Wanna Trip To Space? To Raise Money, Mars One Is Offering A Lynx Joyride

Private trips to space are pricey, but from time to time contests come up that offer even those of modest means the chance to get there.

Take Mars One’s latest publicity campaign, which is to offer a chance for a trip upon the (so-far-unflown-in-space) Lynx spacecraft in exchange for donating to the organization, which plans to launch a one-way human trip to Mars in the next decade.

“The campaign will provide funding for a 2015 Earth mission, which is a simulation project to replicate the future Mars human settlement here on Earth, as well as the 2018 Mars mission to Mars,” Mars One stated.

The campaign, called “Ticket To Rise“, is essentially a fundraising campaign for Mars One. The group is selling memberships, selfies of photographs with Mars in the background (during a 2018 mission), T-shirts and at the high end, coins or attendance at VIP events.

Artist’s conception of Mars One human settlement. Credit: Mars One/Brian Versteeg

The Mars One plan to bring people to the planet has generated lots of publicity among the media, amid skepticism that the funding and technology could be available to bring people to the Red Planet starting in 2024. The organization began whittling down applicants this year and as of May, said there are now 705 “potential Mars settlers” remaining.

If successful, Mars One hopes to bring settlers to the Red Planet every two years, four people at a time, and leave them there to establish a colony. The organization says there are “no new technology developments” needed to get people to Mars, and that it has gone to “major aerospace companies around the world” to figure out what needs to be done.

The XCOR Lynx spacecraft is one of a small number of vehicles competing for the chance to bring wealthy people into space. From time to time, the company has partnered with other entities (such as men’s grooming company AXE) to run contests to drum up interest in their product, which so far is unflown in space.

Elizabeth Howell

Elizabeth Howell is the senior writer at Universe Today. She also works for Space.com, Space Exploration Network, the NASA Lunar Science Institute, NASA Astrobiology Magazine and LiveScience, among others. Career highlights include watching three shuttle launches, and going on a two-week simulated Mars expedition in rural Utah. You can follow her on Twitter @howellspace or contact her at her website.

Recent Posts

First Light from Einstein Probe: A Supernova Remnant

On 9 January 2024, the Einstein probe was launched, its mission to study the night…

4 hours ago

Galaxies Evolved Surprisingly Quickly in the Early Universe

Anyone familiar with astronomy will know that galaxies come in a fairly limited range of…

5 hours ago

How Knot Theory Can Help Spacecraft Can Change Orbits Without Using Fuel

When a spacecraft arrives at its destination, it settles into an orbit for science operations.…

8 hours ago

Another New Molecule Discovered Forming in Space

The list of chemicals found in space is growing longer and longer. Astronomers have found…

9 hours ago

JWST Uses “Interferometry Mode” to Reveal Two Protoplanets Around a Young Star

The JWST is flexing its muscles with its interferometry mode. Researchers used it to study…

12 hours ago

A Cold Brown Dwarf is Belching Methane Into Space

Brown dwarfs span the line between planets and stars. By definition, a star must be…

13 hours ago