[axefrog]

One thing I'd have liked to ask if I hadn't missed the window of opportunity would be regarding his desire to go to Mars himself. I have often wondered about the psychological effects of being effectively stranded on a barren, lifeless planet potentially for the rest of your life. On Earth, we can "get away from it all" and go to the country, go camping near a nice stream, listen to birds sing, go for a swim in the ocean, sit in a nice garden and eat our lunch, and so forth. How would one cope with the loss of all of that, not to mention also having to deal with the long-term physiological effects of a change in gravity?

[grondilu]

Throughout history men have probably lived through worse conditions, either while being prisoners of war, stranded on a desert island and whatnot.

The way to cope with such harsh conditions is, I suppose, always the same : hope of escaping and returning home.

[eru]

In this case, the coping strategies of martyrs seem more apt. "You are doing it for the cause."

[grondilu]

That seems to work with Mars One, for instance.

[jdiez17]

I don't have a citation on hand unfortunately but I do remember he said he'd want to "die on Mars... just not on impact."