So a few days ago in the MM office, I made an offhand remark about the colonisation of Mars (I know that’s an odd thing to make an offhand remark about, but that’s just how I roll you guys). I had heard somewhere or seen something in my travels on the Interwebs that there is a plan to send a bunch of people to live on Mars, and those people NEVER GET TO COME HOME.
Anyway, I mentioned this in passing, and nobody believed me. “Yeah okay Rosie, don’t you have some double penises to write about? Is the Bachelor back on yet?” was the general sentiment in the room.
CHUMPS.
Determined to prove that my extensive knoweldge random factoid about Mars was correct, I went down a pretty epic Mars-colonisation intenet rabbit hole. And then proceeded to BLOW EVERYBODY’S MIND.
There is a mission to Mars planned. People are being sent to colonise the red planet. AND (drumroll please), those people don’t ever get to come home. This is not a futuristic dream – THIS IS HAPPENING NOW PEOPLE.
It’s called The Mars One Project. And it is a real thing. Let me break it down for you:
WTF? Shut the front door! Are you serious?
No I won’t shut the front door because yes, I am deadly serious. And so are the people at Mars One.
They are a not-for-profit Netherlands-based organisation hoping to establish a sustainable human settlement on Mars. They plan to send robots to set some stuff up (I’m thinking spa, pool table etc) in 2018. Then crews of four will head over, every two years, starting in the year 2024. Also, the whole thing is apparently going to filmed as part of a reality TV show.
The only problem is, they think they have the capacity to get people there, but they know they don’t have the capacity to bring people back. So whoever goes to Mars, is going to die on Mars. It’s a one-way ticket, baby.
Is this legit? Really?
Well, kind of. Yes. I think so. (Although, the first thing I noticed was that the website is kind of so-so. And if you can’t even build a flashy website, how are you going to get to Mars amiright?)
The Mars One Project is run by some legit-sounding people with fancy science educations. Lots of people called ‘Professor’. And if you look through the website you can see the words ‘astro-physicist’ and ‘Nobel Prize’ thrown around a bit so that’s promising. Although, I kept looking for a link to NASA or some kind of space program that I’ve heard of before – couldn’t find one.
Look at this fancy video:
How are they paying for all of this?
Through crowdfunding and donations. I’m guessing they need a lot. What’s it cost to get a toilet seat to Mars? 20 grand?
Who is actually going to Mars?
Randoms. Seriously, just randoms. Mars One opened applications to everyone on earth. And you’d think, given the whole ‘oh by the way, you never get to come home’ thing, they would be hard-pressed to find volunteers.
Wrong.
Almost TWO HUNDRED THOUSAND people applied to be part of the Mars One Project. Two hundred thousand people wanted pack up and leave this ol’ banged up planet and never come back.
Among the applicants were doctors, scientists, retail workers, mothers, fathers and a 24 year old girl hoping to escape her student loans. Literally – just anybody who wanted to go to Mars could apply. (And applications have closed, for those of you getting ideas.) Also interesting to note: Couples aren’t allowed to go together, because they want to avoid any interplanetary sexy-times happening. Good luck with that.
Top Comments
Ever read the book "White Mars" by Brian Aldiss and Roger Penrose? Yeah me neither, it is about the colonisation of Mars and by the time I got 100 pages into it I couldn't understand half of what was going on. Must have blanked out from boredom. But maybe this is where the idea has come from. These guys could be the next L. Ron Hubbard. Maybe they will make all the successful candidates read this book, if they can finish it they get to go!
Don't care if this is true...this was hilarious...thanks for the laughs.