Mars Colonist Training

It's important that the people that go to establish an independent self sufficient colony on mars not be under resourced. Mars One proposes ten years training for groups of four colonists. It's important that it's the right training providing them with the right set of skills for survival.

Much of it seems to be focused on the psychological aspect of isolation. They should consider mitigating this by making them less isolated... send more people.

What skills will they teach? Some will be taught to maintain all the equipment they bring with them, but apparently not to the level of being able to produce that equipment ISRU. I think this is a key flaw and another reason for sending more than 4 colonists. ISRU production of essential equipment can be done but requires about 4 dozen colonists with hands on experience producing a complete industrial ecology starting from martian dirt. They mention geologists, but not chemists and machinists (although they do say other specialists will follow the first four.)

Do they really need an exobiologist in the first four? They don't have enough people to insure survival when things break down, but 25% of the crew will be looking for life rather than being focused on their own survival? Sure the search for life is important, but they can't do that if they're dead. Priorities need to be set.

When you are looking at billions of dollars in cost, adding another 25% is a big bite, but if it gives you 300% more crew with additional skills for survival it might be an expense worth making. Survival has to be priority one. Which, paradoxically means you might not want 50% of your colonist being doctors! which is not the highest priority for survival. Being able to fix essential equipment when it breaks down is a much higher priority. That equipment shouldn't rely on getting parts from earth. That means the designs should be simple and robust. It's why [bio]chemists and machinist/mechanics are perhaps the highest priority, but not specifically mentioned as part of the training.

To be fair, they can't really give full details of a plan in a general audience post. I do hope they will give consideration of adaption of the global village construction set to a mars starter kit (able to produce anything on mars ISRU eventually.)

Want to build a new civilization? Just do it (with the right training: Tractor, Brick maker, Pulverizer, and Power Cube.)

To become skilled, people will have to specialize which means you need more than just a few people. Colonist will support each other with complementary skills. Which is how free markets work incidentally. They should each have the assets to make that work.