[Spaceships] [High-Tech] [Action] Cydonia Or Bust, TL8

[Lord Carnifex]

Originally Posted by samd6

There is one parameter that's bugging me.
Does the team need to return?

I would assume not. It's not the policy of the U.S. armed forces to enlist people for suicide missions, but they may make an exception here. It does simplify the mission considerably.

[Anthony]

Originally Posted by Lord Carnifex

I would assume not.

I would assume yes, just because it's so very hard to justify a manned non-capture mission (anything that can survive the number of nukes you can fit in the same mass and price budget as a manned mission isn't a target you can take out with a commando team).

[mindstalk]

If there's a time limit, the initial mission might be designed as non-return but survive, with hopes of sending return capability later if they're successful. So you send supplies and recyclers, rather than a way to launch off of Mars right away. And if they're lucky, maybe they'd be able to used captured Martian tech for that.

[fredtheobviouspseudonym]

Originally Posted by Lord Carnifex

. . . It's not the policy of the U.S. armed forces to enlist people for suicide missions, but they may make an exception here. . .

1.) Why does the launching nation have to be the USA?

2.) If the survival of humanity requires this sacrifice why not use either a.) kamikaze volunteers? or b.) kamikaze foreign mercenaries? Might add some interesting non-combat conflict.

"Here's the deal. If you go on this one-way mission, your large family all get to become US citizens."

Some guys would take this option. Not saying it's right, but for the sake of argument, let's assume some folks in the US government are both cynical and manipulative enough to offer this deal. (I know it's a stretch, but I'd hope that the players would be willing to overlook the obvious impossibility of this.)