There has been a lot of news lately about Inspiration Mars, a private, non profit project that is raising money to send a couple to Mars.

In case you haven’t read the deets, basically this company wants to train and send one man and one woman, preferably a married couple, on a trip to the planet and back.

The trip will take 16 months, and the couple will be in a small living space the entire time. (Basically they won’t be jumping out on Mars and eating marshmallows.)

The couple would be trained very well to endure such conditions, and the selection process would be extremely rigorous.

So, I ask you, friends, how much money would it take for you to go?

Let’s weigh the pros and cons.

Pros:

1. You would get to be like Lewis and Clark, making history and seeing something no one else will get to see.

2. You would be one of the very few people on the planet to see the Earth from outer space.

3. You will be able to collect valuable data, making it possible to propel science forward.

4. You would get to experience this with your spouse.

5. If you make it back, you will likely be able to live a life of leisure, giving talks at college graduations and shaking the hands of presidents.

Cons:

1. Let’s be honest. Does anyone really want to spend 16 months in a small space capsule with their spouse? I mean, I love the hubs. Really, I do. But, that’s a long time!

2. According to the articles I read, you would be exposed to a lot of radiation, so you can’t go if you want to get pregnant one day, and it might make you very sick.

3. You could die. Unfortunately, as with most space missions, this one is not guaranteed to work.

4. The food is likely not very good, and I don’t care to comment on the waste disposal situation. You’ll have to read about that for yourself!

5. You will probably be unable to blog or use Twitter in outer space, and for me, I think that’s a deal breaker.

I should mention that no one has really commented on whether or not these astronauts will get paid. I wonder if they even will or if it will be like winning the Triwizard Cup (a la Harry Potter) with the reward being eternal glory.

How much would it take for you to even consider applying for a mission like this? Or, would you never even think about it because of your job/kids/grandkids/future?

Photo Credit: Flickr Creative Commons