Jantima Kaenthaow has always dreamed of travelling to outer space. But, at age 42, she never realised her childhood fantasies would take a step closer to becoming reality. Ms Jantima has not landed a job with Nasa — instead, she has volunteered for an ambitious, and controversial, one-way mission to Mars.
Jantima Kaenthaow
The freelance business consultant learned of the Mars One project, which was founded by two Dutch entrepreneurs, when she read about it on the Facebook page of her New Zealand friend.
“I remember having a long, tiring day of work, but as soon as I saw the post, I immediately lit up,” she said.
‘TIME TO EXPLORE OTHER PLANETS’
When Mars One launched in early 2013, it invited anyone to apply, regardless of age, sex or professional experience. Ms Jantima was among the 202,586 candidates worldwide reported to have put up their hand to become one of the first human beings to establish a permanent settlement on the red planet.
She is the only Thai candidate out of the 660 who made it through to the second round, nearly half of whom are from the US. The other two candidates from Thailand are of Russian nationality. Only 24 will be selected for the final mission.
Speaking to Brunch at the Bangkok Planetarium, Ms Jantima would often drop technical English terms such as “cosmic ray” and “radiation”, showing just how much effort she has been putting into her preparation.
Ms Jantima was born and raised in Khon Kaen until she finished high school and completed her bachelor’s degree at Kasetsart University’s Faculty of Forestry and a master’s in business administration from the same university.
In her one-minute introductory video, which is a requirement for all candidates and published on the Mars One website, Ms Jantima explained why she would like to go to Mars, while describing her leadership skills, her outgoing personality, as well as her ability to work in cross-cultural environments.
In 2012, Ms Jantima spent a year travelling solo around the world, visiting 33 countries in six continents, an experience she shared on her personal blog thaitraveltheworld.com.
“I’ve been to every continent on this planet; now it’s time to explore other planets,” she said in the application video.
Ms Jantima did not submit her application until the day of the deadline in August 2013, using the time to browse the video submissions of other candidates.
Applicants were also required to pay a registration fee, which ranged from US$5-75, depending on the relative wealth of their country.
“Their selection criteria is not the same as for a normal astronaut,” Ms Jantima said. “But they still want someone unique, someone who is prepared to adjust to harsh environments and is able to survive in narrow spaces as well as outdoors. In other words, extremely adaptable.”
HOUSTON, WE HAVE A PROBLEM
Mars One has generated a storm of criticism on a variety of issues, raising ethical, technical and financial concerns about the project and its intentions.
Although there has been several unmanned exploration missions to Mars in the past, and several plans for human missions have been proposed, there have been no attempts to send people to the freezing planet.
Ms Jantima’s age also makes her an unlikely candidate for what would be the most significant voyage of discovery in human history, although that is not denting her enthusiasm.
But aside from the recruitment process, the obstacles facing the Mars One mission are enormous. No human being has left low-Earth orbit since the last Apollo mission in 1972, and the effects of long-term space travel are largely unknown. Cosmonaut Valentin Lebedev spent 211 days in orbit in 1982, but during that time the elevated radiation levels resulted in his losing his eyesight to cataracts.
The flight to Mars is projected to take more than seven >> >> months. With the first manned Mars One mission due to take off in 2024, the programme still lacks a spacecraft. Even if they are able to touch down, there are few plans about how the settlers will survive the hostile environment on the red plant, where average temperatures are -60C, exposure to solar radiation is high and gravity is only 38% that of Earth’s.
Ms Jantima brushed aside the concerns, describing the project’s roadmap as “sensible” and pointing to consultation with the project’s suppliers, which reportedly includes US aerospace giant Lockheed Martin.
CASHING IN
Mars One expects to send four people on its first manned mission in 2024, with subsequent missions following every two years thereafter. Prior to the launch, the 24 individuals selected for the flights will be taken for training at several desolate outposts, which Mars One says “will be located at a more remote environment like the Arctic desert”.
The astronauts will be required to wear their “Marssuits” when exposed to the Mars atmosphere, and will be housed in just 250m³ of living space in inflatable units which will most likely have to be buried underground to escape the planet’s deadly solar radiation.
During their working hours, the astronauts will be expected to perform three main tasks: construction, maintenance and research.
They will also have time to relax, although with websites expected to take between six and 45 minutes to load on their screen, internet use is likely to be limited.
The crew’s journey will also be documented for a reality television programme, and at that point, Ms Jantima expects the sponsorship money to pour in.
“I think the funding model makes sense,” she said. “It’s something that has never happened before, and everyone would want to become a sponsor.”
Mars One estimates the cost of putting the first four people on Mars at US$6 billion (196 billion baht), and $4 billion for every subsequent manned mission. Apart from sponsorships, it also receives funding from partnerships, sponsorships and crowdfunding, although so far those models have fallen flat.
The project claims to have already signed contracts with several suppliers for hardware components and has dozens of advisers who are industry and scientific experts.
The Mars One website contains a detailed FAQ separated into different topics, with questions ranging from having children on Mars, the type of governmental system and social structure that will be implemented, and whether or not a one-way trip is ethical.
FINAL COUNTDOWN
On Dec 30, 2013, Ms Jantima received an email notifying her of the results of the first round. Because it was in her junk mail folder, it remained unnoticed until the day of the deadline, which required her to submit a physical examination report.
“I was sitting at the office and almost jumped with joy. But I was also panicking because of the deadline,” she said.
Reactions from those close to her have been mixed. Ms Jantima became an inspiration to many of her friends’ children who also wanted to become astronauts, but many of her friends were also shocked upon hearing that she would not return to Earth.
Although she believes her parents would support her on the mission, she has no plans to inform them until she passes the final selection round.
Mars One has already begun its second selection round, and although Ms Jantima has already had her interview scheduled, she is unable to discuss details with the press. Results of the second round are due to be announced on Saturday.
The interviews are conducted by the project’s chief medical officer via video link. The final selection process of 24 individuals will be completed this year.
To prepare for the task, Ms Jantima has already become a member of the Thai Astronomical Society on Facebook, and follows industry experts on Twitter, such as former Nasa astronaut Brian Duffy and the astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson.
POINT OF NO RETURN
Mars One maintains that a one-way trip (or “emigration”) to Mars is the only way humans will be able to get to the red planet within the next 20 years, although this does not exclude the possibility of a return flight at some point in the future.
For Ms Jantima, not being able to return home is not a priority, not only because she does not intend to have a family, but also because she believes it is the first step towards increasing our collective knowledge of another planet.
To her, the ability to explore another planet would be one of mankind’s greatest achievements.
“It has been 45 years since the first man landed on the moon. In the future, another four [people] will set up a colony [on Mars]. It’s something that mankind has not yet achieved,” she said. “I would rather choose to die on Mars than at home.” n
THE RIGHT STUFF
DO YOU KNOW WHAT IT TAKES TO GO ON A MISSION TO MARS?
Applicants need to be at least 18 years of age, have a deep sense of purpose, a willingness to build and maintain healthy relationships, the capacity for self-reflection and ability to trust.
They must be resilient, adaptable, curious, creative and resourceful.
Mars One is not seeking specific skill sets such as medical doctors, pilots or geologists. Rather, candidates will receive a minimum of eight years extensive training while employed by Mars One.
While any formal education or real-world experience can be an asset, all skills required on Mars will be learned while in training.
It is not necessary to have military training nor experience in flying aircraft nor even a science degree. It is most important that each applicant be intelligent, in good mental and physical health and be willing to dedicate eight years to training and learning before making the journey to his or her new home on Mars.
Applicants must also bear in mind that the settlement on Mars would be permanent, and that there is no way to go back. This is because the technology for a return mission does not exist, and even if a return mission were available, it would be uneconomical, dangerous and unnecessary. n
LOST IN SPACE
Mars One is a Netherlands-based non-profit organisation that plans to establish a permanent human settlement on Mars. Founded in 2011 by Bas Lansdorp and Arno Wielders, the mission plan consists of cargo missions and unmanned preparation of a habitable settlement, followed by human landings in 2025, which will also be documented for a reality television show.
In the coming years, a demonstration mission, communication satellites, two rovers and several cargo missions will be sent to Mars. These missions will set up the outpost where the human crew will live and work.
Mars One’s vision is that at some point in the future, the colony will be large and equipped enough to self-sustain.
Mars One will establish a settlement of four people on Mars to start with. From then on, the focus will be to expand the colony by sending four people every two years.
After securing the first investment and commissioning the first conceptual design study in 2012, Mars One launched its astronaut selection programme in 2013.
The project has drawn criticism from aerospace experts, who point to its unusually low price tag and scant technical details. One study claimed the colonists would die within 61 days on the hostile planet. But the project’s founders are determined to push ahead, even as it pushed back the planned dates for its first manned mission. n
