Wanna give up movin' the lawn, takin' out the garbage, answering the damn phone...and all the other crap that suburban life consists of? Consider Mars... yep!
But first, read this:
Mars might not be the best place to raise kids, but thats not stopping one Dutch nonprofit from hatching a plan to make that lyrical sci-fi scenario a real possibility within just 10 years.
Mars One began accepting applications earlier this week from wannabe astronauts willing to take a one-way flight to the Red Planet by 2023. The objective: To establish the foundation of a permanent settlement from which we will prosper, learn, and grow.
The catch is that youll leave friends and family forever. And die there. Without even taking a water shower. Maybe next to some brooding Russian named Anastasia, or alongside Stephan, the would-be comedian from Germany.
Only two men and two women will be tapped for the seven years of training and the initial seven-month voyage. Five more groups of four are slated to follow by the summer of 2015.
And interest is running high.
The website attracted some 230,000 unique users during the first 24 hours of the application process. Over the first two days, about 33,000 even paid the sign-up fee, which is based on the GDP of an applicants home country. For a student from the U.S. named Austin, it comes to $38.
Sounds amazing, far-fetched, and over-the-top freaky all at once. Who in their right mind would be willing to give it all up in the name of space exploration? Judging from some of the applicants in the websites roundup, the right mind aspect is the tricky part.
This has made-for-TV written all over it. No, really. And Mars One intends to take advantage of that to raise funds. Lansdrop told NPR earlier this week that selling the trip as a prime-time show should be a no-brainer.
So, in that pop-culture, Jeff Probstian spirit, lets take a closer look at five of the most viewed submissions to hit the website this week for some insight as to why they could soon be on a television screen near you.
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