The first interplanetary explorers may not go alone, but they will certainly be venturing way beyond the reach of our human tribe.
In 2011, I discovered for myself just how altering that experience can be when a small aircraft dropped me on the coast of Antarctica at the beginning of a two-month journey to ski across the continent alone.
As the plane slowly vanished I took in my surroundings. On one side was the flat white horizon of the Ross Ice Shelf and on the other the distant peaks of the Transantarctic Mountains. I knew that in all that landscape I was the only human being — but quite possibly the only form of life whatsoever. Away from the open water 700km (435 miles) to my north, there was no wildlife — no penguins or seals, no moss or grasses. Just me.
More significantly, I knew that it had taken two planes, two fuel depots and more than a week of complex logistics to get me to my start point. There was no chance of the plane easily coming back for me.
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Any preparation for long interstellar missions would be all the stronger for taking that into account.
And by the way, despite all the challenges of my time alone in Antarctica, if there are any spaces left on that mission to Mars … I’d love to apply.
Read: Mars is the next step for humanity — we must take it
Read: Would you take a one-way trip to Mars?
