SPACE fans now have the chance to help colonise Mars - in an international search for the first people to live on the Red Planet.

A Dutch not-for-profit group is hoping to build the first human outpost on the planet in 2023 and has just released its basic astronaut requirements. This will be followed by a reality TV-style global selection process to start later this year.

Mars One is not just looking for scientists or former fighter pilots. Anyone over 18 can apply to become a Mars pioneer. They have to have intelligence, good mental and physical health and dedication to the project. Astronauts will be trained for eight years before launch. And they have to be happy never to return to Earth - as Mar One's mission is a one-way trip.

Company founder Bas Lansdorp recently told a newspaper: "Those who don't like my idea probably would not be suitable for the mission anyway."

He also admits he would not be the right person for the job either, adding: "I have the necessary enthusiasm to market this idea but I'm not relaxed enough to live in a small group for a long time without conflicts."

His chief medical director and former Nasa researcher Norbert Kraft said: "Gone are the days when bravery and the number of hours flying a supersonic jet were the top criteria. Now we are more concerned with how well each astronaut works and lives with the others, in the long journey from Earth to Mars and for a lifetime of challenges ahead."

Mars One is planning to launch a series of robot cargo missions between 2016 and 2021. They will build a habitable colony before the first four humans arrive in 2023.

More will be sent to the planet every two years after that. The firm will fund most of the mission through a global reality TV show that will follow the colonisation effort and allow viewers to choose who goes to Mars. And the project has had plenty of volunteers already.

Communications chief Suzanne Flinkenfloegel said: "Well before the official Astronaut Selection Program, we received more than 1,000 emails from individuals who desire to go to Mars."












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