Gitathonic - Mars One

Well, I'm gobsmacked, once again.  I can't believe this guy, the CEO of the company MarsOne, organising a permanent abode on Mars.  He's labelled this as "the single most important event in the history of mankind".  Maybe he forgot the wheel and, most importantly for women, that invention:  the tampon?

Surely he's joking, thinking he is so special, although I must point out he may lack a genetic locus for humour?  What?  He thinks he's more important than say, Dr Ehrlic? Louis Pasteur?  The Curie's (Madame Curie)?  What outrageous arrogance.  I personally don't see Mars as either the saviour of mankind from itself perhaps, or the solution that will save the planet and the environment from gradually eroding away.

Let's face the truth, of course planet Earth won't last forever.

In the immortal words of St Saens, "music is the redemption of mankind" (at least I think it was St Saens, although Wagner did similar themes).

Single most important event in history my foot.  Eat your hat mate, and wash your treacherous mouth out with soap.

Here's some info on the planet Mars.  If you need some help a planetarium is always a good way of getting a grasp of the sky and planets, and also to provide a unique way of observing and understanding planets and their mapping. 

If you prefer not to move from the comfy company of your mobile, there's a great phone app you can get that provides absolutely fantastic opportunities to star gaze.  I use the free app Meteor Shower Calendar - if you do a search for that on Google Play, heaps of apps come up.  The one I use picks out your own GPS co-ordinates, you then point your phone in whatever direction you want, and it will show you graphics of the stars that you're looking at.  Once you've installed the app and set your co-ordinates, the phone doesn't need to be online to do its thing.  Really simple.  As indicated by the name, it also let's you know what meteors and comets are upcoming, and their strengths.

I'm also going to try the free app Night Sky Tools - Astronomy - that's also a point and look app.

Interview with Alix Steel of Bloomberg West with Bas Lansdorp, CEO of MarsOne, 3 April 2014: Bloomberg West TV, 3 April 2014 

 And here's a short doco from Time offered on YouTube:

A One Way Ticket to Mars: Behind the Mars One Project 

Published on Jun 3, 2013

A private space venture plans to beat NASA in getting people to the red planet by at least a decade. The catch? It's a one-way trip. Mars One will now take your application.