Mars One makes for a great TV show pitch but the actual mission is unlikely to take off.

There’s no question that the odds are significantly stacked against the Mars One mission. The goal to colonize Mars is a bit far-fetched and is nothing more than a publicity stunt aimed toward garnering media attention.

The private Dutch non-profit organization, Mars One, has been stirring up headlines the past couple of weeks after selecting 100 potential candidates for one-way tickets to Mars. The proposed mission will then narrow down that group through 10 years of physical, mental and intellectual training. The final 24 participants will then be selected.

One of the candidates chosen is Kristin Richmond from Folsom. When interviewed by the Sacramento Bee, Kristin admitted to not completely being ready to abandon Earth. Leaving behind her husband and parents, Kristin says that if chosen she will have to “weigh the comforts of home against the Mars mission’s epic scope.”

Either Richmond, along with the other candidates, is partaking in the adventure because she’s always wanted to live out a real-life version of Total Recall, or she’s just doing it for the media attention. There’s no question how influential the media can be and Richmond knows that.

This entire selection process and training up until take-off will be televised as a reality TV show. The show will follow the everyday activities of the candidates as they prepare for a one-way voyage to the neighboring planet.

Mars One is pairing with Darlow Smithson Productions (DSP) in screening the mission. On Mars One’s website, CEO Bas Lansdorp is quoted on the reason behind the business relationship,

“Bringing the story of our incredibly brave, aspiring Martians to the world now officially begins with what we feel is a perfect partnership.”

If the whole thing sounds like one epic movie, it’s because Lansdorp is trying to sell it as such. The idea of training future pioneers for life on Mars makes for a wonderful television series, but it’s incredibly unlikely that the project will be followed through to completion. It’s not a probable mission with the unrealistic timeline and budget presented. There are key resources Mars One needs in order to make this fantasy a reality, and it just doesn’t have it.

Scientists and skeptics from all over have not hesitated to attack the project for its lack of secure funding and technology. Mars One has yet to reveal any big investors willing to back the mission.

However, lack of investors hasn’t dampened the dreams of those behind the mission. Mars One says they will receive a majority of the funding needed through televising the events leading up to take-off.

Mars One seems more concerned with media attention than funding and technology- two essentials for the project. The fact there is no clear source of funding other than the reality show makes the idea of colonizing Mars questionable and unlikely. The intentions of the entire mission are becoming blatantly transparent: Mars One is nothing more than an incredibly brilliant pitch for a reality TV series.