homehome Home chatchat Notifications


First step to colonizing Mars? Dutch company offers one way trip to the Red Planet

If you’re like most people, the possibility of a colony on Mars seems a little far-fetched; but now, a nonprofit Dutch company plans to establish a colony on Mars by 2023 – and they’re looking for volunteers. Mars One, as they are called, have already release an advertisement announcing they are searching for pioneers, and […]

Mihai Andrei
January 11, 2013 @ 7:33 am

share Share

If you’re like most people, the possibility of a colony on Mars seems a little far-fetched; but now, a nonprofit Dutch company plans to establish a colony on Mars by 2023 – and they’re looking for volunteers.

mars-colony

Mars One, as they are called, have already release an advertisement announcing they are searching for pioneers, and while it is extremely hard to fit all the requirements to become a NASA astronaut, Mars One is casting a wider net. The main quality they are looking for is resilience, but volunteers must also exhibit adaptability, curiosity, ability to trust, creativity and resourcefulness. They only ask for three things: over 18 years old, English knowledge, and no pressing matters on Earth – ever; this is a one way trip.

While the company hasn’t released much details about how this is all going to work, they did set a date for the first launch: 2022, that’s when the first colonists will depart. After a few years, supplies will be sent, and a few years after that, more colonists will arrive on Mars. But how do they plan to pay for all this? Here’s the kicker – reality TV. That’s right, they want to turn the whole thing into a media show.

The Mars One project is the brainchild of co-founders Bas Lansdorp, an entrepreneur who previously founded the wind energy company Ampyx Power and Arno Wielders, who also works as a payload study manager for the European Space Agency. I’m really curious about how this enterprise will work out, and to be quite honest, a little skeptical. What do you think of this?

Find our more info on their website.

share Share

We Should Start Worrying About Space Piracy. Here's Why This Could be A Big Deal

“We are arguing that it’s already started," say experts.

The most successful space telescope you never heard of just shut down

An astronomer says goodbye to Gaia, the satellite that mapped the galaxy.

Astronauts are about to grow mushrooms in space for the first time. It could help us live on Mars

Mushrooms could become the ultimate food for living in colonies on the moon and Mars.

Dark Energy Might Be Fading and That Could Flip the Universe’s Fate

Astronomers discover hints that the force driving cosmic expansion could be fading

Curiosity Just Found Mars' Biggest Organic Molecules Yet. It Could Be A Sign of Life

The discovery of long-chain organic compounds in a 3.7-billion-year-old rock raises new questions about the Red Planet’s past habitability.

Astronomers Just Found Oxygen in a Galaxy Born Only 300 Million Years After the Big Bang

The JWST once again proves it might have been worth the money.

New NASA satellite mapped the oceans like never before

We know more about our Moon and Mars than the bottom of our oceans.

Astronauts Who Spent 286 Extra Days in Space Earned No Overtime. But They Did Get a $5 a Day "Incidentals" Allowance

Astronauts in space have the same benefits as any federal employee out on a business trip.

Scientists Say the Moon Was Once a Giant Ocean of Molten Rock

China’s Chang’e 6 mission uncovers evidence of a molten lunar magma ocean and a violent ancient impact.

Mars has huge amounts of water hidden beneath its surface — and perhaps life too

There may be an ocean's worth of water trapped inside rocks miles below the surface.