Mars One, the privately-funded project which aims to put a human settlement on Mars by 2025, has invited universities, research bodies and companies to contribute to the cargo of an unmanned lander spacecraft it intends to put on the red planet in 2018.
Four payloads will demonstrate technologies for the planned human mission in 2025.
One payload will be elected by universities around the world, while the remaining two payloads, which can include anything from scientific experiments to marketing materials, will be for sale to the highest bidder.
The four demonstration payloads will include an experiment to collect soil for water production, a water extraction experiment, a thin film solar panel and a camera system to send live video back to earth.
The university competition payload can include scientific experiments, technology demonstrations or other relevant ideas.
Mars One is a not-for-profit foundation that aims to establish permanent human life on Mars.
A number of Irish applicants are currently competing for one-way tickets to the red planet on board the first manned spacecraft.
