Answer · confidence: partial

Would people agree to a trip with no way back, and who decides?

Research question: How would volunteers be asked to accept the risk of a mission with no return, and who would have the final say?

Mars One plans no return for its four-person crews, so the mission is one-way ¹. The records show that CEO Bas Lansdorp said the organization would decide which candidates enter training through longer interviews, team and individual challenges, and a bigger selection committee ⁴. For licensed U.S. spaceflight, operators must inform participants of the risks and obtain their written informed consent ¹¹, but the records do not connect that requirement to Mars One. The records do not describe how volunteers would be asked to accept the risk of a no-return mission ¹⁷. The closest they come to decision authority is a September 2026 study, about a week old, saying its framework preserves the authority of diving, clinical, and mission-governance systems, though it concerns aquanauts in underwater habitats rather than Mars ¹⁷.

Checked 2026-10-21. Only documented and supported facts are used.

Dig deeper on this question

Sources

[1] supported

Mars One has no plans to bring any of its four-person crews back to Earth, so the mission is one-way.

"at the moment, there are no plans to bring any of these pioneers back to Earth."

Mars One Colony Project Delays Manned Red Planet Mission to 2026

[2] supported

The FAA's 2006 final rule set training and informed consent requirements for space flight participants, which are meant to inform participants of the risks they face.

"The requirements were designed to achieve public safety and to notify participants of the risks they face from launch or reentry."

Agency Information Collection Activities: Requests for Comments; Clearance of Renewed Approval of Information Collection: Human Space Flight Requirements for Crew/Space Flight Participants (Transportation Department, Federal Aviation Administration, 2026-03-23)

[3] documented

The FAA rule does not require government astronauts to sign informed consent forms with operators.

"This final rule does not require government astronauts to sign informed consent forms with operators."

U.S. Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act Incorporation (Transportation Department, Federal Aviation Administration, 2024-09-19)

[4] supported

Mars One CEO Bas Lansdorp said the organization would decide which candidates are good enough to enter training through longer interviews, team and individual challenges, and a bigger selection committee.

""We will bring our candidates together, we will put them through team and individual challenges, there will be much longer interviews and there will be a much bigger selection committee," Lansdorp said."

Mars One Colony Project Delays Manned Red Planet Mission to 2026

[5] supported

The information collection requires operators to show that a launch or reentry involving human participants meets the FAA's risk criteria and public safety requirements, and the collection is mandatory.

"The information for this collection is mandatory."

[6] supported

Instead of informed consent forms, the U.S. government is expected to inform government astronauts of the risks they may face while performing official duties.

"Therefore, the U.S. government should inform government astronauts of any risks they may be exposed to while performing official duties."

U.S. Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act Incorporation (Transportation Department, Federal Aviation Administration, 2024-09-19)

[7] documented

The FAA said government astronauts do not need to sign informed consent forms partly because they are designated by the NASA Administrator, a designation that implies appropriate knowledge and training.

"As explained in the NPRM, the NASA Administrator designates government astronauts, and that designation implies appropriate knowledge and training for the performance of official duties."

U.S. Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act Incorporation (Transportation Department, Federal Aviation Administration, 2024-09-19)

[8] documented

Space flight participants who are not international partner astronauts must provide informed consent and sign waivers of claims, and Sierra Space argued that foreign astronauts could be treated this way too.

"Sierra Space concluded that all such individuals would be considered space flight participants under the proposed regulations and would therefore be subject to the waiver and informed consent requirements applicable to space flight participants."

U.S. Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act Incorporation (Transportation Department, Federal Aviation Administration, 2024-09-19)

[9] documented

Sierra Space asked the FAA to let operators waive informed consent and individual waiver requirements for astronauts from countries with mature training programs that accept financial responsibility for claims.

"Sierra Space stated that the FAA should consider granting latitude to operators carrying astronauts from foreign countries by waiving informed consent and individual waiver requirements, especially if those countries have sufficiently mature astronaut training programs and are willing to accept financial responsibility for claims brought by their employees."

U.S. Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act Incorporation (Transportation Department, Federal Aviation Administration, 2024-09-19)

[10] documented

The FAA's 2006 final rule established training and informed consent requirements for space flight participants.

"On December 15, 2006, the FAA published a final rule (71 FR 75616) which established requirements for crew qualifications, training and notification, and training and informed consent requirements for space flight participants."

[11] documented

Under the statute, operators must inform space flight participants of the risks of a licensed activity and obtain their written informed consent.

"the requirement in 51 U.S.C. 50905(b)(5) for operators to inform space flight participants of the risks of licensed activity and obtain written informed consent from space flight participants."

U.S. Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act Incorporation (Transportation Department, Federal Aviation Administration, 2023-08-18)

[12] documented

The FAA's human spaceflight requirements were designed to notify participants of the risks they face from launch or reentry.

"The requirements were designed to achieve public safety and to notify participants of the risks they face from launch or reentry."

[13] supported

NASA argued that government astronauts are already familiar with spaceflight risks and should not need to give informed consent, unlike other space flight participants.

"unlike space flight participants, government astronauts are already familiar with the particular risks involved in space flight and should not need to provide informed consent."

U.S. Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act Incorporation (Transportation Department, Federal Aviation Administration, 2023-08-18)

[14] documented

The information collection that supports these requirements is mandatory.

"The information for this collection is mandatory."

[15] supported

The FAA issued a legal interpretation holding that NASA and international partner astronauts are space flight participants who must give informed consent, though this was deemed unnecessary when they fly as government astronauts.

"the FAA issued a legal interpretation stating that NASA and international partner astronauts are space flight participants and therefore must provide informed consent in accordance with the statute and 14 CFR 460.45"

U.S. Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act Incorporation (Transportation Department, Federal Aviation Administration, 2023-08-18)

[16] documented

Government astronauts do not sign reciprocal waivers of claims because the FAA enters those agreements on behalf of the government and its employees.

"under the CSLCA, government astronauts are not required to sign reciprocal waivers of claims because they are not considered space flight participants or crew, and because the FAA enters into these agreements on behalf of the government and its employees."

U.S. Commercial Space Launch Competitiveness Act Incorporation (Transportation Department, Federal Aviation Administration, 2023-08-18)

[17] supported

The document does not describe how volunteers are asked to accept risk for a no-return mission. It says only that the framework preserves the authority of diving, clinical, and mission-governance systems, which is the closest it comes to saying who holds decision authority.

"The framework addresses worker protection within a bounded underwater workplace while preserving the authority of diving, clinical, and mission-governance systems."

An evidence-informed occupational health curriculum for pre-deployment preparation of aquanauts in underwater habitats: a scenario-based framework development study. (Front Public Health, 2026)

[18] supported

The directors of the fictional R. D. Jones Co. made the decision to charter the Columbia to the Eagle for a passenger run, which the story presents as a departure from a long-standing company policy.

"the directors had decided that instead of putting the Columbia out of commission, they would charter her to the Eagle for at least one passenger run"

Image 30 of San Antonio light and gazette (San Antonio, Tex.), June 20, 1909

[19] supported

Before departure, the captain had to read the sailing orders aloud as required by law and sign the retained copy to show he understood them.

"read them through aloud, as required by law, and affixed his signature to the retained copy in token of understanding"

Image 30 of San Antonio light and gazette (San Antonio, Tex.), June 20, 1909