Mars One volunteer applications exceed 100,000

More than 100,000 people around the world have applied for a one-way ticket to Mars initiated by Dutch entrepreneur Bas Lansdor's Mars One project, including 30,000 Americans and an estimated tens of thousands of Chinese. The application requires a fee that varies by country, such as $38 in the U.S. and $11 in China. Due to its paid-application nature, a Chinese anti-counterfeiting expert claims that the company behind the Mars One project may be trying to defraud applicants of their registration fees. The cost of launching the first batch of astronauts for Mars One is expected to consume $6 billion, and Lansdor stated that funds will primarily come from donations, television broadcasts, and documentary filming. Applications will close at the end of this month, and Mars One will screen out 40 candidate astronauts later this year. Ultimately, two men and two women will be selected to depart for Mars in September 2022 and land on Mars in April 2023.