Wilmington to Mars: One small sail, one (potentially) large leap for space exploration

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WWAY) — The StarNews reports: The comparisons between the exploration of oceans and space are endless. But Reid Stowe still says he is met with disbelief about how long-term sea voyages can be useful and necessary when it comes to planning missions to Mars, for example.

Stowe, long-time captain of the 70-foot Schooner Anne, has a history of adventuring at sea, and fascination about humans traveling to other planets.

He holds a record for the longest sea voyage at 1,152 days, or more than three years with no stops or re-supplies, which he began as a way to better understand how people could prepare for and survive such long-term isolation and self-reliance.

“If you don’t think I can do this,” Stowe said. “How do you think a group of astronauts can live this same amount of time on a mission to Mars?”

Now, 10 years later, he is adapting that belief into a Mars Ocean Analogs program, in partnership with The Mars Society, founded by aerospace engineer Robert Zubrin.

Read more here.