Photo from http://www.mars-one.com/en/
Have you ever been so embarrassed that you wished you could just leave the planet? Remember when the object of your intense Facebook stalking was sitting behind you? I’m not speaking from experience. Yeah. Well, the Mars One Project is here for you. The non-profit group is offering applicants a one-way ticket to Mars.
Mars One plans to send four astronauts to Mars by 2023. The group will begin a permanent colony on Mars and live like they would on Earth, except with one-billionth of the population, no oxygen and a few other minor differences. Mars One will send four more astronauts every two years, according to their website.
Applicants must be at least 18 and meet a few physical requirements. As college students most of you would be eligible to apply, if you’re thinking the Martian life is the life for you.
All it costs to apply is $38 and your life on this planet.
More than 165,000 people have applied to the program, according to space.com. Applications for the first round of astronauts closed last week and Mars One has already begun its review process. The organization will select between 28 and 40 applicants who will then train in groups, of four, for seven years before one group is selected to fly to Mars.
Getting to Mars will be no easy trip for these astronauts. The flight will take between seven and eight months. During the trip, the astronauts will live in a small space with no ability to shower and only dried or canned food to eat. Kind of like a super long family camping trip.
On Mars the astronauts will begin growing their own food and live in larger units, which will be sent to the planet prior to their arrival.
The project will cost about $6 billion, said Mars One CEO Bas Lansdorp in an interview with CNN. For comparison, that’s about 150,000 times the cost of UMD’s out-of-state tuition.
Mars One plans to finance the trip by making it “The biggest media spectacle in history,” the organizations website says. They’ll sell the media rights and turn the expedition into an ongoing reality TV show that will track the astronauts through their journey and into their time on Mars. Think Snooki takes outer space — imagine the possibilities.
You could have the chance to become a Martian and better yet, a Martian reality TV star. For more information about the project and to find the application, check out the Mars One website here.
