Mission Impossible? "Can We Go to Mars Without Going Crazy?" [May] was a source of amusement to me. As a former submarine sailor in the U.S. Navy, I have spent more than two months underwater and known sailors who have gone much longer than that. Maybe NASA is looking for "the right stuff" in the wrong place. Submarine sailors routinely spend long periods of isolation at sea— with no windows.
Forrest Sory Webster, Texas
Let me start this commentary on the dangers of sending astronauts to Mars with one word: Duh! The only analogues you can think of are Antarctic expeditions? What about the U.S. Navy's nuclear submarine fleet? What about 500 years of whaling, fishing, and exploration of the planet? People find ways to work together when they have to, and the people with "the right stuff" are usually the best at staying focused on the mission. The Captain ...
