I remember when Mike Collins took his trips around the Moon alone, and the talk about him being the loneliest person ever.

Can't imagine what it would be like for a human to have Earth disappear into the distant, remaining only a point of light, and nothing "human" at the destination.

Wouldn't it be a disaster if the first Mars mission were aborted because the crew went nuts in some manner? And after reading your post, I'm thinking that's something they will have to factor into their planning.

As with a lot of things, I'm sure it won't happen, but I'd never thought of the possibility before.

And, as with a lot of people who have been raised in stressful circumstances, he seems to have learned to compartmentalize and over-achieve. They are some of the most interesting folks around.

Thanks for a great post.

Arf