The Dutch Are Going to Mars

No has yet tried to put a man on Mars...until now. Enter the Netherlands Space Agency. The Dutch company really wants to beat the US in the race to the red planet.

The $6 billion mission will not only send humans where no human has gone before, they also want to film everything and beam back the footage for a TV reality show.

A first group of four men and women would set foot on Mars in April 2023, with others to follow until there was a colony of 20 people a decade later. They would mainly conduct scientific experiments, notably looking for signs of life, like Curiosity." - Mission Engineer Bas Lansdorp

With an average temperature at minus -67 F., even us tough South Dakotan's might have a tough time adjusting to the climate. Folks from Minnesota might be okay.

Before you fill out the application, one small detail: You'll die there. You see, there is no way to get back to the third rock from the sun. Yes, it's a one way ticket. Still interested?

On the positive side, you would get to drive this cool space car around Mars. (Even though it does look like it needs a trip to Manley Tire & Oil.)

Still, many questions remain such as, could a human survive the radiation from the trip? Could food grow on it's own in protected green-house like structures? Could eruptions from the sun releasing ionized material into space “burn” astronauts and damage their ship?

These seem like pretty major questions, and the main one hasn't even been asked yet: If the Dutch are indeed going, could we pencil in the first Tulip Festival in space? it might be a little too chilly for the Orange City marching bands. Plus, the soil doesn't look too fertile.

The first mission to Mars is scheduled for 2023.

I don't think it would be too bad. After all, it does sorta look like Newton Hills State Park on a Saturday.

Oh, and by the way, couples will not be allowed to travel together. Apparently there is only so much tolerance for the "6 Million Mile High Club."

UPDATE: Applications are now being accepted. Find out if you have what it takes to go to Mars, be a team leader, and are ready for this historic mission.