This book dissects the hype and hubris of the Mars One venture. Every aspect of the mission design is scrutinized, from the haphazard selection process to the unproven mission architecture. A controversial project, many professional astronauts consider Mars One a reckless attempt, yet it gained popular attention.

This go-to reference guide provides the reader with insights into the myriad issues arising from the project's loss of funding, loss of sponsorship, loss of TV rights. It explains what contributed to an overly optimistic assessment of Mars One's mission-specific technology, and what captivated the public and the many willing candidates despite these flaws. From the author of Survival and Sacrifice in Mars Exploration (2015) among many more books on spacefaring, this is yet another up-to-the-minute account of an emerging player in the private space market from an expert on the subject.

Erik Seedhouse's profile page

Dr. Erik Seedhouse is a research scientist specializing in environmental life sciences and physiology, the subject in which he obtained his Ph.D. while working for the European Space Agency between 1996 and 1998. In 2009, he was one of the final candidates for selection as an astronaut in the CSA's Astronaut Recruitment Campaign. He is a certified commercial suborbital astronaut and is the Canadian Payload Broker for XCOR via Arête. Between 2008-13 he was Director of Canada's Manned Centrifuge and Hypobaric Chamber Operations. He is a spaceflight instructor for the American Astronautics Institute and the Training Director for Astronauts for Hire. He works as manned spaceflight consultant, triathlon coach, author and public speaker. He is currently co-authoring a book with Franklin Chang-Diaz on the subject of VASIMR. He applied to the Mars One venture in the spirit of 'nothing ventured, nothing gained'. He was not among the final 100 finalists, which is probably a good thing knowingwhat we know now!