Mice Headed for Mars?

MarsOrBust writes: "The Mars Society today announced their next project, called TransLife, will be to send an Apollo size spacecraft manned by mice into earth orbit rotating at Mars gravity. This will be the first time anyone has done research at Martian gravity. The purpose of the experiments is to prove that the transit to Mars, which would take about six months, should be done at Martian gravity. The project would cost about $10 million. In a related article SpaceRef talks about how millionaires are now starting to fund these type of private missions and speculates whether billionaires might fund further space projects." MSNBC has a story.

Interesting

[The_Jazzman]

It will be truly interesting to observe the effects of mars gravity on mice.

A while back I remember reading about the changes that would happen to man were we to habitate Mars. Such changes would include, but were not limited to:

1) Growth. People nowadays are tall, but it's not inconceivable that we would grow more than ten feet tall. This is due to the lack of gravity, thus our bodies having much less force against them growing skywards.
2) Chest size. Some people like bigs tits / pecs. Well, were we to live on mars, another size effect of the lack of gravity would be a massive swelling of the chest area to immense proportions. This would accomodate a much greater lung capacity as well.

I for one can't wait to see qute what happens to the mice.

Welcome to 1g!

[gad_zuki!]

Zubrin: Why is there blood running out of their ears?

Scientist: Because you're an idiot!

The 2nd generation of mice will never get to experience 1g until they land. I'm sure that'll make for a great mortality rate.

What about getting the mice back?

[MongooseCN]

How many $millions$ will have to be spent to get the mice back so that the animal rights people don't try to shut down NASA?

depends on your political preference eh?

[fantomas]

"In a related article SpaceRef talks about how millionaires are now starting to fund these type of private missions and speculates whether billionaires might fund further space projects."

Depends on your political preference really. Lots of stuff seems to have been done by government funded projects up to now. Suppose it's an option in a free market economy though. Shame these kind of guys don't decide to spend their billions on hospitals or schools or finding a cure for cancer though.

I reckon philanthropy aimed at funding the education system would probably be a more surefire, longer term, likely way of gettting successful space missions happening. I mean if tobacco companies can sponsor universities on the proviso that their beneficeries say nice things about cigarrettes (or at least not bad things) then surely it wouldn't be too hard to persuade a university to accept a few billion provided it made sure a number of students study space sciences.

Millionaires Funding Missions to Space

[AxB_teeth]

While I'm dismayed that the government sees virtually no value in funding any space missions beyond the slow-moving International Space Station [http://spaceflight.nasa.gov/station/ [nasa.gov]], I'm even more frightened when I consider that future space exploration may be limited to Individuals and Private Corporations, whose main concern is their own pocketbooks, and not the benefit of humanity. I would gladly welcome a global space organization that could put aside the petty world of greed & politics.

Just a thought

[Sanford]

While I am sure that this discussion could indefinitely continue to both humorously and with sincerity extol the virtue of rodents circling the planet at a high altitude while simultaneously rotating around their ship's axis. I think that the possibility exists that there is more to the article.

For instance, and perhaps old news, but the private funding and research of interplanetary travel; the Mars Society a notable example. To my understanding, the Society is not NASA run at all (?)

These people are seriously involved in creating a humanned trip to Mars, and not unlike open source, seek participation from skilled people to run a variety of research and experiments.

---ah, what the hell . . .

"PPPPPPIIIIIIIIIIIGGGGGGGGGGGSSSSSSSSSS
IIIIIIIINNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN
SSSSSSSSPPPPPPPPAAAAAAAAACCCCCCCCCEEEEEEE !!!!!!!"