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Comment by cornellwright | Hacker News Reader

While I did not apply, I can see the appeal. In one word: Adventure

Mars just seems a miserable place. Cold, dusty and pretty boring. I think the novelty would wear off pretty quickly.

It was 30 degrees below zero in Chicago a couple weeks ago, and the experience was a lot like what life on Mars would be like. Spending nearly 100% of your time inside your habitat, and going outside is a big deal that requires a lot of preparation.

A week was enough of that for me. I'd still like to visit Mars, but I can't imagine I'd enjoy living in those conditions for the rest of my life.

Finland, Norway, Iceland, Sweden - they are pretty happy countries. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_6IsFPRoslY

Well, sure. I live in Chicago which has winters as cold as those places. It's a relatively balmy 25 deg F in Helsinki right now. Not a big deal.

But the polar vortex we just went through was other-worldly cold. It was warmer on Mars much of the time that week. Stores and schools were shut down. The man in that video would have experienced frostbite if not death from exposure.

When I was student, I wear no hat up to -25°C (-13°F) (but I still have minor problem with right ear for 20 years after).

Still sounds like quite an adventure.

Large parts of adventures are basically boredom in poor conditions.

What do you want do on Mars other than staying alive? There is not much there.

Make it more inhabitable for others, and maybe do a little research when not too busy just trying to stay alive? People volunteer to spend months stranded in a small research base in Antarctica, and they aren't even colonizing.

Also it needs women.

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0060672/

Edit: It also needs humor.

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