Are you tired of living on the same old boring Earth? Want a new change of pace in your boring everyday life? 

Calling all aspiring astronauts, Mars One is now accepting applicants to join the Mars One mission, and they want YOU to be a part of the team. Founded in 2011, “Mars One” is an organization based in the Netherlands that has a goal to colonize Mars by 2026. 

Mars One’s mission design is in Phase A, which pretty much means the mission hasn’t really been approved yet. But possible solutions were proposed after the organization found a reasonable base cost of  $6 billion. 

Since Mars One launched in 2011, $1 million has been raised to support this mission, only $5.99 billion shy of its modest goal.

In Phase B, Mars One plans to design all elements needed to safely bring humans to Mars so that these willing test subjects will not turn into icy popsicles.

According to the Mars One website, Lockheed Martin and Paragon Space Development Corporation is performing the conceptual design studies.

If you’re unsure on what to pursue in college, this is the perfect chance for you discover your inner John Smith and explore a new world.  Mars One is conducting a global search for the best astronauts. Mars One’s first Astronaut Selection Program opened in 2013, which was the first of four selection rounds. But it seems as if not enough people applied so Mars One is opening another round in 2017.  

The first step to qualifying for the position is to develop the five characteristics of an astronaut: resiliency, adaptability, curiosity, ability to trust, and creativity/resourcefulness. 

Mars One cannot stress enough that once on Mars, there is no possible means of return to Earth, so humans must learn to communicate with their fellow Martians. Courses in intergalactic sign language may be included.

Besides Mars One, there are other space programs that have a similar mission to colonize Mars. 

Elon Musk, CEO of SpaceX recently unveiled the company’s plan for colonizing Mars. Musk hopes to establish a permanent, self-sustaining city on Mars using the Interplanetary Transport System (ITS).

Formerly known as the Mars Colonial Transporter, ITS is a privately funded development project created by SpaceX. It encompasses new space flight technology and remote human settlements on Mars. 

Compared to Mars One, SpaceX is not recruiting astronauts. Instead, SpaceX is selling rocket seats for a reasonable price of $10 billion.

SpaceX expects to transport one million people to Mars in the next 50 to 100 years, because clearly, there are plenty of people on this planet that have $10 billion on hand. 

It’s safe to say that with these two companies working hard to create the next technological advancement, one can expect the long one way trip towards Mars by 2025.