If you've always dreamed of going to Mars, 2013 may be the year to get the ball rolling.
Mars One, a Dutch-based non-profit seeking to send people to Mars, has put up an advertisement seeking applications from interested parties. A total of 30 astronauts will eventually live on Mars, according to the plan, sent in teams of four making the journey every two years from 2023.
The group says you don't need any special training, but applicants should be over 18 year old, "intelligent, in good mental and physical health" and "willing to dedicate eight years to training and learning before making the journey to his or her new home on Mars."
Here's the full table of requirements from the application site:
One note of caution: The trip is one-way, and if everything goes to plan, you will grow old and die on Mars. You will also have to take part in TV shows and publicity events that follow your training and life on the Red Planet (the funding for the event is almost all down to sponsorship for these TV shows).
If this all sounds a bit far-fetched, well, perhaps it is — but that doesn't mean Mars One isn't taking it seriously. We reached out to Dutch founder Bas Lansdorp last year to talk to him about the project, and he balked at the idea that it was a hoax or publicity stunt.
Since then the plan has progressed — in August Lansdorp announced its first few rounds of funding,
The application window will officially begin in the first part of 2013. To find out more, you can subscribe to email updates from Mars One.
