FYI: New Mission to Mars is A Reality TV Show

Four people will hypothetically land on Mars in 2023, part of a new initiative spurred by the nonprofit Mars One. The news that more than 78,000 people have applied to be one of those four has intrigued people the world over.

But looking at the details of the mission with a critical eye, it becomes clear that the mission, if it works out, will be a strange Hunger Games/reality television show scenario.

First, in order to raise the $6 billion needed to get those four people on the planet, Mars One says that it needs to make the mission something billions of people around the world are interested in and talking about.

“A manned mission to Mars is expensive,” it states. “We plan to fund it by making it the biggest media spectacle in history. This way, everyone will get the chance to not only watch the astronauts make their journey, but choose who gets to do so. Four people, icons, who will leave their life on Earth behind and start an adventure on a new planet tens of millions of miles away.”

So here’s the first part—people will be encouraged to “vote” on who gets to actually be a part of the final group of 24-40 people, out of the estimated 500,000+ people who will apply.

Out of that final group, four will be chosen to land. But much like presidential elections, or any elections in general, one can assume that any votes will be merely to give people what they think is some control of the matter when in fact people who are very, very powerful–and likely have sinister ambitions–will choose who goes.

There’s another large part. Part of getting billions in funding (that $6 billion is only for the first four people, they want to send another four every two years)—is making the mission into a full fledged reality television show.

“Not unlike the televised events of the Olympic Games, Mars One intends to maintain an on-going, global media event, from astronaut selection to training, from lift-off to landing, to provide primary funding for this next giant leap for mankind,” the organization says. “Over the long run, there is no doubt that the revenues of broadcasting rights and sponsorship can finance the human mission to Mars.”

So let’s think about this. All the events leading up to it will be televised and turned into a “media spectacle.”

The spectacle will be great during the 7 year training period, where no doubt rivalries will emerge among the 24-40 finalists, as well as romances, etc.

The spectacle will get bigger when the four people are chosen and launched into space, being in a confined area for the estimated 6-8 month journey from Earth to Mars.

The spectacle will really get big once they land on Mars. Several key elements combined make for touch living and therefore great entertainment:

1. There aren’t that many supplies, relatively, being sent up. For instance, the astronauts will have a limited supply of stored water on Mars, and they will have to quickly start extracting water from the planet. They’ll also have to grow food and draw energy from the sun through solar panels.

2. There’s only four people! In a social situation like this—the website says they “will be faced with a variety of difficult tasks that must be managed simply to survive”—the four people will have to self-govern, which can easily lead to tension if not serious violence. Part of governing will be to decide on “the nature of the family structure, and, when children are born, methods and content of education.”

3. Conditions on Mars are similar to those on Antarctica, meaning a lapse in judgment or even a simple accident (or “accident”) could mean something bad even death for one of the people.

This kind of on-edge environment would provide much entertainment for the Earth-bound masses. And Mars One “will be broadcasting images of daily life back to Earth 24/7,” they say. Because of a delay in internet transmission because of distance, there will be a time delay of 3 to 22 minutes, which could lead to some nail-biting moments!

Further, the trip itself is planned as one-way.

“A ‘one way’ trip (or, in other words: emigration) to Mars is currently the only way we can get people on Mars within the next 20 years,” the organization explains. “This in no way excludes the possibility of a return flight at some point in the future. It is likely that technological progress will make this less complex down the line, not to mention the fact that once the planet is inhabited, it will be that much easier to build the returning rocket there.”

All of these factors lead to the suspicion that, because the trip and all the training is definitely geared toward entertainment for the masses, an elite group is either behind Mars One or will at some point get behind it through funding. What’s $6 billion for control of “The biggest media spectacle in history”?

RELATED: More Than 78,000 People Sign Up for One-Way Trip to Mars