Messages from the Deep by Theo Marais Page B

zombie-like,
while a few others went off at tangents as though high on
L.S.D.”
    This is the first test of coping with very
low temperatures, and it is clear that some candidates just cannot
adapt to a climate so different to home. Others seem to come alive
as they tramp through snow and ice and try to cook food.
    “Week seven was in the Sahara Desert for the
remaining 50 candidates, with extreme temperature changes, searing
hot in the day and below freezing at night. Some had never
experienced such aridity or been in such smothering sand-storms, as
may be found on Mars, where sand somehow gets between your teeth,
your toes and into your nose.
    Week eight was in Antarctica, where
co-operation within the group was critical. The 45 candidates were
flown in to McMurdo Station on Ross Island in October, as soon as
Spring brings slightly warmer weather than the normal Winter
temperatures of —50 degrees Centigrade, at which petrol freezes.
The base is also 3000m above sea level, adding to the discomfort
index. Breathing is painful and the long hours of darkness can
cause depression, aggravated by Vitamin D deficiency and ‘seasonal
affective disorder’ (Winter blues). The group was divided into
three groups of 15, each in quarters normally used by 10
researchers, so the more cramped conditions added to the stress and
tensions for the week. Some candidates were pleading to leave after
a few days.”
    Footage shows candidates becoming
disorientated about sleeping and waking hours as they struggle to
get up in the morning.
    “You’re joking! It’s the middle of the
night,” says one.
    Walking outside becomes a major
excursion.
    “Week nine was spent in submarines, in very
cramped, claustrophobic conditions, with no fresh air, or chance to
exercise, and with complex, cognitive tasks to perform day and
night.”
    The pressures of the past few weeks build up
and tempers become frayed and stretched to breaking point.
    “Week 10, the final elimination round, saw
the 35 survivors put into space-craft simulators for a week,
experiencing the extreme gravity of blast-off, weightlessness and
living in a space-suit with no toilet or shower.”
    Some candidates relish this final
challenge.
    The promotions earned by the final 30 during
the 10 weeks were then added up and the top 16 finally announced.
Mariada had the highest number of promotions and final votes
cast.
    The camera pans from Mariada to the other 15
finalists in turn as they are introduced.
    It was carefully explained that they were not
chosen according to a cast-iron quota system of equal
representativity of gender, race, nationality, culture, religion
etc, but it was remarkable that this was, in fact, more or less the
end result. The top 16 had nine females and seven males, some from
the Americas, Africa, Europe, Asia and Australasia, some black,
brown, white and yellow in complexion, a mix of religions and
beliefs and career experiences and skills.

CHAPTER 3
     
     
    For the next seven years, ‘Life on Mars’
continued to show how the top 16 were being trained in all the
skills that are needed for long-term survival on Mars, including
the areas covered in the elimination rounds, such as medical,
pharmacological, mechanical, electronic, agricultural, nutritional,
emotional and so on. An added challenge was to explore who should
be in the first team of four to land on Mars, and then who should
be in the next team to follow in two years’ time.
    The two year gap is because the solar orbit
of Mars has a close approach to Earth only every two years, known
as the ‘Hohmann transfer’. It could also happen that, if one member
of a team proved to be unsuitable, the whole team could be replaced
by the next team, because of the importance of group-work, and so
the whole system needed to have both precision and flexibility.
    A second round of applications started, with
the top 100 chosen to undergo another set of elimination rounds,
down to the next final 16.
    Mariada still