indication of how the broadcasting of the project might proceed: “This mission to Mars could be the biggest media event in the world,” said Römer. “Reality meets talent show with no ending and the whole world watching.” The aim is to establish a permanent human colony, according to the company’s website. The first team would land on the surface of Mars in 2023 to begin constructing the colony, with a team of four astronauts every two years after that. The project is not without its sceptics, however, and concerns have been raised about how astronauts might get to the planet and establish a colony with all the life support and other requirements needed. Professor Gerard’t Hooft, winner of the Nobel Prize for theoretical physics in 1999, is an ambassador for the project.’ T Hooft admits there are unknown health risks. The radiation is “of quite a different nature” from anything that has been tested on Earth, he said. The mission hopes to inspire generations to “believe that all things are possible, that anything can be achieved,” much like the Apollo Moon landings. “Mars One believes it is not only possible, but imperative that we establish a permanent settlement on Mars in order to accelerate our understanding of the formation of the solar system, the origins of life and, of equal importance, our place in the universe,” it says.