Wanted: Astronauts to Colonize Surface of Planet Mars by 2023

A manned mission to Mars has already been announced, but now it turns out that another company plans to colonize the surface of the Red Planet. Mars One will be accepting video applications for the first round of astronauts that they will place on the planet in 2023 and who will begin the process of forming a colony.

There has been a lot of hype surrounding Mars since NASA first placed the Mars rover Curiosity on the planet's surface. Because it's similar in size and shape to Earth, there has been a lot of speculation whether or not life can be found on the Red Planet.  So far, though, nothing has been discovered; according to astrobiologists, it's actually more likely that alien life could be found on the icy moons orbiting Saturn and Jupiter than on Mars.

Even so, the fascination with Mars still remains. Inspiration Mars, the non-profit organization funded by millionaire Dennis Tito, has announced that it plans to send two people in orbit around Mars in January 2018. The mission would involve a tiny capsule that would house the couple for the 501 days it would take to travel to the planet and back to Earth, according to Fox News.

While a loop around Mars is feasible, though, actually placing people on top of the surface of the planet is another matter entirely. There would be huge technological complications with actually placing a person on Mars. That said, Mars One insists that all of the technology is already available. In fact, the organization has already outlined a mission plan for its Mars colony, which includes a transit vehicle, living units and mars suits. It's therefore unsurprising that it's moving forward with its plan.

The application process for the colonization of Mars will officially start in July with a charge of $25 per person in order to weed out the truly serious from the merely curious. The organization hopes to raise millions from this process alone, which it plans to use to help fund the mission to Mars. Whether or not it's actually successful, though, remains to be seen.