Eden Prairie Resident Aims for Mars

Eden Prairie resident Chad Schilling wants to be a Martian.

We’re not talking little green men. Schilling is among 1,058 people selected from a pool of 200,000 applicants to be part of the Mars One project, the organization announced Monday.

The project aims to establish permanent human life on Mars beginning in 2024. Those who are selected will not return to Earth.

Mars One predicts that putting the first four people on the planet will cost $6 billion, with an additional $4 billion for every manned mission after that. Organizers plan to fund the project with advertising, sponsorships, crowdfunding and a reality show.

“We fully anticipate our remaining candidates to become celebrities in their towns, cities, and in many cases, countries. It’s about to get very interesting,” a news release quoted Mars One co-founder Bas Lansdorp.

Critics say the project is unlikely to succeed, but that hasn’t deterred Schilling.