How Would You Like to Be One of the First Humans On Mars?

How would you like to go to Mars? I'm sure most of us would say "Heck ya, sign me up," but there's a catch. It's a one way flight so once you leave, there's no guarantee that you will ever be able to return to Earth.

All of this is talk of living on Mars comes from the Dutch based Mars One project, which plans to put a permanent settlement on Mars by the year 2023. It's a pretty ambitious idea. They have reported that 165,000 people have already signed up for this one way mission and there's still a little over a week left before the deadline ends. Of those 165,000 people already signed up, 37,852, or 23 percent are American, making them the majority of applicants.

The project plans on being funded by private investors as well as raising billions of dollars thru TV deals, sponsorships and donations, as well as application fees. After selecting the applicants that will move onto round two of the selection process will be interviewed by local selection committees before moving onto round three, which will most likely be a regional-level, reality-TV contests putting applicants against challenges they may face on Mars.

Anyone can register and the application fees vary by country. The American entry fee is around $38, and according to Norbert Craft, the chief medical officer, "Don't disqualify yourself too easily. If you wish to be a Mars pioneer despite of the risks and challenges that come with this job, you are already more qualified than most people on this planet. It is most important that you are healthy and have the right mindset."

You can see exactly how Mars One plans to accomplish their goal by checking out the video below which really makes this seem like it might just work.