Hopes To Land The First Supplies On The Planet In 2016

Dutch Entrepreneur Bas Lansdorp, has set a very ambitious goal; to establish a human colony on Mars by 2023. But you have to really, really want to go ... because the colonists will not be returning to Earth.

Lansdorp has created the Mars One foundation, which reports that it has already received some 10,000 expressions of interest from over 100 countries in being part of that first Martian colony. The application process is now officially open, though the foundation asks for a registration fee for the privilege of getting into the applicant pool. The amount of the fee depends on where the applicant lives based on his or her country's GDP, according to a story appearing in the online publication ARS Technica.

Lansdorp said in a news conference that the foundation will not build any of the hardware needed for the mission, saying everything necessary already exists. He said the heavy-lift SpaceX Falcon Heavy, which is scheduled for its first demo flight later this year, would be the booster that gets the colonists on their way to Mars. Other companies are developing things like life support systems and habitats. He said their plan includes the first launch of supplies necessary to establish the colony sometime in 2016.

Another somewhat unusual aspect of the mission would be the ability to broadcast much of it on the Internet. And while the phrase "Reality TV" has been thrown around a great deal, Lansdorp said that it is a very serious project, not "Big Brother Goes to Mars."  But, he adds, by the time the colony would be established, if all goes according to schedule, some four billion people will be connected to the Internet, making for a massive potential audience. Online visitors can already rate the applicants on a scale from one to five, and those selected would be followed through their training.The online ratings will not be considered when the selections are made, according to the website.

Once aboard the spacecraft or established in the colony, the new Martians would be able to be on camera or not, as they prefer. "If they don't like the camera, they can put a piece of duct tape over it," he said.

The online applications that can be completed now are the first of the four rounds that together make up the Mars One selection procedure, according to a news release. Round One will run for over five months and end on 31st August 2013. Applicants selected at the end of this round will include the first crew that will land on Mars in 2023. Mars One selection committees will hone the search for the first crew in three subsequent rounds and further training. “We are very excited about launching the selection program. Round One is where we open the doors to Mars for everyone on Earth. This is an international mission and it is very important for the project that anyone anywhere can ask themselves: Do I want this? Am I ready for this? If the answer is yes then we want to hear from you,” said Lansdorp. Mars One expects an unprecedented number of applications and even more internet users visiting the application website to support their favorite candidates.
 
Applicants are given the choice of publicly sharing and promoting their application page. While Mars One experts will choose which candidates progress to Round 2, everyone will have the opportunity to know the aspiring settlers and give them their vote of confidence. Mars One says it is looking for applicants who are both mature and "interesting."

Beyond Round Four,in the seven-year period preceding their flight to Mars,all the potential settlers will be given the skills they will need for their journey and to live on Mars once they arrive.

No particular academic or professional background is considered a prerequisite for selection. "Gone are the days when bravery and the number of hours flying a supersonic jet were the top criteria," said Norbert Kraft, Mars One's Chief Medical Director and former NASA senior researcher. “For this mission of permanent settlement we are more concerned with how well each astronaut lives and works with others and their ability to deal with a lifetime of challenges."

(Artist's rendering of Mars colony provided by Mars One)

FMI: http://mars-one.com