Sick and tired of your home planet? Looking for a permanent vacation, perhaps of the off-world variety? You’re in luck! Say bon voyage to humanity and set sail with Mars One, a Dutch organization that is seeking volunteers for a one-way trip to Mars for colonization purposes.
Yes, I said “one-way trip” with no promise of returning to the big blue planet. One might think that this would be a bit discouraging to potential stellar jet-setters, but no! According to an article on the BBC News, Mars One has already received thousands of applications. Unlike organizations like NASA, which will only fund a mission if the astronauts have a safe and reliable way to return home, Mars One is ready to cannon a spacecraft of willing individuals towards the Red Planet to found its very first human settlement. The problem with this venture is just how the colony would survive once they got there amidst such harsh conditions such as a lack of natural resources and the intense cosmic radiation called solar wind.
Minor details, minor details.
Mars One will be broadcasting all aspects of their project via a reality TV format with hopes of encouraging fellow independent companies to become investors. The timeline for this epic adventure is a mere ten years from now with the mission launching into space in 2023. As far as what lofty qualifications an applicant must possess, the standards seem a bit generic with the basics being “resilient, adaptable, resourceful and must work well within a team.” This sounds more like a job posting for a sales associate position rather than an off-world colonist. But what do I know? I’m just a writer…
According to Mars One’s co-founder Bas Lansdorp, one of the main reasons a return to Earth would be next to impossible for the explorers is due to the fact that the seven to eight month journey, combined with Mars’ weaker gravitational field, would severely alter their bone density and muscle mass. A reentry into Earth’s atmosphere would most likely kill the astronauts. Billions of years ago, when Mars once had a strong magnetic field to protect it, the story may have been different. Ah, but humanity was yet to be even a twinkle in the eye of primordial sludge.
All of these obstacles aside, Mars One is ready to accept your application today! And, don’t worry about being lonely up there on the Red Planet with just a rover and your madcap companions to keep you company. Mars One plans on sending new supplies and additional colonists every two years. Until the launch of this mission, keep an eye out on Dutch reality TV for developments.
Maybe we could even send the Kardashians?
Interested in tossing your astronaut’s helmet into the proverbial ring? Visit http://applicants.mars-one.com/.
