Iron men

They still exist, but for mars colonization they need to overcome the cost hurdle.

Considering how much money is wasted on trivial things (like an SLS that will never fly a payload) it's amazing that we allow an entire world (one that seems put there for the purpose) to go unexploited.

We live in a time when the timid and greedy are in control. They've wussified and marginalized even the iron men. I never thought I'd live to see it.

Claim your manhood back. Claim mars. Get this book for inspiration.

Tito believes he can get the funding for Inspiration Mars, which does not land, if he pays for the first two years.

Mars One needs $6b in funds to put four on mars every two years after ten years.

My plan gives you mars for $300m assuming Bigelow is right. We don't need no stinkin' billionaires (with badges?) Are there any Iron Men willing to risk $300m, or finance it, for an uncertain return?

Update: Profits!

Suppose some Iron Man puts two BA330 class ships ($400m to orbit) which has the same profit potential as Bigelow's Alpha station. At half occupancy, that's $112.5m profit each year (assuming Musk sells seats at $20m per person.) Using a single BA700 instead (see ref. mission) you could double that profit (up to $500m/yr at full occupancy) for $100m less (an investment of about $300m).

Now add in colonization. The BA700 would require five fuel launches ($625m on FH to send 24 to mars orbit.) Four at a time could then go to the surface on a Mars One lander for about $1b. ($150m to $190m per lander) giving a total mission cost of $1.95b (let's call it $2b.) in exchange for 24,000 sq. km. of martian real estate. This could be totally paid for from profits from a single BA700 in orbit in 4 to 10 years.

So with everything already paid for, the sale of 11,856,000 half acre plots is pure profit. Which means it doesn't really matter how long it takes you to sell them. $100 per plot would be an impulse buy providing $1.2 billion in profit which is not bad for a $300m investment after perhaps ten years.

Too bad we're all bitches to wimps. If I had $300m, it would only take me a heartbeat to invest in this.