Would you risk your life for a chance to go to Mars? These people would

The Red Planet beckons nerds and adventurers alike

Mars
(Image credit: NASA, ESA, the Hubble Heritage Team)

Mankind's dream of setting foot on a foreign planet inched one step closer to reality (or at least reality TV) this week, when the Mars One mission announced that more than 78,000 people had submitted video applications for a chance to live on the Red Planet. The application process, which opened April 22, is being used to find a brave foursome of space explorers who will hopefully establish a permanent, self-sustainable colony on Mars by the year 2023.

Would-be Martians — who were charged an application fee ranging from $5 to $75 depending on their country of origin (U.S. citizens paid $38, for example) — are being asked to leave behind friends, family, and other Earthly pleasures for a shot at the gig.

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Chris Gayomali is the science and technology editor for TheWeek.com. Previously, he was a tech reporter at TIME. His work has also appeared in Men's Journal, Esquire, and The Atlantic, among other places. Follow him on Twitter and Facebook.