Bas Lansdorp facts for kids

Bas Lansdorp (born 5 March 1977) is an inventor and business person from the Netherlands. He is best known for being a co-founder and the CEO of a company called Mars One, which aimed to send people to Mars.

Mars One: A Dream to Settle on Mars

Bas Lansdorp had a big dream while studying at the University of Twente. He wanted to create the very first permanent human settlement on Mars. His main focus was not just on the technology needed. He also thought a lot about how to make the project work as a business.

Lansdorp reportedly used his own money to fund much of the project until 2013. Mars One was made up of two parts: the Mars One Foundation and Mars One Ventures.

Mars One Foundation

The Mars One Foundation was a non-profit group. This means it relied on donations to get money. Its job was to plan and manage the mission. It also trained the astronauts and owned the equipment needed for space travel.

Mars One Ventures

Mars One Ventures was a for-profit company. It had special rights to make money from the mission. For example, it could sell TV rights or merchandise. The money earned from these activities was meant to help fund the mission as it grew.

Facing Questions and Challenges

On December 28, 2013, Bas Lansdorp took part in an "Ask Me Anything" session on Reddit. This is where people can ask questions directly to someone online. He received many tough questions and doubts about Mars One.

Lansdorp responded in a positive way. He said that since Mars One started in 2011, it had gained support from many people. These included scientists, engineers, and companies from all over the world. He felt his dream was becoming real.

The MIT Study and Debate

Later, two scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) studied Mars One's plans. Their names were Sydney Do and Andrew Owens. They said that if Mars One followed its plan, the astronauts might only survive for 68 days.

To show that Mars One was serious, Lansdorp agreed to a public debate. This debate was with Do and Owens. It happened in April 2015 in Washington, D.C. The main question was, "Is Mars One Feasible?" This means, "Can Mars One actually be done?"

During the debate, another key person from Mars One, Barry Finger, agreed with most of the MIT study's findings. Bas Lansdorp also admitted something important. He said their 12-year plan to land humans on Mars by 2027 was "mostly fiction."

The End of Mars One

Sadly, on January 15, 2019, Mars One officially went out of business. It filed for bankruptcy.

Ampyx Power: Harnessing Wind Energy

Before Mars One, Bas Lansdorp started another company in 2008. It was called Ampyx Power. He co-founded it with Richard Ruiterkamp. Their goal was to find a new and better way to get energy from the wind.

Lansdorp helped design new aircraft for the company. He also oversaw many projects from 2008 to 2011. In 2011, he sold his part of Ampyx Power. He did this so he could focus completely on starting Mars One.

See also

• Mars One
• NASA

In Spanish: Bas Lansdorp para niños