~ The Mars One mission aims to take four settlers to
live on Mars in 2022 ~ forever
~ More than 100,000 people, including 30,000
Americans, have applied so far
By Alex Greig
August 12, 2013
More than
100,000 people have applied to be a part of the Mars One project, which aims to
colonize the red planet starting in 2022.
Out of the
thousands, 40 people will be selected. Of the 40, just four will participate in
the first passage to Mars, which is scheduled to leave in September 2022 and
land seven months later in April 2023.
None of the
four will ever return to Earth.
Mission
to Mars: The selected candidates will live in pressurized cabins equipped with
'plant production units' for growing food
More than
30,000 Americans have applied for the chance to be the very first settlers on
Mars, paying a $38 application fee.
The
audacious project is the brainchild of a Dutch company run by CEO and creator
Bas Lansdorp.
Lansdrop
told CNN that the price
based is on the gross domestic product per capita of different nations. For
example, Mexicans pay a $15 application fee.
'We wanted
it to be high enough for people to have to really think about it and low enough
for anyone to be able to afford it,' Lansdorp said.
The very
first mission to Mars will cost $6 billion, according to Lansdorp.
Desolate:
The first four settlers on Mars will have to contend with a cold, hostile
planet and the knowledge that they'll never see their loved ones again
He intends
to fund the mission by creating a 'reality TV' series about the mission,
documenting everything from the astronauts' training on Earth right through to
touch-down on Mars and their daily lives once on the planet.
Sponsors and
media agencies would pay to broadcast the Mars mission.
'What we
want to do is tell the story to the world. When humans go to Mars, when they
settle on Mars and build a new Earth, a new planet. This is one of the most
exciting things that ever happened, and we want to share the story with the
entire world,' Lansdorp said.
Another
second group of four will leave two years after the first.
Wannabe
astronauts: View some of the potential space travellers on Mars One's website
The
astronauts will complete eight years of training. According to the Mars One
website, candidates will be isolated from the world for a few months every two years
in groups of four in simulation facilities, to test how they respond to living
in close quarter with just three other people.
They'll be
trained in 'physical and electrical repairs to the settlement structures,
cultivating crops in confined spaces, and addressing both routine and serious
medical issues such as dental upkeep, muscle tears and bone fractures.'
The seven to
eight month journey will be 'arduous'. There will be no showers and only canned
or freeze-dried food. Astronauts must complete three hours of exercise a day to
maintain muscle mass.
The
atmosphere on Mars is so thin that settlers won't be able to go outside without
a space suit. Cabins will need to be pressurized at all times.
The
point of no return: Once the newest Martians take off in their spacecraft,
they'll never touch back down on Earth ~ no return mission is planned
There is no
vegetation on the planet, but the Mars One settlers will begin to grow crops in
specially designed 'plant production units'.
By the
admission of Mars One, 'You could say that most people would rather lose a leg
than live the rest of their life on a cold, hostile planet, having said goodbye
to friends and family forever, the best possible video call suffering from a
seven minute delay ~ one way.'
So just who
are these would-be astronauts?
Number
one: A potential Mars One astronaut shows his support of the mission
Generous:
Sean Holt has offered to make tinfoil hats for his fellow Mars astronauts
should he be successful
Bailey, 19,
from Arizona says she wants to be the first musician on Mars. 'I see this trip
as an artistic opportunity, as well as a scientific one,' she says.
'I'm willing
to dedicate my life to this mission, but I have a very positive outlook. I'm
very light-hearted, and I love to joke around,' she says, before cracking some
highly questionable jokes.
A love of
Star Wars and Star Trek seems to be a common thread with many applicants.
Live
from Mars: 19-year-old Bailey wants to be the first musician on Mars
Ready:
John says his life experience, including a successful career, three children
and a divorce has prepared him to dedicate the rest of his life settling on
Mars
Sean Holt,
18, of Australia, says he has to go on the Mars One mission in order to escape
aliens who are seeking him. He says will make all his fellow travelers tin foil
hats.
John, 50,
says his life experience ~ even his divorce ~ have 'forged' him a perfect
candidate for the mission.
'I can go to
Mars without regret, and I will do whatever it takes to get the job done,' he
says
They may have some difficulty getting past the Van Allen Belt. I suspect it will be a one way trip.
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