I’m Moving to Mars

Would you travel to Mars if it meant staying forever? To some, a one-way ticket to another planet might sound daunting—but when Mars One, a European and American venture aiming to send human settlers to one of Earth’s closest neighbors, put out its first call for applicants in 2013, it received thousands of responses. In this new series of doc shorts, we meet five Mars One finalists eager to become the first extraterrestrial emigrants: a former military man, an architect, an engineer, and an adventurous couple who met through Mars One forums online. Find out why all of them are eager to join the first mission, projected to take off in 2031—and what they think will be the biggest challenges of becoming Martians.

Directed by Julia Ngeow

 

LIGHT YEARS110

Josh Richards, Australia

This former combat engineer didn’t think he’d live to 30. Now he’s a candidate for Mars One, and not even the prospect of leaving his loved ones behind can scare him off. When the mission is to expand human settlement to other planets, he says, you “can’t get too fixated on the individual impacts.”

Directed by Julia Ngeow

 

IN ORBIT306.83

Yari and R. Daniel Golden-Castaño, Boston
Yari and R. Daniel found each other, and fell in love, because of their shared passion for space exploration. Now they’re both finalists for Mars One—which means the rest of their life together might play out on a different planet.

Directed by Julia Ngeow

 

OUTER LIMITS158.1

Kay Radzik, Reno
This Nevada-based architect sees preparation for the colonization of Mars as an escape from the “mundanities of life,” but that doesn’t mean she thinks it will be easy. And the biggest challenges could be psychological.

Directed by Julia Ngeow

 

CYCLES115.1

Peter Degan-Portnoy, Boston
Peter is determined to fulfill his lifelong dream of exploring space—even if it means the end of his marriage. But he wants to stay on earth long enough to see his kids to adulthood before he becomes “their dad who lives and works on Mars.”

Directed by Julia Ngeow

 

 

Read the original article and watch all episodes HERE.