Bas Lansdorp facts for kids

Bas Lansdorp, born on March 5, 1977, is a Dutch inventor and business person. He is most famous for starting a project called Mars One, which aimed to send people to live on Mars.

Bas Lansdorp's Dream of Mars

When Bas Lansdorp was studying at the University of Twente, he had a big dream: to create the first human colony on Mars. He wasn't just thinking about the rockets and spaceships; he was also focused on how to make the project financially possible.

How Mars One Was Organized

Mars One was set up with two main parts:

• Mars One Foundation: This was a non-profit part. It was meant to manage the mission, train astronauts, and own the equipment needed for the trip to Mars. It got its money from donations.
• Mars One Ventures: This was a for-profit company. It had the rights to make money from the Mars mission, like from TV shows or merchandise. The idea was that as the project grew, this part would earn more money to help fund the mission.

Facing Questions and Challenges

In December 2013, Bas Lansdorp answered questions from the public online. Many people had doubts and questions about Mars One. Lansdorp responded positively, saying that many scientists, engineers, and companies supported his dream. He felt excited to see his plan becoming real.

However, two scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) studied Mars One's plans. They said that if the mission went ahead as planned, the astronauts might only survive for 68 days. To address these concerns, Lansdorp agreed to have a public discussion with the MIT scientists in April 2015.

During this discussion, a key person from the Mars One project, Barry Finger, agreed that the MIT scientists' technical analysis was mostly correct. Bas Lansdorp himself admitted that their 12-year plan to land humans on Mars by 2027 was "mostly fiction." Sadly, on January 15, 2019, Mars One officially went out of business.

Bas Lansdorp's Other Inventions

Before Mars One, Bas Lansdorp also started another company called Ampyx Power in 2008 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 this project. In 2011, he sold his part of Ampyx Power to focus completely on his Mars One dream.

See also

In Spanish: Bas Lansdorp para niños

• Mars One
• NASA