Mars One seeks laypeople to serve as astronauts & is taking YouTube applications

Would you call yourself curious, creative, adaptable, resourceful, and resilient?

Mars One could be looking for you if you just answered “yes” to the question above.

Dutch space travel company presents an out-of-the-world opportunity to all adventure seekers – make the red planet your home, forever. Mars One officially launched its astronaut selection program today.

The non-profit has embarked on a bold mission to establish a human settlement on the planet Mars in 2023.

The selection process of this mission will involve a total of four rounds. The first round that constitutes of an online application will run until August 31, 2013. While Mars One officials would have the final say on who makes it to the next round, applicants are free to share and promote their applications.

The company is looking for “mature and interesting” folks. Basically what that means is that there are no professional or academic prerequisites, and anyone can apply.

“Gone are the days when bravery and the number of hours flying a supersonic jet were the top criteria,” said Norbert Kraft, Mars One’s chief medical director, and former NASA senior researcher, in a statement on the news. “For this mission of permanent settlement we are more concerned with how well each astronaut lives and works with others and their ability to deal with a lifetime of challenges.”

All the potential settlers will be given the necessary training and skills. The final decision of choosing the first settlers will be decided by an audience vote.

The whole program is projected to cost $6 billion. To subsidize that cost and to weed out any individuals who aren’t serious about the mission, Mars One will require an entry fee of up to $25, depending on your location, along with the one-minute video application. Additional funds from broadcasting deals of a reality show are also on the cards.

“In a 1,000 years, everyone on Earth will still remember who the first humans on Mars were, just like Neil Armstrong has been etched in our memories forever,” said Bas Lansdorp, co-founder of Mars One, in a statement.

When asked in an interview whether he plans on going to Mars himself, Lansdorp told VentureBeat, “This has been a dream of mine my whole life. I came up with this idea because I want to go to Mars, but in discussions with our medical director, and because I’m 15 years older and wiser than when I first had the idea, I might not be the perfect candidate.”

“I might try to get this mission going — I’m an entrepreneur, I get things done. But I’m also impatient, not good for a small team of people who need to get along for the rest of their lives. When the first team leaves, I will be extremely jealous,” he added.