Intersection: Keep Calm And Go To Mars – WMFE

Falcon 9 rocket launches Inmarsat 5 from Kennedy Space Center. Photo: Joey Roulette.

What happens if a Martian astronaut goes bonkers? 90.7sSpace reporter Brendan Byrne and WKMGs Emilee Speck take a look at the questions scientists are asking about mental well-being for Mars-bound astronauts.

Byrne says its a question which former astronaut Buzz Aldrin has been thinking about.

Hes really worried about people that get there and realize theyve made a terrible mistake.

Scientists are trying to figure out the psychological impact of a one-way mission into deep space.

Anthropologists can tell us about early colonization and how when they got on a boat they didnt know where they were going and they thought they would never return, says Speck.

And so we can look at the psychology behind that, she says.

Theres also the practical challenge of getting to Mars. SpaceX founder Elon Musk is working on a plan for a giant space craft to ferry large numbers to Mars to establish a colony.

Its an insane idea, says Byrne.

But Elon Musk has had a lot of insane ideas that have worked before.

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Intersection: Keep Calm And Go To Mars - WMFE