The Shape of a Mars Mission

Maciej Cegłowski on yak shaving, except instead of creating a new website or application, it’s taking a human to Mars:

The [phenomenon of Yak shaving] afflicts us in trying to go to Mars. It would be one thing if, given enough rockets and money, explorers could climb on a spaceship and go. But there is always this chain of necessary prerequisites. We paint Destination: Mars! on the side of our spaceship and then find ourselves in low Earth orbit a decade later, centrifuging mice. It’s dispiriting.