We’ve often wished we could ship reality TV stars out to space and never have to deal with their self-important squabbling and petty attempts at fame, but a new, somewhat odd proposition by a nonprofit organization could make that somewhat of a reality. The group of scientists and entrepreneurs at Mars One said it’s opened up the application process for a commercially sponsored one-way mission to Mars as part of a venture that will (sigh) also include a reality TV program.

Mars One (via NPR)  says anyone over 18 is eligible to become a Mars astronaut, as long as you don’t mind being part of a reality TV show in the process and paying a $38 application fee. Oh and then you’ll have to live the rest of your life in an inflatable habitat on another planet.

“If somebody’s an outdoors person who says, ‘I need my mountains, I need to smell the flowers,’ then it’s not the mission for him,” says Norbert Kraft, the group’s chief medical officer.

Selling the trip as a TV show is a novel idea, but one that the co-founder thinks will work to finance the mission’s $6 billion price tag.

Here’s how it’ll work: Applicants will be part of the contest online, with people who get the most likes on the site going on to the next round of selection. It’s worth noting there are already quite  few pages worth of potential colonists listed on the Mars One site.

Eventually, the process will be on TV, with participants duking it out in multiple countries and only one winning the prize of the one-way ticket in their respective nation. The final round will then be broadcast around the world, with six teams of four competing to go to space by 2023.

The whole thing will last years, something the co-founder sees as working in the plan’s favor as viewers grow to like different applicants.

“That’s why it will stay interesting for a very, very long time,” he says.

Just like the extent of your stay on Mars, should you win. It’ll last a very, very long time.

This One-Way Trip To Mars Is Brought To You By… [NPR]

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