A new crowdfunding campaign has launched in New Zealand with the ultimate goal of setting up a space base on Mars.
The Martian Trust is hoping to tap into the passion of space fans worldwide to create a charitable society that can help colonise the Red Planet.
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It's still early days, with around $3000 in donations, but the ambition is out-of-this-world.
"We want to help actually shape space exploration in getting to Mars rather than just reading about and envying the people being involved in it," Aimee Whitcroft, the Martian Trust's New Zealand operations manager, tells Newshub.
The Martian Trust wants to set up a sustainable base on Mars that isn't owned by corporations or governments.
It plans to raise the money by appealing to hundreds of millions of space fans to open their wallets.
"Twenty-five to $50 a year from a large enough base is substantial and is quite enough to be one of the major participants in establishing that Mars base," founder Charles Polk says.
Elon Musk's SpaceX wants to launch a manned mission to Mars by 2024, while NASA's goal is 2033. The Martian Trust's time frame is much longer - up to 35 years.
To prove the concept, the trust fundraiser will go global in October. If it doesn't raise $75 million in two years, the project will be scrapped.
"We have to show we can meet ambitious growth or that 20- to 35-year timeframe means nothing," Mr Polk says.
That means the trust wants you.
"I'd like to invite all of New Zealand to come and join us. It's going to be really exciting," Ms Whitcroft says.
Newshub.
