World peace is nowhere in sight, despite advances in technology and culture. “I’d rather be on another planet”, many of us say, flabbergasted and feeling totally powerless when faced with issues such as poverty, starvation and war. If you’ve totally given up on planet earth, you might consider boarding the next shuttle outta here, to Mars… for real.
A few months ago, news surfaced about the Mars One mission – funded by a Dutch non-profit organisation, which (if all goes well) will send a crew to Mars by 2022. Seeing the news, I thought it would perhaps attract just a handful of people. Y’know, the sort of folk with PhDs and all, who would best know how to survive in space (where no one can hear you scream), and actually set a foundation on the red planet for more human settlers in time to come.
It’s not as if kids go out and play anymore right?
So, what are the requirements? Minimal, considering they’re looking for people with ‘utmost professionalism’ and a ‘passion for exploring’. Also, you’ve got to be willing to live out the rest of your days on the red planet, as this is a one-way trip, there’s no turning back once you take off. The project is estimated to cost US$6 billion, and will be funded soley through donations… so even if you’re not going, it’s a worthy cause no?
Accommodations don’t look too bad at all. Pray for interplanetary Internet connectivity by then…
Farming should offer a welcome respite from the madness of Earth.
By the looks of things, it looks like quite a sizable population might get life started on Mars, as the initiative has attracted some 78,000 applications to date from 120 countries, and it is expected that a further 50,000 applications are plausible by the 31st of August when bookings close – so you’d best hop to it if you’re hellbent on getting off this rock.
BY ANGELOMANUEL
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