Thursday 19 September 2013

Starting a whole new world on Mars - I

So let's start thinking about this: if we have to set up a whole new world on a new, mostly unexplored planet, then we need to set up everything, like government, society, security arrangements, education of children, healthcare, etc., right from scratch... We won't be able to take much of a guideline from the colonization missions on Earth that we learnt about in history, because they were all on Earth, which is vastly different from Mars, and they were all at different times with different technologies. (Plus, many of them were replete with racial abuse, slavery, etc., etc., and so their philosophies are not exactly good role models.)

Talking specifically about the Mars One mission program: in 2023, the first 4 humans will arrive on Mars. Then, 4 more, once in every 2 years. So by 2031, there should be a colony of 20 humans. (The arrival of a new crew would occur only once every 2 years, because Earth and Mars come close together only once every 2 years.)

Security, stability, order...

One of the most important issues to be taken care of is the stability and law-and-order situation. You may think that, initially, as the number of people in the base or colony will be small, and all of them will be carefully selected (the very best from a large pool of applicants) and thoroughly trained over many years, stability and order of the base would not be much of a problem. After all, look at all the human spaceflight programs till now, especially the International Space Station, which again is a permanently occupied human outpost (only in Earth's orbit, instead of on Mars). All the astronauts are very bright people, and many carry out their work to near perfection. Something similar can be expected in a Mars One type mission, right?

Wrong.

There is a key difference between all the human space missions that have occurred till now, and some thing like Mars One. Till now, all the human spaceflights had the intention of returning all the astronauts back to Earth... back to their old lives. Not a single "one-way" space mission has taken place till date. The duration of all missions till now has been limited, ranging from a few days to several months. All the astronauts knew that they were constantly being watched. When they land back on Earth, they all would be answerable to the higher authorities like their bosses in the space agencies, the government, and also to more personal relationships like their families and friends. If they tried out anything inappropriate in their mission, they could get into trouble... Not just fired from their jobs, but also sent into jail, if their offence was a serious crime. With this in mind, the astronauts did not loose their heads. They remained focused on their work, with their future lives back on Earth in the subconscious parts of their mind.

None of this will be applicable in a one-way mission to another planet.

Once on Mars, the humans (no longer "astronauts", as the space-travelling part of their journeys is over) will be on their own. No higher authority for billions of miles around. They would not be answerable to anyone. If they choose, they can do whatever they want. Of course, people on Earth will be watching them constantly through the cameras (as long as the cameras are functioning properly). But so what? There would not be any form of control being exercised by Earthlings on the new Martians. If there is a heated fight in a stressful situation resulting in one crew-member murdering another, it is not as if the police would come to arrest the murderer. Anything out of control could happen. Anything.

Causes of stress:

And stressful situations are bound to occur on a mission like this. Their causes? Just imagine:
  • Having the company of just a handful of other people. Seeing the same faces each day. You would miss your family and friends back on Earth.
  • Communication with your family, friends and others back on Earth would happen only through video, pictures and text, and that too, not live (as the signals would travel at the finite speed of light, taking a finite and significant amount of time to travel the enormous distance between Earth and Mars). There would be a delay of some minutes (depending on the Earth-Mars distance at the time) between every transmission and reception.
  • Constantly living in the same limited spaces of the living modules. Sure, you can go out, but every time, you have to wear a special suit (like an astronaut's space suit) to provide breathable air and to protect your body from the low atmospheric pressure on Mars, and harmful solar radiation. The last "deep breath of fresh, cool air, out in the open" would have been way back, when you were still on Earth.
  • Limited forms of recreation and entertainment (forget about discos, pubs, amusement parks, safaris, etc.).
  • Limited food options available: the humans would have to grow their own food on Mars (and this may mean having only vegetarian meals for a long time).
  • Health irritants: The low Martian gravity (about 38 % that of Earth) may cause osteoporosis or bone loss in the human body (which has evolved over millions of years on Earth). Also, unlike Earth, there is no thick atmosphere and magnetic field on Mars that can protect humans from radiation from outer space (the living areas would be designed to protect the humans from this radiation, but 100 % protection all the time may not happen).
Given all these difficulties, challenges and irritants, there is a strong potential for one or more of the crew-members to loose their mind and go totally haywire. And as I already said, there would not be any higher authority on Mars to which the Mars One crew would be answerable, so the potential for dangerous instability is serious. Unable to cope up with all the loneliness, cramped spaces and stress, the crew members might even kill each other, resulting in total mission failure (and huge embarrassment for all mission organizers and supporters back on Earth).

(By the way, irrational behavior has been displayed in long term space missions in the past... And yes, these were missions intended to return the astronauts back to Earth. I remember seeing a documentary on Discovery Channel or National Geographic in which they mentioned an astronaut who had been living in a space station for several months. Constantly living in the limited spaces for so long seemed to have affected him quite a bit: he once wanted to "open the window" of the space station, to "let the fresh air from outside come in". If this is the effect in just a few months, that too in a mission that would eventually end with returning back to Earth, then imagine what effects a permanent, non-returning mission can have on humans.)

So, what is the solution?

Of course, selection and training of the crew is extremely important. Psychological stability and commitment to the mission would be important parameters for judging the applicants. But another vital point may be this: of all the people who eventually go to Mars, a large fraction (if not all) should be imparted a certain military-like training in discipline, stress management, and exercising control or authority (when required) over any unruly crew-member. It may not be wrong to say that proper governance and regulation has to begin when the first group of 4 humans lands on Mars.

It would be the responsibility of such military-like authority to maintain discipline and general law-and-order in the colony. It may even be necessary for the powers of such government or authority to include imprisoning a crew-member who is no longer psychologically stable, has become unruly, and is dangerous for the entire mission.

A "Test", right here on Earth:

It may be a good idea to first see, right here on Earth, what is the effect on potential future crew-members when they are subjected to the Mars mission conditions for a considerably long time. Yes, the Mars One program will have such a component in the 7-year training period for the selected astronaut applicants: the group training involves "simulation missions", invoking as many of the actual Mars mission conditions as possible, in which the groups of selected applicants would participate for 3 months per year. But such exercises for only 3 months per year, for only 7 years, may not be adequate to prepare the crew for a mission that is supposed to last the rest of their lives, on another planet. I think it would be better if such Mars simulation missions lasted for several years continuously. Yeah, there is the question: what if a candidate realizes all these extreme conditions are not his/her cup of tea? That person decides to drop out, but then all those years spent in the simulation mission would be a waste of his/her life. Still, at least such realization coming on Earth is much, much better than it coming on Mars, with no way to return to Earth... And all that time spent in the simulation missions may not necessarily be a waste for such a candidate deciding dropping out. The fact that he/she got selected that far, and went through all that training, may after all be a good thing to put on the resume...
:)

Monday 9 September 2013

A few other Mars One applicants that I think have cool profiles...

Ok, till now, I have been going on about myself. I thought of doing something different now: describing a few other good applicants that I have seen on the Mars One website.

I have seen quite a few applicants' profiles till now. I have rated many, too. Most of the applicants seem to have submitted single-shot videos where the person just sits/stands in front of the camera and talks. As I explained in my previous post, such applicants do not utilize the full potential of a video application. Some applicants do not even answer all 3 questions that are supposed to be answered in the video! But there are a few that have invested a serious amount of time and effort in this important part of the application.

Obviously, I have seen only the public parts of their profile (i.e. application video, self introduction and interests). I know nothing about their private application parts. But from whatever I have seen, each one of these may deserve a 4 or 5 star rating, and possibly, a place in round 2 (interviews).

Another thing: out of all the 11 languages in which Mars One accepts applications, I understand only one: English (which is also designated as the only "official" language by Mars One, on their website). So I can comment on only those applicants who have applied in English. There will also be several good applicants using other languages, but as I can't understand them, I unfortunately cannot comment on them.

So, here is a brief description of the good applicants (in no particular order), along with links to their profiles on the Mars One website. Check them out!

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1:

Name: Momchil.
Sex: Male.
Age: 24 years.
Country: Bulgaria.

This one may be my favorite till now. His video is an amateur music video, though not of original sound track or music. The sound track is of the all-famous Gangnam Style (of Psy), but the lyrics here are original, relevant to a Mars One application. I first saw his video on YouTube.com (where the full uncut version is posted: http://www.youtube.com/watch?annotation_id=annotation_3767434399&feature=iv&src_vid=mD2S-JNYBJk&v=ICuEdEIQfPA ).
The applicant says that he is a senior student at Princeton University, studying Computer Science, Neuroscience, Robotics and AI. In the video (in which he sings), he describes himself as a programmer, entrepreneur and ACM finalist. The video also features a few other people in momentary, supporting kind of roles, though he is the only one that sings.
I thought, as the soundtrack is not original, could it lead to a case of copyright infringement? But the track is of Gangnam Style, and it is said that Psy gave up the copyright disclaimer of this song, so I guess this song can be freely used like this.

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2:

Name: Mike.
Sex: Male.
Age: 49 years.
Country: United States.

This was the first "decent" profile that I saw. The applicant has clearly invested time and effort in the video, though it is possible that he took professional help in making it.
He says he has a degree in Physics, and "has worked in hazardous environments", in the video section describing why he is a good candidate. Also says that he has climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa.
His weak point may be his age: he is 48 years old right now, so he will be around 58 years old in 2023 when the first Mars One crew lands on Mars. Younger people (not more than 30 years old right now, hence not more than 40 years old in 2023) may be better for a one-way space mission like this.

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3:

Name: Tatiana.
Sex: Female.
Age: 32 years.
Country: Russia.

She says that she is researching in particle physics at the Large Hadron Collider (of CERN, i.e. the European Organisation for Nuclear Research). In fact, she says that the video itself is shot at the LHC. She is about to get her Ph.D. (in physics, I guess) from Princeton University. She is an experienced mountaineer, and "can be trusted to handle billions of dollars worth of equipment".

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4:

Name: Max.
Sex: Male.
Age: 26 years.
Country: United States.

This guy (if he is being honest) is probably an over-achiever type in academics. One of the most significant things about him may be the fact that he got his bachelors degree in not one or even two, but three majors: physics, astronomy and mechanical engineering. THREE majors?!? Is that even possible? Many people find completing just one major a difficult journey. Or did he in fact get three minors combined to form one major, and is bluffing in his application about the minors being majors? I don't know, but if he really got three majors, then I guess he took more than the usual 4 years of college to complete them. Right now, he says, he is pursuing his masters degree in aerospace engineering from Purdue University.
In the video, he shows himself in a micro-gravity simulating experience that happens in those "diving" type airplanes.
Overall, seems a strong candidate, though there seems to be a bit of arrogance in him that may not be appealing.

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5:

Name: Maggie.
Sex: Female.
Age: 30 years.
Country: United States.

In her self introduction, she says that although she graduated Cum Laude with a degree in electrical engineering, she put her technical skills into "making high-end costumes, starting an international business selling the largest zippers in the world". Her video is nice, with a certain documentary kind of style, as though she is giving an interview to a journalist. She may have taken professional help to make the video.
In the video's why-is-she-a-good-candidate section, she says that she is both creative and technical be it any task, including this, which, she says, is her first time making a video.

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6:

Name: Gillian.
Sex: Female.
Age: 22 years.
Country: United Kingdom.

In the self introduction, she says that she is about to start her Masters year of her Physics and Astrophysics Degree at the University of Sheffield. In the video, she says that she wants to do scientific research, especially astrobiology. She wants to "investigate whether or not there is life on Mars". She says that she frequently organizes and volunteers in public outreach events. She wants to "keep the public interested in science". She is into "extreme sports", and regularly competes in national competitions. She says that she has represented her university in 5 sports so far.
At the video's end, there is a group of people gathered outdoors, that shouts, "Send Gillian to Mars!"

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7:

Name: Besh.
Sex: Male.
Age: 35 years.
Country: Canada.

In the video, he says that living on Mars is something that he has "dreamed of", and has been "preparing to do, for a decade". He shows a bit of footage of himself in underwater scuba diving, snow-covered areas, etc. Also some clips of him on a stage, addressing an audience.
A unique thing about him (if he is being honest in the video) is that he started shooting videos of himself, a little bit each day, for "432 days", i.e., since the day he hard about the Mars One program. Each clip has a "day number". So, in the video, there are several such clips, many shown simultaneously in different panes that the screen is divided into. In one clip, labelled "June 25th 2012, Day 1" he says ,"I found out about this program called 'Mars One'." He says he has done this to "document his dedication," because he will "go in a heartbeat". But I guess that all this, if true, would be too much video shooting (videos whose total duration would be up to several hours), ultimately for a final video that can be maximum 70 seconds long. Was it all worth it?

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8:

Name: Andrea.
Sex: Female.
Age: 30 years.
Country: Australia.

In the self introduction, she says that she is a mechatronic engineer. She "did school next to an active volcano in Italy; University study in Australia and Korea; Worked for years in Industrial Automation in the desert mining underground (flying to/from work!)." She "moved to Belgium to work on the International Space Station. Lived/worked/studied in 32% of the world." (How did she arrive at the 32 % figure, I wonder?)
Her video is a bit different. She does not speak much, unlike others who speak most of the video-time. Instead, she shows several pictures and short video clips (of herself in different places) in quick succession, with some energetic music playing. She answers the "Why go to Mars?" question by saying "I've explored most of the Earth, and I want to keep going."

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9:

Name: Heidi.
Sex: Female.
Age: 25 years.
Country: United States.

Right now, she is in one of the top few positions in the "ratings" list of applicants on the Mars One website (though that list is not really an accurate indicator of actually "good" applicants, as many applicants repeatedly give themselves 5 star ratings, and give their competition low ratings of 1 or 2 stars).
In the video, she says that she got a B.S. in chemistry from Virginia Military Academy. She also says she was a member of NASA's Space Exploration Academy, studying surface features of Martian craters. After graduation, she says, she decided to serve her country as a chemical officer in the US army, and today she is responsible for "training and developing 21 soldiers".
Overall, she seems like a good candidate, except for the somewhat arrogant way in which she says "I am the best candidate for Mars One" near her video's end. Is it just my thinking, or do military people all over the world have some kind of stiff arrogance or pride built into them? If true, is it good for a mission like this?

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10:

Name: Taranjeet Singh Bhatia.
Sex: Male.
Age: 29 years.
Country: India.

I had viewed quite a few Indian applicants' profiles, and for a long time, all that I saw were profiles with single-shot videos where the applicant just sat and talked in front of the camera. Same level as plain text. Only one other Indian applicant (http://community.mars-one.com/profile/16fdbb9f-b679-41c0-9a6a-a47e1f3be6a8) had done a slightly better job, by making a video that is a slideshow of his vacation-type pictures, with his voice answering the 3 video questions. But even that may not be considered as a "good" video as the pictures are of his past vacations, with many of them being irrelevant for a Mars One application, and his answers for the 3 questions are also quite average.
My video is not that great, but honestly, it did seem at least a bit better that all these other videos of Indian applicants that I had seen till now. If not better, then at least my video was invested with more time and effort.
But then I saw this profile. The applicant has clearly worked a decent amount on the video. In the self introduction, he writes that he is studying for a Doctorate in Computer Science at the University of Central Florida. In the video's humor section, he says that he does have a stage humor talent, while the video shows him performing a comic act on stage. He says that he can easily mimic people around him. He has "strong skills in electronics, computers, robotics", is "interested in physics", and is a "national level sports person". The video shows a clip of him in assisted sky-diving.
It was nice to see another Indian applicant who had invested some serious time and effort in making the application video. The rest of the world must not think that all Indian applicants have boring videos!

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Till now, these are the decent profiles that I can tell you about. When I see more, I will add them to this post.

Meanwhile, I would like to list my profile again:
My video may not be as good as that of all these candidates, but I did put in a lot of work to make it!
:)


"Views" vs "popularity" statistics on a candidate's profile...

By the way, a thing that I have noticed in many profiles (especially the ones placed high in the "ratings" list of applicants on the Mars One website) is that the number of ratings (i.e. "popularity" number) displayed on a profile can be higher (sometimes much higher) than the number of views as displayed on the profile at the same instant. If the stats were correct, then it should not be so, as a person can "rate" a profile only when he/she "views" it. But I think this can happen when you rate a profile repeatedly. It is not possible through a desktop computer (you can rate a profile only once through a PC), but it can be done via a smartphone with internet access. And many applicants would rate themselves repeatedly with 5 stars, to climb up the "rated" ranking. :P

Thursday 5 September 2013

My application....

The application video

The application video was a primary concern in my application process. I do not have too much experience making videos (unlike some other people who seem to have a lot of free time, and so they make videos on any random topic just for the fun of it, and then post them on YouTube and other websites, desperate for others to see them... LOL). Just once before, I had created a video for applying to a TV quiz show, and that  video could be up to 3 minutes long.

The camera requirement...

Initially, I was even not sure of how to shoot the video... We had a 7.1 megapixel digital camera, but that was stolen from me in October 2012 (most probably in a bus journey when I was returning home from the studio where the TV quiz show's shoot took place... Yeah, I was selected for the show, and I came on National Geographic Channel!! But the thrill was partly cancelled by the camera's loss...) The camera in my new mobile phone (the previous phone was stolen in a local train in January 2013... GAAAAHHH!!!!) was of only 2 megapixels, so videos shot by it would have poor resolution and clarity. But fortunately, my sister (working in the US) had bought a new digital camera, so she had sent the old one to us, and I was relieved... Plus, this is a 14.1 megapixel digital camera, so it gives even better resolution. (Yay!!) (I promise never to lose the new camera and cellphone... :P)

Brainstorming about video content...

I was thinking about what to include in my video. I had to answer the following three questions:
  • Why would you like to go to Mars?
  • How would you describe your sense of humor?
  • What makes you the perfect candidate for this mission to Mars?
All this had to be done in a time limit: minimum 30 seconds and maximum 70 seconds. 70 seconds seemed too less for a good video answering these 3 questions. Anyway, I went online on the Mars One website and started viewing the videos that had already been submitted by other applicants and were up for display.


Most of the videos that I saw just had the applicant sitting or standing in front of the camera and talking. When you see only one such video, you may think that it is quite alright and acceptable, but when you start seeing these again and again, you start getting bored. In the end, it is all a matter of comparison. An applicant is not utilizing the full potential of a video application if the video only shows him/her speaking. The same information could be conveyed by simple text, too. It also shows that the applicant did not put in serious thinking, time and effort into making the video, which is an important part of the application in the first round.

I knew that in order to stand out, I had to put in some serious time and effort. I had to be unique. This was an opportunity to show my creativity and strengths. First, I started trying to answer the 3 questions by jotting down relevant points on paper.

In answering the "what makes me the perfect candidate" question, I thought that as I am young, healthy and physically fit, I am at an advantage to those who are not so, since a permanent mission on Mars that will start 10 years from now (in 2023) would require young candidates who are in good shape. But how to express this point creatively in a video? I thought it might help if I could show myself working out in the gym, swimming in the pool, etc. So in end July 2013, I shot some videos and pics of me swimming in the pool and working out in the gym that were there in the neighborhood clubhouse.
Also, I thought that my final year engineering project (in which I was part of a team of 5 students that developed a robotic device with a spherical wheel system that enables all degrees of freedom in planar motion), demonstrated my skills in problem solving, team-working and communication. 
this point? Maybe I can show a pic of all me with my team-mates and the robot, and also show a short video clip of me operating that robot.

The "sense of humor" question was a bit challenging. Initially, I thought of describing my sense of humor as sarcastic, witty, etc. and mentioning what kind of jokes I liked. While my voice spoke, I could show pictures of some funny TV shows, movies and internet humor sources (e.g. "Some e cards") that I liked. To make it look funny and interesting, I thought of wearing an alien mask, or painting my face blue or green like an alien.


 I did not have any alien masks, so I browsed online to see what options were available. Among Indian online stores, I could find only one option on a website. It seemed too expensive for what may be a one-time use for a few seconds in an application video.

But despite all these ideas, somewhere in the back of my head, there was the notion that all this would not showcase my sense of humor in the best possible way. It seemed to boring. And something told me that the Mars One guys had included the question about sense of humor because they expected some hilarious moments in the video.

Could I incorporate some actual humor in answering this question, rather than just boringly say, "my sense of humor is like this and that... I like jokes like etc. etc. ... blah blah blah"?

What do I actually like in humor? What is my sense of humor actually like? One thing that came to my mind was that I like good pranks, especially those that give the "victim" a good scare. I always enjoy watching such examples of humor on TV or the internet. But I was not much of a prankster myself... yet... Could I become one now? A nice good prank, that, along with making my application video stand out, would also provide some fun?

So I began thinking... What kind of a prank, and on whom? I did not want to do anything that would injure and/or seriously offend anyone. As a prank, it should be a source of fun for everyone. As I kept thinking, the memory of an incident came back to me...

It was several years ago... My mother, having some teaching experience in schools, used to take coaching classes for elementary and middle school students at home. One day, a student brought a few rubber insect toys. They did not look that scary, but still, my mother would not touch any of them. Seeing this, that student got an idea. He lived in the same building, so he went to his home briefly to fetch something. As soon as he came back, he threw a large, black, rubber fake spider right at my mom. And, oh - my - God... she SCREAMED... she screamed so loudly, even I got scared and for a moment I thought that it was a real spider. But in the end, everyone, including my mom, had a good laugh,

So I thought, could that prank be replicated now, for my video? It seemed simple enough. And it was unlikely to cause any kind of trouble. But again, I did not have any fake spiders. I searched the internet, but in vain. And anyway, even if some spider toys were available in the market, they would be a bit expensive... It might be cheaper to make my own fake spider. And then I thought.. hey, that's it! I will make my own giant, scary, fake spider!! But with what? Gradually, some ideas of using newspaper, popsicle sticks, cotton,  paint, etc. starting coming in my mind. I used to be good in arts and crafts as a kid, and now seemed a perfect time to test this creative idea.

So I started working on making my fake spider. As this was meant to be a surprise, I would get only one shot at it. I had to make the spider in secret. And it had to look realistic, otherwise the whole time and effort invested in this idea would be worth nothing.

It took quite some time to make the fake spider. This idea had come quite late to me, and the application deadline was approaching near. Finally, on the eve of the deadline, when only around half the work was done, I made up my mind that I would not abandon the task till it was finished. I had to skip meals, and even my sleep! Who knew a prank could be this difficult to orchestrate! But finally, it was done.


Now, I knew that I would get only one shot at this, so I had to be careful. I had to plan it out. My mom often watched TV while sitting on the sofa. In fact, when the spider was finished, it was evening, just a few hours before the application deadline. I thought that I could secretly come behind her an throw the spider on her. Hopefully, she would scream. And I would have to record all of that on camera.

There were possibilities of the plan going wrong. What if she did not get scared? What if the video shot was not from a proper angle, capturing all action? But there was no time to waste. Hopefully, I had been careful enough to charge the camera's battery beforehand, so that it would not go dead while recording.

And so, I went to execute my plan.

Do you want to know what happened? Be patient... You will get to actually see it in my video... :P ;)

Other parts of the application...

I had to complete the other application parts too, which I did when the camera's battery was charging. I would like to describe them in more detail here, but as they are "private" parts of my application, to be viewed by only the Mars One officials, I guess I should not say much about them... At least not yet... Let's just say, I was fortunate enough to complete them in time... :P

Editing to create the final video...

Once all the bits to make the final video were ready, I started the editing process to create the final piece. I had downloaded a free video editing software from the internet some time back, but I had not yet used it to create any videos. This would be my first attempt. There was no time to spare. The application deadline was about to close. I had to avoid sleep and food for more than any other time that I can remember. My brain was ... I don't even remember what my brain was going through... I kind of did not have any brain any more... I just focused on completing the last bits to make the video. It was well past midnight, but I knew that this was a global program, so the deadline would not get over by 12 midnight of Indian Standard Time. It should be the last 12 midnight of anywhere in the world... somewhere in Hawaii maybe. So I should be able to work for a few hours more. But still, no time to rest... I told myself to just keep going on until it is finished... Yeah, I know, this is the price that I paid for starting my work late... But hey, it was not all over yet. Hope was still left...

Submitting the application...

Finally, it was ready. The whole application, about which I was thinking for months... Forget about past midnight, it was morning now... I started uploading the video and man, it took a whole lot of time there too.... The video was just 69 seconds long, but its size was 20.646 megabytes. It took more than half an hour to upload it. That is the price you pay for the higher resolution you get from a 14.1 megapixel digital camera...

And when everything was done, I clicked the "Submit my application!" button. My application status was displayed: "Your application had been submitted: Awaiting review."

Finally. At last. Done.

Application coming online...

I regularly kept checking my Mars One account. The application status remained the same: Awaiting review. After a few days, I started getting worried... Did they really reject my application because it was not submitted by 12 midnight of Indian Standard Time? But finally, one day, I saw the application status changed. Now, it was:

Your application has been accepted for detailed review

RELIEF! Finally, all those hours of sleep deprivation and hunger had paid off...

I searched for it on the page showing applicants (applicants.mars-one.com). My application was not listed in the "Newest" section. There were still the same old applications that I had seen earlier. I then carried out a detailed search by applying filters specific to me:
Sex: Male.
Age: From 23 to 23.
Country: India.
Language: English.

And then, finally, I found it...
MY MARS ONE APPLICATION IS NOW ONLINE!!!

Please view my application. You will get to see the public parts: my application video, my self-introduction, and my interests. Copy and paste the following in the address bar of your web browser, and press Enter!

Preparing for my application...

In around March or April 2013, I had logged on to the Mars One website (www.mars-one.com) and registered an account there. I had to pay an application fee (US $ 7 for Indian applicants) before I could proceed further to view anything of the application process.

The payment of the fee could be done via PayPal or Bit Coins, both of which required a credit card. I knew I had to ask my parents, as I did not have a credit card. Anyway, the application deadline was 31st August 2013, so there was quite some time left. Also, I was busy working on my final year team engineering project (I guess a whole new blog can be started to describe that mammoth experience). And the final exams of the 8th (final) semester [of my Bachelor of Engineering (Mechanical Engineering) course in the University of Mumbai] were going to take place in May 2013. I knew I would be busy in studies till all my exams got over, so I deferred my application work to the post-exam vacation time.

Once the exams were over, I talked to my parents about Mars One. Initially, my father was skeptical about the whole thing. I did not want to pressurize anyone too much, so I thought of getting my own credit card from the bank that I had an account in. But upon inquiring in the bank's office, I learnt that I was not eligible for a credit card yet as there were limits on minimum balance maintained in the account, minimum income of the account-holder, minimum time for which the account had been functioning, etc., and I did not satisfy these conditions (I was practically still a student, not working; and the bank account had been created recently). So I had to talk to my parents again. My mother was fine with me applying to Mars One, and my father also agreed this time, and paid my application fee via his credit card.

So finally, I got to see the application process about which, till now, I had only got a little bit of information from the newspapers. Mars One's previous announcements had already mentioned about the application video that each applicant had to submit in the first round. Once completely registering myself, I saw that, along with general information like certifications, awards, etc., there was a questionnaire consisting of 5 questions, and a "motivation letter", that were required to be submitted. The application video also had some requirements.

So now, I started thinking about what to write in all these places, and how to create my application video...

Monday 2 September 2013

Why do I want to go to Mars?

Why would anyone with the spirit of adventure and the desire to experience some thing new, not want to go?

OK, I know it is not just this... If you already have a multi-billion dollar, multi-national business empire of your own, here on earth, then it is probably understandable in case you choose not to go.

But what about me?

No, I do not have any business empire on Earth... (yet...) :P

But importantly, I have been excited by space travel and the exploration of this universe since childhood...  I guess it all started in primary or elementary school, when I may have been just around 6 or 7 years old. My friend had shown me his drawing of a super-helicopter or some flying machine like that which, according to him, was awesome and unbeatable. As a challenge, I started designing and drawing my own spaceship that would be even more cool and fantastic. It could travel faster than the speed of light! (Yeah, at that young age, I had only managed to grasp the fact that light travels amazingly fast, and did not know anything about Einstein's Theory of Relativity that states nothing can travel faster than light. Please excuse me for that.. :P) Also, there were these documentaries on space that I watched on TV channels like Discovery Channel, National Geographic, etc. Since then, space has always excited my imagination.

Anything to do with space, and it would catch my attention. Academically, too, I have been interested in fields like astronomy, astrophysics and aerospace engineering. I would have loved to have a double major in physics (including astronomy) and aerospace engineering for my bachelor's degree, but the system of double majors has not properly arrived in the Indian higher education system yet. And aerospace engineering is offered in very few Indian engineering colleges: the good ones being mostly the four Indian Institutes of Technology that offer it, which are incredibly difficult to get into. (But hey, I tried... And I will try again, for post-graduate admissions.) Anyway, I took what seemed to me as the next-best option: a bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering (in the University of Mumbai), after which I could go for aerospace engineering in my master's degree or Ph.D.

So, I am passionate about space exploration. In childhood, I had dreams of becoming an astronaut... (Specifically, a NASA astronaut, till I realized that NASA is a U.S. government agency, and it is necessary to be a U.S. citizen in order become an astronaut there.)

But this is a one-way, non-returning mission!!


Yes, yes, it means never returning to earth, never meeting my family or friends again, never being able to see the places of special memories, etc., etc.

But look at the brighter side... Being one of possibly the first few humans on Mars... Being one of the founding fathers and mothers of a new civilization on another planet... Establishing a whole new world, which is like a new opportunity to build a world free of problems plaguing the present world we live in... And, of course, being remembered throughout history for all this...

I do not want my life to be wasted... I want to avoid mediocrity... The mere thought of not utilizing my full potential, not giving my best, and having regret in old age that I did not do anything significant that I could do, gives me shudders. Just before I die, if someone asks me, "What has been your contribution to the world?", then I should have some credible answer. I want to make a significant contribution to the world... And I mean contribution... Giving something back, rather than only taking (especially taking more than one deserves, like those dumb celebrities rolling in riches, just for being good-looking...) Two important questions that we all must consider are:
  • What have you taken from this world?
  • What have you given back to this world?
Comparing their answers should give us some insight about ourselves.

Of course, being recognized and remembered for my contributions would definitely be a good thing...

And this could be one of the biggest opportunities... An opportunity to make a significant contribution to the growth of human civilization beyond Earth... And, it is in the field of space travel and exploration of another planet, something that I am passionate about.

The application process...

So what does one have to do in order to apply to become a one-way astronaut to Mars?

As I said in my previous blog, you have to satisfy the following criteria:
  1. Be at least 18 years of age.
  2. Be physically and mentally fit.
  3. Speak at least one of the application languages, which are the 11 most used languages on the internet: English, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German, Russian, Arabic, Indonesian, Chinese Mandarin, Japanese and Korean.
There are no official education requirements, though I personally think that people who already have formal education, training or experience in the fields of science, engineering or medicine will naturally have an edge over others.


And what does the application process consist of?

There are several rounds.

Round 1 (the application):

First you have to register and pay the application fee (which depends on the relative wealth of the country you are from: according to the Mars One article on Wikipedia, it can be anything from US $ 5 to US $ 75). Once this is done, you have to edit your application that consists of the following:
  • Three "public" parts:
    • Profile information (general information and your "self-introduction" and "interests" that will be displayed publicly).
    • Application video (between 30 and 70 seconds long, in which you answer 3 questions: "Why do you want to go to Mars?", "How would you describe your sense of humor?" and "What makes you the perfect candidate for this mission to Mars?")
    • Profile image.
  • Three "private" parts:
    • Personal information (including your address, education, employment and achievements).
    • Questionnaire (5 questions).
    • Motivation letter.
Application deadline: 31st August 2013.

Till now, only this much has happened. The following information about subsequent rounds is from the Wikipedia article of Mars One:


Round 2 (interview):

The second round interview will consist of:
  • A candidate's medical statement of good health from a physician will be needed.
  • After conducting an interview with the candidates with one of the 300 regional selection committees, the committees determines will decide which applicants will pass to round three.

Round 3 (national selection)

This will be a national selection round, broadcast on TV and internet. In each country, 20-40 applicants will be selected by the audience one winner per country to continue to round four.

Round 4 (international selection)

This round will be an international event that will be broadcast throughout the world. The Mars One selection committee will create international groups from the individual candidates. The groups will receive their first short term training in a copy of the Mars outpost. Whole teams and individuals might be selected out during training when they prove not to be suitable for the mission.

In 2022, several months before departure, the Mars One selection committee will determine which groups in training are ready to depart to Mars. Six groups of four will become full time employees of the Mars One astronaut corps. Each of these groups will have obtained the qualifications and skills necessary for the trip to Mars, so in that respect it should not matter who goes first. However, the symbolic and historic significance of this issue is a different matter altogether. This will be a democratic decision. "The people of Earth will have a vote which group of four will be the first Earth ambassadors on Mars".

DO YOU WANNA GO TO MARS???

My very first blog entry... and I am not going to blog about any boring, random thing that is unimportant to others.

Yeah, by reading the title and address, you would have guessed it: It is about the Mars One program. An initiative of a private, not-for-profit organization that aims to send humans to Mars, starting the first launch in 2022, with the first landing of humans on Mars by 2023. A one-way trip. To establish a permanent settlement. An entirely new human civilization. On an entirely new planet.

If the thought is not exciting for you already, then either you are already secretly visiting far-off destinations in space with secret help from aliens, or you yourself are an alien from another planet, or you don't get excited by anything....

But yeah, I was talking about excitement caused by the thought of going to another planet and establishing a permanent human colony there... I was not talking about the skepticism surrounding the idea. Of course, one must have doubts before accepting anything... And this, by no means, looks easy. Already, space missions are so expensive that government space agencies have to cancel or postpone missions many times, and no government agency, not even NASA, is planning to send humans to Mars anytime soon. But, the Mars One mission has made a significant simplification by making this a one-way mission. With no return trips, a large amount of cost and complexity is removed. And about the funding: well, they say that the initial flight to send the first team of 4 humans may require around US $ 6 billion. And they say the entire project will be funded in large part by presenting it as the "biggest media spectacle in history". As for the technology: it "already exists".

Anyway, we can't know about anything for sure unless we try it, right?

And here is the thing that may make this program the most exciting for common people: the astronaut application process is open to adults worldwide. That's right: anyone over the age of 18 years who is physically and mentally fit, and speaks one of the languages in which the application can be made, can apply. No more need to whine that you cannot even apply to become an astronaut in NASA, Roscosmos or CNSA because you are not a citizen of USA, Russia or China. This is a global program.

So, why am I blabbering so much about all this? Am I applying? Am I even eligible?

Hell, yes....

In the next few blog entries, I will describe more about the application process, and my application...

(For more information about the Mars One program, you can visit their official website: www.mars-one.com.)