One-way travel to Mars?

I noticed the intriguing Op-Ed article in The New York Times by Lawrence M. Krauss entitled "A One-Way Ticket to Mars" and was immediately reminded of similar thoughts I had and blogged about back on May 27, 2007 in a post about being a Mars colonist entitled "One-way trip to Mars".

I would definitely consider signing up for one-way travel to Mars to be a Mars colonist. I might want to wait a few more years before going, but nobody is going yet anyway.

Note that going one-way would not necessarily mean you could never come back, but simply that the return trip, if any, is completely decoupled from the outbound voyage. Some colonists might seek to return, but a majority would likely seek to stay on Mars.

Another note is that the somewhat weaker gravity would be a blessing to those of more advanced age (such as aging Baby Boomers.)

A final note is the prospect of children being born and raised on Mars.

And beyond a final note is the prospect of genetic engineering of humans to be able to survive in the weak atmosphere of Mars.

-- Jack Krupansky