1,000 to compete for one-way reality TV trip to Mars

More than 1,000 candidates from 200,000 hopefuls have been chosen to train for a private Mars colonisation mission to be partly funded by a reality-TV show following their training and subsequent steps, organisers have said.

They are to be whittled down to just 24, who will be sent over six launches starting in 2024, according to Mars One, the Dutch-based non-profit group behind the audacious endeavour.

The only catch is that the space-bound settlers will be on a one-way ticket to the Red Planet which lies a minimum 55 million km and six months travel from Earth. Costs are too high to contemplate a return trip.