mars
Explanation
The Joke
A speaker is presenting about a Mars mission to an audience, explaining that the journey requires a 9-month trip followed by a 24-month surface stay, meaning they need to find people who can handle the physical and psychological demands. The categories of ideal candidates listed on a screen behind the speaker are: "Experienced Astronauts," "Submariners," "Ex-Masters/PhDs," and "Screaming" -- but the punchline reveals the real candidate pool. Someone in the audience points out, "You're basically describing people who already don't leave the office," referring to people who already spend years isolated staring at screens. The final panel shows a "Goddamned user" screaming, having been "rattled off to Mars," getting yanked away from their computer and sent to space against their will.
The comic satirizes the irony that the personality profile NASA might look for in Mars astronauts -- people comfortable with extreme isolation, confined spaces, and long periods away from normal social life -- perfectly describes stereotypical tech workers, gamers, or internet addicts who already voluntarily live that way. The twist is that these people would be the last ones who'd want to go, since they'd be separated from their beloved screens and internet connections.
The Humor
The humor works on multiple levels. First, there is the absurdist mismatch between the heroic framing of Mars exploration and the mundane reality that the ideal candidates are basically homebodies glued to their computers. Second, the final panel inverts the usual "dream of going to space" narrative -- instead of eager volunteers, we see someone being forcibly extracted from their desk and launched to Mars against their will, screaming in protest. It plays on the stereotype that the most isolated, psychologically resilient people in modern society are not rugged explorers but sedentary screen addicts.