Astronaut Recruitment For Mars Colony Project To Begin In July

We've been hearing talks of the future formation of a colony on Mars, and it seems that space agencies and companies are quite adamant to get it going. In particular, a non-profit organization by the name of Mars One is planning to put four astronauts on Mars in 2023 to begin the process of forming a Mars colony, and they will begin the recruiting process in July.

Mars One will begin accepting video submissions for this first round of astronauts, and while anyone can apply, the organization is looking to weed out the spammers and time-wasters by instituting a $25 entry fee, which certainly isn't a lot, but it could help with separating the serious candidates from the ones who simply just want to have fun. The fee will also be put towards funding for the entire project.

Mars One hopes to raise millions of dollars from the application process alone, and they expect that a million applications will be sent in, and some of the video applications may end up going viral, which hints that Mars One may not exactly keep these video applications confidential, but one million applications sure is a strong goal to set. However, the company already has 45,000 people on its mailing list, with over 10,000 people already sending in emails explaining their interest in going to Mars.

Anyone who is at least 18 years old can apply, and the video should explain why you should be selected. However, this won't be an easy job, and Mars One says that you should be prepared to say goodbye to Earth forever, since the organization has no plans to bring astronauts back. By July 2015, Mars One wants to have 24 astronauts recruited, where they will then face seven years of training that will include spending three months at a time in a replica of the Mars colony.

[via Space.com]