Story Archive

Thomas Wolfe was Right

The Mars One project is a privately funded venture to colonize Mars. Multiple probes have been sent to the red planet, but no human has ever gone. Mars One intends to change that by 2022, with a catch: the trip for the two-man, two-woman crew, they say, will be one-way — anyone who volunteers has to do it knowing they can’t come home, ever. Far from having a dearth of volunteers, the project already has 100,000 who agree to the conditions. “There is also a very large number of people who are still working on their profile, so either they have decided not to pay the application fee, or they are still making their video, or they’re still filling out the questionnaire or their resume,” says Mars One CEO Bas Lansdorp. Eight four-person crews will be launched if the project can secure full funding. (RC/CNN) ...They’re hoping to find intelligent life, having exhausted the possibilities here.