21 June 2007: Mars Pioneers Wanted

If you fancy a trip to Mars you should contact the European Space Agency without delay.

The ESA is looking for twelve ordinary people to experience the 17 month trip to Mars and back, with an emphasis on stress resistance rather than on physical fitness. The salary is 120 euros per day (that's about 600 pounds per week), with all meals provided, although it will only be packaged food like the Space Station astronauts eat. Men and women can apply.

If you're interested you can contact the ESA, but before you rush off you should know that you won't actually be going to Mars. You and your colleagues will spend your 520 days on Earth in a simulator; an isolation tank that's only about the size of nine containers. The experiment is to test whether people can survive that long confined together in a small space.

For details see http://www.spaceflight.esa.int/CallforCandidates