Mars One: did you apply for the one-way trip to the red planet?
More than 165,000 people from
140 countries have applied for a
one-way ticket to Mars in the hope
of establishing the first permanent
human colony.
The Mars One project will cost
£4bn and hopes to recoup the cost
in part by selling broadcasting
rights: "This mission to Mars can be
the biggest media event in the
world," said Paul Römer, the co-
creator of Big Brother and
ambassador of the project, on the
website . "Reality meets talent show
with no ending and the whole
world watching. Now there's a
good pitch."
By 2015, 40 candidates will start
their eight-year training
programme where they will learn
to deal with long periods of
isolation. Only four people will
make it through and be sent to
Mars with more people joining
every two years.
The Mars One website states that a
return "cannot be anticipated nor
expected" because of the
physiological and technical
challenges involved.
Mars's surface gravity is 38% of
that on Earth, which would cause
changes in bone density, muscle
strength and circulation so much so
that voyagers would no longer be
able to survive in Earth's
conditions. The astronauts would
also need a fully assembled and
fuelled rocket, on-board life
support systems capable of up to a
seven-month voyage and the
capacity either to dock with a space
station orbiting Earth or perform a
safe re-entry and landing.
Would you be able to cope with the
possibility of not seeing your
friends and family again? Do you
want to get as far away from
Earth, on average about 140m
miles (225m km), as possible?
Tell us why you applied for the
once-in-a-lifetime trip by filling in
the form below. We'll feature a
selection of applicants on the site
