Twenty-four people are set to explore an entirely new frontier in just under one decade: the red, dry, desert tundra of Mars. They will live and work in a small colony of life support systems and a supply unit. This concept isn’t a brainchild of George Lucas. Mars One, a non-profit foundation, plans to establish a settlement on the red planet where a crew of regular citizens, not astronauts, will live the remainder of their lives. Mars One plans to train the selected crew for the next ten years. Four volunteers will say a final goodbye to Earth in 2024, and another four will follow suit every two years following the initial crew’s ascent.
It’s not science fiction; it’s a one-way trip. The exclusion of a return voyage back to planet earth makes the settlement possible by eliminating the need for a large vessel. Almost no scientific advancement is necessary for the operation; all plans thus far require only existing technology.
Mars One has proposed the next great human advancement. For the past forty years, no footprints have been left on the moon and space exploration has stagnated. The last man to stand on an extraterrestrial surface was Gene Cernan of Apollo 17’s crew in 1972. The motivation for humans to investigate the extraterrestrial world decreased with the end of the Cold War’s ‘Space Race.’ This dormant ambition to escape the confines of our own atmosphere awakens with the prospect of settlement on Mars. Over 200,000 people from around the world volunteered to trade their lives on Earth for a chance to live on the Red Planet.
These volunteers are ready to trade warm, stove-cooked meals for dehydrated space food; rolling hills of green grass for a dry, cold desert; and small talk with strangers for a lifetime of conversations with 23 other people.
Humans are once again excited about space exploration. Not only has Mars One proposed a monumental plan to settle another planet, but it has revitalized humanity’s enthusiasm for space exploration. Already, discussion over the colonization of Mars increases interest in the subject.
Lionsgate plans to document the training and departure of the twenty-four volunteers in a reality series.
The show will follow the future Mars inhabitants as they train for their respective niches in their small colony. While many view the potential series as a social experiment, it is truly a platform to radiate further interest in space exploration.
As the world’s population becomes more interested in the frontier in the sky, more people will delve into advancing technology associated with space travel. The increased interest could possibly escalate funding for such research, and scientific growth would occur as a result.
Mars One faces some controversy, as some critics call it a suicide mission. The project does contain some risk, but all volunteers are aware of dangers of the mission.
In the end, they know they will die on the fourth planet from the sun. For these 24 people, the prospect of making such a huge step for humankind outweighs the risks involved. For if one step on the moon was a giant leap for humankind, a settlement on Mars must be a monumental escalation.