Metro columnist John Bolaris.
Most of us remember on the “Honeymooners” when Ralph Kramden (Jackie Gleason) would shout to Alice ( Audrey Meadows), “Bang! Zoom! Straight to the Moon, Alice!”
Well how about to Mars?
Yes, now anyone can actually apply for a one-way ticket to the Red Planet. The Mars One Project, a multibillion-dollar venture organized by a Netherlands group, is set to launch in 2023.
According to the application: “Mars One will establish a permanent human settlement on Mars. We invite you to participate by sharing our vision with your friends, and, perhaps, by becoming the next Mars astronaut yourself.”
Only 40 civilian astronauts will be selected this year, and then a final four will be launched on a mission to Mars. Those chosen few are required to undergo eight years of training to learn medical and survival skills.
Already 100,000 hopefuls have submitted their applications with a video explainging why they would leave planet Earth and never return again.
Leave me out, although my fiancée says I should apply. … Hmm. Well, it is eight years of steady work.
Anyway, the four people selected will have the responsibility of establishing a permanent human settlement. Seems like a lot of work. Could be fun for a day or two but then what? No Netflix, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Vine, texts, emails, concerts, ball games, etc. Perhaps if they populate enough they can start their very own Martian team.
Go to the Mars One project site, Mars-one.com, and listen to some of the reasons why these future space cadets want to go to Mars. Tweet us your reasons why you would want to go to Mars and I pick the top four aspiring astronauts in next week’s column. Tweet to @johnbolaris and @metrophilly.
Capt. Bolaris, signing off.
