Trip to Mars lures applicants

A project that includes a one-way trip to Mars has attracted at least 450 Chinese applicants who say they'll agree not to return to Earth if selected.

Mars One, a Dutch nonprofit organization, said on its website that it plans to take humans to Mars in 2023 to establish the foundation of a permanent settlement on the red planet.

Led by Dutch entrepreneur Bas Lansdorp, the private spaceflight project announced its plans in June 2012, which include sending a communication satellite and path-finder lander to Mars by 2016, and sending four astronauts to Mars every two years.