In the spring of 2013, the company Mars One began accepting applications for a one-way trip to Mars. The plan, scheduled tentatively for 2023, was to launch four astronauts to the Red Planet where, due to technological limitations, they would have to spend the rest of their lives. More than 200,000 people applied for the job, but the company has since narrowed search to 1,058 candidates.
In the November 2014 issue of Popular Science, our writer explores the question, “Who on Earth would sign up to die on Mars?” We interviewed some of the candidates who made the first cut, to find out why they’re willing to go, what they hope to achieve, and what they’ll miss most from Earth.
