychological uh foundation, but they 0:13:11.640 --> 0:13:15.360 also need to be willing and able to pick up 0:13:15.440 --> 0:13:19.400 new skills because clearly you're you're talking about a tiny 0:13:19.520 --> 0:13:23.719 number of people ultimately on that colony. It's just, you know, 0:13:24.000 --> 0:13:27.040 not not many at all, So you everyone needs to 0:13:27.080 --> 0:13:30.640 be able to do pretty much everything. Just like astronauts 0:13:30.640 --> 0:13:33.560 aboard the International Space Station have to be adept at 0:13:33.640 --> 0:13:36.120 working with all the different systems and be able to 0:13:36.160 --> 0:13:39.160 react if anything goes wrong. The same thing holds true 0:13:39.200 --> 0:13:42.360 on the colony. So you know, it's if if you 0:13:42.400 --> 0:13:45.120 were to apply, you'd have to be willing to go 0:13:45.200 --> 0:13:47.880 through some very rigorous training to learn how to deal 0:13:47.920 --> 0:13:51.240 with any situation that they can come up with that 0:13:51.280 --> 0:13:53.840 could conceivably happen while you're on the colony. And the 0:13:53.840 --> 0:13:55.920 plan is for about six six to seven years of 0:13:55.920 --> 0:13:58.800 training before launch right for the first group, which you 0:13:58.840 --> 0:14:02.880 know also television. So the characteristics they're looking for, they're 0:14:02.880 --> 0:14:07.240 looking for resiliency, and they they break these out by 0:14:07.240 --> 0:14:11.040 practical applications. So for resiliency, they mentioned that your thought 0:14:11.040 --> 0:14:15.840 processes have to be persistent. You persevere and remain productive 0:14:16.000 --> 0:14:19.880 even under difficult circumstances. You see the connection between your 0:14:19.960 --> 0:14:24.160 internal and external self, meaning that you're very self reflective. 0:14:24.400 --> 0:14:27.160 These get a little metaphysical as they go on. You 0:14:27.160 --> 0:14:29.560 are at your best when things are at their worst. 0:14:30.640 --> 0:14:34.520 That is not me, I'm already out. I mostly turned 0:14:34.680 --> 0:14:38.440 snarky when things are at their worst. Also when they're 0:14:38.440 --> 0:14:43.000 at their best, you have indomitable spirit. Nope, mind's totally domitable. 0:14:43.480 --> 0:14:46.240 You understand the purpose of actions may not be clear 0:14:46.280 --> 0:14:48.760 in the moment, but there is good reason, and you 0:14:48.800 --> 0:14:52.400 trust those who guide you. That's terrifying to me, which 0:14:52.440 --> 0:14:56.720 is essentially saying shut up and do your work. Um, 0:14:57.160 --> 0:14:59.360 I understand what they're saying. They're saying like, look, we 0:14:59.440 --> 0:15:02.000 may tell you to do something that requires you to 0:15:02.680 --> 0:15:06.480 uh to endure uncomfortable circumstances for an extended amount of time, 0:15:06.520 --> 0:15:08.600 but trust us, it's it's all on your best interest 0:15:08.960 --> 0:15:11.440 that always that always gets me a little worried, uh 0:15:11.480 --> 0:15:14.440 they and that you have a can do attitude. The 0:15:14.520 --> 0:15:20.080 next criteria is adaptability. Clearly this would be necessary on 0:15:20.200 --> 0:15:22.320 this kind of project, oh right, right, like like like 0:15:22.360 --> 0:15:24.240 Jonathan was saying a second ago, you need to be 0:15:24.240 --> 0:15:27.240 able to do everything up there, so out there right, 0:15:27.280 --> 0:15:29.160 And I love that one of them, one of the 0:15:29.200 --> 0:15:32.480 I won't go through all of the practical applications of 0:15:32.520 --> 0:15:34.400 this one, but one of them is you know your 0:15:34.440 --> 0:15:39.560 boundaries and how and when to extend them. I didn't 0:15:39.560 --> 0:15:43.320 know the boundaries were that flexible, right, Like, I guess 0:15:43.320 --> 0:15:46.080 if you have boundaries of watch, one of those international boundaries, 0:15:46.080 --> 0:15:48.960 it's kind of you know, always always in question, where 0:15:48.960 --> 0:15:51.200 it's just the dotted line instead of the solid line. 0:15:51.520 --> 0:15:54.880 I think maybe it's like you would be willing to 0:15:54.920 --> 0:15:58.520 do this and no more, but you in certain situations 0:15:58.520 --> 0:16:01.560 will be willing to do more. Totally do more. Yeah again, 0:16:01.720 --> 0:16:07.200 kind of terrifying. Um. And then next would be curiosity, which, again, 0:16:07.640 --> 0:16:09.800 if you don't have a sense of curiosity, I can't 0:16:09.800 --> 0:16:14.240 imagine tomorrow unless you're just sick of everyone here, of 0:16:14.280 --> 0:16:16.280 which I mean maybe you are. Maybe you're just a 0:16:16.320 --> 0:16:21.720 missingthroa and of total miss so it would just be 0:16:21.760 --> 0:16:26.200 like the Algonquin Roundtable, but in space, which would be 0:16:26.280 --> 0:16:29.640 kind of awesome. So which would I would watch that show? 0:16:30.040 --> 0:16:33.080 And they talk about the desire to transfer knowledge to 0:16:33.160 --> 0:16:35.560 others and not just showcasing what you know or what 0:16:35.600 --> 0:16:38.640 others do not know. I think that knocks me out too, 0:16:38.720 --> 0:16:42.160 because I prefer the second version of that. No, seriously, 0:16:42.400 --> 0:16:44.000 that's one thing I actually do like. I like to 0:16:44.360 --> 0:16:47.720 I like to share knowledge because I find knowledge exciting. 0:16:47.800 --> 0:16:50.000 That's that's probably why you're on a podcast that that 0:16:50.120 --> 0:16:53.640 is a couple of them. And then there's the ability 0:16:53.680 --> 0:16:56.200 to trust, which would be very important since you're working 0:16:56.240 --> 0:17:00.320 with people who you know your life depends upon the work, 0:17:00.400 --> 0:17:03.400 just as their lives depend upon yours. And then you 0:17:03.480 --> 0:17:07.840 have to be creative and resourceful, which means that you know, 0:17:07.840 --> 0:17:10.040 I kind of have a hacker mentality that if a 0:17:10.080 --> 0:17:12.600 problem comes up, you find a way to solve it, 0:17:12.640 --> 0:17:16.639 even if you don't have a like a a manual 0:17:16.840 --> 0:17:19.000 that tells you what to do in that specific situation, 0:17:19.040 --> 0:17:22.439 that you can adapt to the situation as necessary. You know, 0:17:22.520 --> 0:17:25.520 maybe the manual tells you to react in a specific 0:17:25.560 --> 0:17:30.879 way if one particular situation arises, but maybe the situation 0:17:30.960 --> 0:17:34.440 is more complicated than that, and you can't just do 0:17:34.960 --> 0:17:37.439 one solution because that's not going to meet all the 0:17:37.480 --> 0:17:40.480 criteria to fix the problem. That's why you have to 0:17:40.520 --> 0:17:44.560 be both creative and resourceful. So that's that's like the 0:17:45.040 --> 0:17:48.720 basic um features that they're looking for in the people 0:17:48.720 --> 0:17:52.080 who apply, and then the way they choose or the 0:17:52.080 --> 0:17:55.640 way they start to narrow down the candidates is also 0:17:55.720 --> 0:17:58.680 kind of interesting. Like I said, the applicant pool was 0:17:58.760 --> 0:18:02.320 opened up on April twenty two, I said April. It 0:18:02.359 --> 0:18:05.440 was on April. And it costs. It does cost money 0:18:05.480 --> 0:18:08.199 to apply, between five and seventy five dollars, depending on 0:18:08.240 --> 0:18:11.399 the wealth of your country of origin. Gotcha, So if 0:18:11.400 --> 0:18:14.639 you're from a more affluent country than your your application 0:18:14.680 --> 0:18:16.439 fee will be higher. I think the fee here in 0:18:16.480 --> 0:18:20.960 the United States is thirty eight dollars. Interesting, So it's 0:18:21.000 --> 0:18:25.200 thirty eight that I'm curious to see which countries are 0:18:25.200 --> 0:18:28.680 on the top of the scale. I did not look 0:18:28.720 --> 0:18:31.119 that up, so I have no idea, But I'm just 0:18:31.160 --> 0:18:33.520 wondering out loud, because you know, it's that it's that 0:18:34.000 --> 0:18:36.439 national pride coming out. What do you mean thirty eight dollars, 0:18:36.440 --> 0:18:40.040 Why aren't we seventy five? Not that I'm applying this. 0:18:40.320 --> 0:18:42.480 This this applicant pool is going to be pared down 0:18:42.880 --> 0:18:46.000 during the course of several rounds. Um. The first is 0:18:46.080 --> 0:18:49.320 by popularity because part of the application is is you 0:18:49.359 --> 0:18:52.359 know your your resume and this very short psychological work up, 0:18:52.560 --> 0:18:54.919 and then part of it is a YouTube video that 0:18:55.040 --> 0:18:57.880 you are supposed to upload. So how many people are 0:18:57.960 --> 0:19:01.159 watching and liking your video? It's like having a cloud 0:19:01.280 --> 0:19:05.000 score for going to Mars. Yeah, and again I could 0:19:05.080 --> 0:19:08.840 see someone who is just really misanthropic winning just because 0:19:08.880 --> 0:19:11.679 people are like, get rid of this guy shooting him 0:19:11.720 --> 0:19:16.360 into space. Um. So so, so the this first round 0:19:16.400 --> 0:19:18.480 is going to be by the by the popularity of 0:19:18.560 --> 0:19:21.439 your of your YouTube video. It's like American Idol, but 0:19:21.520 --> 0:19:25.119 you shoot him into space ahead, um and uh, and 0:19:25.320 --> 0:19:29.000 and by by the application material the company is actually 0:19:29.000 --> 0:19:32.560 looking at your resume. Right, Um, I don't want to 0:19:32.560 --> 0:19:34.800 send a whole bunch of people who obviously have no 0:19:34.880 --> 0:19:39.520 business working any kind of intricate system. Yeah right, there's 0:19:39.560 --> 0:19:42.200 there's no point in advancing those people to the next round. 0:19:42.440 --> 0:19:44.520 The next round, speaking of, is going to be a 0:19:44.640 --> 0:19:48.879 selected down by region and based on the person's health. 0:19:49.160 --> 0:19:53.119 Various background checks and in person interviews also very important. Obviously, 0:19:53.160 --> 0:19:55.000 you want to have people who have those features we 0:19:55.000 --> 0:19:57.960 talked about earlier, that are well rounded, that can work 0:19:58.000 --> 0:20:00.679 well with others. You don't want to uh send a 0:20:00.720 --> 0:20:03.760 bunch of psychopaths up in Mars, people who don't care 0:20:03.840 --> 0:20:08.280 about anyone else, because that would be well counterproductive to 0:20:08.320 --> 0:20:11.560 the mission at large. Sure, sure, missing tropes, yes, Uh, 0:20:11.680 --> 0:20:16.720 total psychopaths, no, not so much. No. Um, after that, 0:20:16.880 --> 0:20:18.520 you're going to start seeing more of a more of 0:20:18.560 --> 0:20:23.360 a crowdsourcing process, um via via reality TV shows, um, 0:20:23.480 --> 0:20:27.080 Internet polls, stuff like that. Right, even when they narrow 0:20:27.119 --> 0:20:30.600 this down to their pool of potential astronauts, and I 0:20:30.640 --> 0:20:33.600 think they're they were aiming to get to around forty 0:20:33.680 --> 0:20:36.919 total when they finally boil it down. I've seen a 0:20:36.920 --> 0:20:40.240 couple of different numbers. But but but yeah, the idea 0:20:40.320 --> 0:20:42.879 being that not all forty of those people would necessarily 0:20:42.960 --> 0:20:46.159 end up on those colonies. It's rather that this is 0:20:46.200 --> 0:20:50.040 the pool of astronauts that could go up and uh 0:20:50.080 --> 0:20:53.840 then h throughout the television series, we might even see 0:20:53.880 --> 0:20:57.679 something where the audience decides which are which four would 0:20:57.680 --> 0:21:00.159 be the first ones to go, right right, it's going 0:21:00.200 --> 0:21:02.080 to be they're they're gonna start naring it down by 0:21:02.160 --> 0:21:05.600 by TV and stuff and uh to two people, a 0:21:05.640 --> 0:21:09.719 man and a woman would be selected from each applicant country. Um, 0:21:09.840 --> 0:21:13.320 and then they will them plus a few judge favorites 0:21:13.320 --> 0:21:16.399 who are not crowdsourced, will proceed to an international round 0:21:16.760 --> 0:21:20.560 and then be grouped into four's, um, some fifty teams 0:21:20.600 --> 0:21:25.000 of four and uh, which which will be narrowed to 0:21:25.200 --> 0:21:28.439 six teams who will train full time. So then you're down. 0:21:28.600 --> 0:21:31.840 Then you're down to that, right right? Um? And then yeah, 0:21:33.600 --> 0:21:37.080 that would be when um, they would select whatever groups 0:21:37.119 --> 0:21:39.160 are ready to go. The company would select the groups 0:21:39.160 --> 0:21:42.880 that they think are good to actually astronaut and um, 0:21:43.160 --> 0:21:45.600 and then the world gets to call in and vote 0:21:45.600 --> 0:21:49.800 on which people get shot into space. This is incredible, 0:21:50.320 --> 0:21:54.880 all right? And then um, uh, you had a specific 0:21:54.960 --> 0:21:58.600 quote from someone who had applied, right, Yeah. NBC News 0:21:59.000 --> 0:22:03.399 found out that sci fi author David brynn Um, who 0:22:03.760 --> 0:22:07.320 wrote for example, The Postman, I Believe and and a 0:22:07.320 --> 0:22:10.040 bunch of other stuff, he told HIMBC that people who 0:22:10.080 --> 0:22:15.160 can't imagine any sane person making this choice. Uh, editors note, 0:22:15.160 --> 0:22:17.520 did the choice to go to Mars forever and never 0:22:17.560 --> 0:22:22.520 come back simply aren't envisioning the wide range of human diversity. 0:22:22.640 --> 0:22:24.720 Um And and was just talking about, you know the 0:22:24.760 --> 0:22:27.280 fact that he's got three kids, and that at the 0:22:27.400 --> 0:22:30.280 very earliest state that Mars one was going to launch, 0:22:31.040 --> 0:22:33.400 he he would be he would be seventy five, which 0:22:33.480 --> 0:22:35.960 means his kids are grown up and on there. They're 0:22:36.000 --> 0:22:39.240 doing their own thing at that point there in their careers. 0:22:39.280 --> 0:22:43.400 So it's not like it's not like he's abandoning children. Sure, sure, 0:22:43.440 --> 0:22:46.200 and you know, he might choose to to spend these 0:22:46.280 --> 0:22:48.879 last few years years of his life doing something truly 0:22:48.920 --> 0:22:52.840 remarkable interesting. And we should say that the the early 0:22:53.040 --> 0:22:56.920 stages of this would require uh, the candidates who were 0:22:56.960 --> 0:23:00.359 selected to move on in the process to go undergo 0:23:00.480 --> 0:23:03.359 some extensive training, like we've mentioned before, but they'd probably 0:23:03.400 --> 0:23:08.000 be going someplace really remote and pretty desolate. Yeah. One 0:23:08.080 --> 0:23:10.520 one of the plans of the group is to UM 0:23:10.520 --> 0:23:15.080 to create on Earth in in in some cold desolate 0:23:15.240 --> 0:23:19.000 desert tundra kind of area, a UM a little foe 0:23:19.920 --> 0:23:23.600 Mars base for training purposes. That will become really important 0:23:23.600 --> 0:23:26.040 because you have to you know, you have to understand 0:23:26.800 --> 0:23:30.640 what are what's the harsh reality of trying to live 0:23:30.640 --> 0:23:34.080 on Mars. But before we jump into that discussion, we 0:23:34.080 --> 0:23:37.160 want to take a quick moment to thank our sponsor. Alright, 0:23:37.200 --> 0:23:40.360 so we've laid out what the project wants to do 0:23:40.640 --> 0:23:43.520 and kind of their general approach, the idea of sending 0:23:43.600 --> 0:23:47.520 up supplies ahead of time and then landing people hopefully 0:23:47.520 --> 0:23:54.000