By Katelyn Irons
Not-for-profit organization Mars One has big plans for this new year and the years to come. Its goal: "to establish a human settlement on Mars" by 2023.
The Dutch company is already looking for pioneers brave enough to live on the Martian surface, according to the Los Angeles Times. The organization is seeking people at least 18 years old who speak English and have a flexible schedule - meaning they can leave Earth and won't mind missing an appointment.
CBS News reported the most important requirements are good mental and physical health and commitment, as it will take more than eight years to be trained for the launch.
Mars One's candidate search follows the completion of the Mars500 experiment, a 520-day study by the Russian Academy of Science in which the crew simulated the experience of a manned mission to mars. This took place in a space vehicle like one that could eventually fly to Mars, allowing researchers to study how well the crew dealt with prolonged confinement and day-to-day activities.
Mars500 was the first experiment geared specifically to study long-distance human travel in space, according to Wired Magazine.
Norbert Kraft, Mars One's chief medical director and a former NASA researcher, stated that space knowledge and experience is less important in today's space missions. "Now, we are more concerned with how well each astronaut works and lives with the others, in the long journey from Earth to Mars and for a lifetime of challenges ahead."
That's why the focus of the Mars One program is more on the feasibility of implementing existing technologies for making this possible.
The organization stated that a good deal of its funding will come from a reality TV show they will host, which will show the colonization of the settlers' first years on Mars. If you're interested in applying, view the requirements and sign up to receive application updates. You could be one of the first humans to land and live on the Red Planet.
