FAREWELL TO EARTH AND HELLO TO MARS!

STANLEY LU

BEFORE WE START SETTLING ON MARS…

• How do you find the life here on Earth?

• How much do you know about Mars?

• If provided with an opportunity, will you take it and become the first colonist on the Red Planet?

• How life would be if you really live on the Red Planet?

Although doomsday predictions have, one by one, proven to be untrue, hundreds of thousands of people are still eager to leave planet Earth for good.

Dutch company Mars One is looking for volunteers to start a human colony on the Red Planet. The first group of colonists is set to leave in 2022, landing 7 months later in 2023. Though, unlike other proposed manned Mars missions, they will not be coming back as the technology for a return trip does not exist.

Nevertheless, the idea of a one-way trip has not deterred people from pursuing this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. Over 200,000 applications have been received from across the globe. According to the company, the candidates selected will have to undergo 7 years of training and a rigorous screening process before they can head to Mars.

Meanwhile, issues have been raised regarding the funding and technical feasibility. With costs for the first crew estimated at $6 billion, Mars One hopes to raise money to help fund the project through a reality TV show, which will document everything from the astronauts’ training on Earth to their deployment and colonization of Mars. Whether a sustainable system for people to live in such a harsh environment can be worked out in time is another major concern.

SENTENCE PATTERNS:

• S + V, Ving…•whether S + V

To land and settle on Mars for humans, we need…