4 Pinoys apply for Mars mission

MANILA, Philippines - About 78,000 people, including four Filipinos, who aspire to become settlers isn Mars by 2023, have applied with the Netherlands-based nonprofit organization Mars One.

In a video posted on the Mars One website, Filipinos Catherine Jane Franco, Maricia, Ronald Ray and Bai said they want to live on Mars.

Franco, 30, is a pre-production engineer based in Singapore who wants to advance her career in the field of print circuit-based engineering and make a name in history by joining the Mars mission.

Maricia, on the other hand, is a 22-year-old registered nurse and an incoming third year medical student. She was part of a team that made it to the finals of the 4th Philippine Robotics Olympiad in 2005.

Ronald Ray, 18, is a political science student at the Ateneo de Davao University and a sports enthusiast while Bai, 18, is an International School student taking up American Studies.

The 78,000 applications received by Mars One as of May 7 came from more than 120 countries including the US (17,324), China (10,241), United Kingdom (3,581), Russia, Mexico, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Argentina and India.

The filing of application started last April 22 and will end on Aug. 31, 2013.

In a statement posted on their website, Mars One CEO and co-founder Bas Lansdorp said, “With 78,000 applications in two weeks, this is turning out to be the most desired job in history.”

According to SPACE.com, Mars One estimates that the landing of four settlers on Mars in 2023 will cost about $6 billion.

Mars One also charges an application fee which ranges from $5 to $75 depending on the wealth of the applicant’s home country.

Reviewers will pick 50 to 100 candidates from each of the 300 regions worldwide that Mars One has identified once the application process is finished.