Russia to recruit volunteers to fly to Mars

Pravda ^ | 06/16/03 | RIAN

[bedolido]

When the construction of the International Space Station /ISS/ is completed, members of a future Martian expedition will be recruited for the cosmonauts' team, Major-General Vasily Tsibliyev, first deputy head of the cosmonaut training centre of Russia, said on Monday.

Describing the new complement to the cosmonauts' team to journalists, he noted that a flight to Mars would require pilots, medical specialists, biologists, and scientists in other fields. Their training programme, Tsibliyev said, will differ from the current one, because it must be carried out with an eye on an extended mission involving a large volume of research work and "will call for high intellectual standards in physically fit people".

He said that men for the cosmonauts' group were currently being selected in Russia according to the 'branch-specific" principle - from the air force, enterprises concerned with space technologies, or linked with Rosaviakosmos - the Russian aerospace agency.

The selection principle used in the US is different, Tsibliyev said. There are concrete requirements formulated to intellectual and physical qualities of a candidate and anyone wishing to devote his life to space may apply and undergo the screening process.

The general believes that "evidently the same principle will be used in Russia to choose candidates for a flight to Mars".

[BushCountry]

I hope the Russians can and will make a serious attempt at Mars!

[KellyAdmirer]

Well, at least SOMEONE is talking about a serious Mars expedition. I knew it wouldn't be NASA - they only are interested in keeping the shuttle jobs program going. NASA will probably wait and wait and wait and only commit at the last minute when forced by potential competition from Russia or China, and then do a crash program - as usual.

[Zavien Doombringer]

This would be intersting, it takes 9 months to get there. Once there, if you plan on getting back, you have to have a vehicle to get you out of the martian atmosphere, then another 9 month space flight...Sheesh, you would have to either have no-balls, or steel ones...

[Constitutionalist Conservative]

Anyone? Anyone? Bueller?

[Mr. Jeeves]

Or be willing to die to be first, and advance humanity. I think they won't lack for volunteers.

[gcruse]

Has the problem ever been solved of shielding cosmic rays such that a human could survive outer space that long?

[Pyro7480]

I've seen many ideas for missions to Mars that have some sort of "safe room" that is heavily shielded against radiation. With the moon, it's a bit easier, because all one has to do is pile moon dust over their dwellings to shield against radiation.