Leaning on thousands of hours of exclusive archival materials, RSA Films will tell the definitive story of Mars One and its aftermath, told from the perspective of the organizers and applicants whose improbable dream of creating the first settlement on Mars was never realized.

Following the cast selected from 200,000 applicants who eventually became the ‘Mars 100’, the series will be led by the human stories of those involved, exploring why they wanted to leave earth forever to live in the first human colony on Mars.

The process was being documented for a TV series to raise the project’s profile and attract investment. Using the original footage intended for the show, MARS ONE: NO GOING BACK (w/t) revisits one of the strangest and most outlandish human efforts in recent history.

Whilst the series lays bare the true story of Mars One and covers the wider controversies surrounding the endeavour which some have called a suicide mission, the narrative is driven by the firsthand experiences of the participants, humanising their motivations for embarking on such a life-threatening journey.

Dominic Crossley-Holland, RSA’s Head of Unscripted, said: “This is an amazing opportunity to create a genre-bending documentary series about this pop culture-defining space story that captured the world’s imagination.  We are fascinated by the human psychology at the heart of this story, namely why someone would willingly want to leave earth on a one way mission.  Our team of world class storytellers will create a truly innovative series that is nothing like anything else on (or off) the planet!”

Pic credit – Mars One – Bryan Versteeg