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    northboundKen Layne
    1/14/14 2:11pm

    Why "four (!)"? Is four considered a massive number of children? I guess it's more than average, but maybe that depends where you look. (Utah? If you're Mormon, 4 is probably considered the starter kit.)

    Or do I have it backward, and "(!)" is meant to suggest shock or surprise that he "only" has four children, yet he's (per this article) desperate to escape the family? Honestly the way this is written, seems like it could go either way but that "!" is going to haunt me all day. IT'S THE NOT KNOWING.

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      Ken Laynenorthbound
      1/14/14 2:13pm

      Four kids is double the average number of kids in America. Do you have kids? Twice as many as most people have is a terrifying amount of kids.

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      northboundKen Layne
      1/14/14 2:33pm

      Thank you for asking. Yes, I do have kids. Four of them. : | They aren't terrifying at all; in fact are quite wonderful. Beyond that, I'll spare you the details (unless of course you ask) because despite having a TERRIFYING AMOUNT OF KIDS, I'm of the opinion that there's almost nothing more boring than listening to someone else's dreams or hearing about someone else's child/ren. Mine, obviously, being the exception, since they're fascinating in every way.

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    toothpetardKen Layne
    1/14/14 1:40pm

    I wonder when we'll break even: the cost of the resources of sending people to mars one-way vs them staying here and breeding buying phones and SUVs and houses and stuff.

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      Johnny Chunderstoothpetard
      1/14/14 2:00pm

      Colonialism is a long game. The break even point depends on how quickly the Martian slug people can be subjugated and put to work on Martian hyper-marijuana farms.

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      toothpetardJohnny Chunders
      1/14/14 2:02pm

      Oh I'm thinking once they're gone they can Franklin Expedition out up there all they want, and pass the $avings to us.

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    ArkKen Layne
    1/14/14 2:44pm

    Can we stop for a moment for a quick reality check? These people aren't going anywhere. Nobody is going to crowdfund a multi-hundred-billion dollar trip to Mars. Get real.

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      Ken LayneArk
      1/14/14 3:28pm

      Who knows if this thing will happen? I imagine there will be a lot of false starts and big plans, and just like all the other insane sci-fi stuff we've gotten used over the past 20 years, before you know it there will be a permanent Mars base with permanent residents, and 10 years after that some celebrities will be doing two-month vacation there.

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      ArkKen Layne
      1/14/14 6:28pm

      I certainly hope so, but there just isn't any return on investment in the conceivable future. I don't care if they sell every inch of every crew member's skin as advertising space, they aren't going to get anywhere near the cost of a mission.

      That means entrepreneurs aren't going to do it, which means it has to be public sector, and have you looked at publicly-funded space exploration recently?

      I wish I could be more optimistic, I really do.

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    hilikusopusKen Layne
    1/14/14 1:52pm

    "Hopefully there isn't too much hatred of my being selfish in pursuing a dream that isn't theirs."

    Pure gold.

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      hilikusopushilikusopus
      1/14/14 2:09pm

      But Papa, I always expected you to leave the family dream to me when you retire!

      Not this dream, son, not this dream. This is a dream that isn't yours.

      [comical Jetsons spaceship sound effect]

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      hilikusopushilikusopus
      1/14/14 2:35pm

      This statement also solves the age old question:

      Which is greater? Hopes or dreams.

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    RyanO22000Ken Layne
    1/14/14 2:02pm

    He won't be chosen and I think he knows it. He is sending a message to his wife that next time he asks for anal it shouldn't be such a big deal.

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      Ken LayneRyanO22000
      1/14/14 2:07pm

      The dude voluntarily went to Iraq for work to get away from his first wife and first couple of kids, and now he works in another state to get away from the current wife and four kids, so I'm guessing his dreams involve zero contact with any of his family members.

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      RyanO22000Ken Layne
      1/14/14 2:41pm

      All joking aside he a total selfish prick, or has some real serious gambling debts. I need to know more about his parents or where he grew up to get some closure. Tell me his dad was Major Tom and Ill be satisfied.

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    thepieisfryingKen Layne
    1/14/14 1:53pm

    i don't quite get it. if there is zero chance from returning from the mission, how is this not state assisted suicide?

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      Ken Laynethepieisfrying
      1/14/14 1:57pm

      It's not the state, it's a private company. And it's not suicide, it's moving somewhere else and living out your life there. Until a century ago, when people moved to another continent they generally never returned to their birthplace. Of course there were other humans to exploit and mate with, and food growing, and air to breathe, etc., but most Americans these days spend their lives indoors breathing heated or air-conditioned oxygen and looking at a teevee or computer in a dark room, so things won't be much different on Mars.

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      thepieisfryingKen Layne
      1/14/14 2:00pm

      good point. i guess i assumed NASA, and NASA = state. both assumptions may be wrong.

      and your way of looking at it is an interesting one. but it is still odd to know that you're going to a place with a very limited and defined life expectancy.

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    mtdriftKen Layne
    1/14/14 1:56pm

    Just the kind of guy I want to be cooped up with in a tiny rocketship for 7 months, and then partner with to settle a harsh and unforgiving landscape for the rest of my life.

    Bet you can really count on him when the going gets tough. Yup.

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      housewifemtdrift
      1/14/14 5:15pm

      I can't think of anyone I want to be cooped up with for that long.

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      mtdrifthousewife
      1/14/14 5:21pm

      ???

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    lauryn011Ken Layne
    1/14/14 2:12pm

    So I didn't read all of the comments so I (hope) am not the first to say it but this guy is a douche. So, spaceman, do your wife a service and get your head out of the sky and out of Uranus. Time to buck up, be a man, and take care of your family. Ugh.

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      Ken Laynelauryn011
      1/14/14 2:19pm

      Pretty sure they'd be better off without this guy. The older kids are used to him vanishing.

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      Perry DowningKen Layne
      1/14/14 4:45pm

      Yeah, if he taps out now his wife can remarry a decent man and the baby will grow up only knowing the good guy as daddy. Dude should just accept he's a selfish schmuck and leave his family in peace.

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    PopChipsKen Layne
    1/14/14 1:51pm

    So he gets to walk away from two marriages and 4 kids but gay couples living in Utah can't have one marriage.

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      Erik the RedKen Layne
      1/14/14 1:58pm

      Selecting this guy as a finalist was a terrible idea.

      This guy, CLEARLY, cannot stay committed to anything. Nor does he have the ability to stay in one place for an extended period of time. Selecting him would be a detriment to the overall mission.

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        lampost451Erik the Red
        1/14/14 2:03pm

        Every space mission needs one Buschemi/loose nut

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