【2020 Archives】

We020 Archivesbe living on Mars by the year 3000, so it's time to get prepared.

To help us earthlings ready ourselves for the journey, Monash University in Melbourne, Australia is offering a free online course focused on how to survive the red planet.

SEE ALSO: What it was like to pretend to live on Mars inside a dome for a year

Developed by astrophysicist Jasmina Lazendic-Galloway and chemistry professor Tina Overton, the course "How to Survive on Mars: The Science Behind Human Exploration of Mars" will run over four weeks, three hours per week with the first instalment beginning on Oct. 24.

---

You May Also Like

---

---

According to Lazendic-Galloway, the course emerged from she and Overton's love of Andy Weir's bestselling novel, The Martian, which was made into a 2015 film starring Matt Damon.

"What Tina and I liked was obviously The Martianbook," she told Mashable. "We liked that the scientists were treated as problem solvers. Not like other space films with egos and aliens everywhere.

"This story actually showed what science is about -- not just boring facts and formulas but real problem solving skills."

Former NASA astronaut Buzz Aldrin shows the t-shirt he wears promoting Mars exploration. Credit: FABRICE COFFRINI/AFP/Getty Images

If you're an accountant with a space-bent, no worries -- the course is designed for those with no previous experience in space science. It'll offer an introduction to basic concepts about how to live in space without air, the ability to grow food and how to find a water supply.

Mashable Trend Report Decode what’s viral, what’s next, and what it all means. Sign up for Mashable’s weekly Trend Report newsletter. By clicking Sign Me Up, you confirm you are 16+ and agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. Thanks for signing up!

By the end, the course list says students will be able to "apply basic science to explore possible ways of producing water, oxygen, food and energy on Mars."

Lazendic-Galloway said the course was purposefully interdisciplinary and focused on basic life skills.

"Science is interdisciplinary, not just chemistry, not just astronomy and not just physics. And on Mars, you will have to know a bit of everything," she explained. "The reason we wanted to keep it to survival is we know the first colonies will really be fighting for their survival."

"We know the first colonies will really be fighting for their survival."

There's also a larger purpose to the online course: The two academics want doubters to know there will be humans living on Mars within the century.

There's a lot of preparation going on behind the scenes, she suggested, and the work of passionate private companies such as SpaceX also make it inevitable.

"People think that we can't do these things. That we can't go back to the moon anymore -- it's too hard and expensive. It can be done, it will be done," she said.

It looks like people are eager too. At least 1,500 people have signed up since the course was announced Wednesday.

So given she's teaching people to survive on Mars, would Lazendic-Galloway go herself? "Yes I would. In an instant," she laughed.

Tesla and SpaceX founder Elon Musk has said he wants to send people to Mars by 2024. You've got eight years to study up, martians.

• Deals
• Entertainment
• Games
• Life
• Social Good
• Shopping
• Digital Culture
• Tech

• The Steam Machine: What Went Wrong
• Here's why San Francisco's vote to ban facial
• Why Dany's shocking twist on 'Game of Thrones' makes total sense
• Latest Android Q Beta includes car crash detection
• Sri Lanka vs. Australia 2025 livestream: Watch 1st ODI for free
• Here's why San Francisco's vote to ban facial
• Romney dining with Trump is the ultimate real
• Review roundup: Critics praise 'John Wick: Chapter 3
• NYT Connections hints and answers for February 1: Tips to solve 'Connections' #601.
• Facebook warns advertisers: You might not like 'clear history'

• Adam Reads ‘The Guide to Western Birds’
• What Our Contributors Are Reading This Fall
• Why Pervitin Was the Nazi Drug of Choice
• An Interview with Aaron Stern and Jordan Sullivan
• The crab emoji, explained
• “Sand”, a story by Barry Yourgrau
• Time Speeds Up: Paintings by Amy Bennett
• Urban Outfitters is selling original iPods for hundreds of dollars
• Staff Picks: Nicholson Baker, Alex Prager, Gary Panter
• Apple announces Oct. 30 Mac event called 'Scary Fast'

• Meta says some AGI systems are too risky to release
• Lego's 'Stranger Things' set can be literally flipped over to The Upside Down
• Trump's tariffs could make your next iPhone way more expensive
• What to buy for the person in your life whose only interest is Kylie Jenner's lips
• Brest vs. PSG 2025 livestream: Watch Champions League for free
• YTMND, one of the internet's earliest meme sites, shuts down forever
• Google Assistant comes to Sonos speakers
• Matthew McConaughey gives students rides to make sure they get home alright, alright, alright
• Celtic vs. Bayern Munich 2025 livestream: Watch Champions League for free
• Varys is the 'Game of Thrones' MVP for the second

• Best MacBook deal: Save $200 on 2024 M3 MacBook Air
• These 2 old 'Game of Thrones' visions basically predicted Episode 5
• Lyft will give you an exact price now, not just an estimate
• Beastie Boys singer designs 'vegan' sneaker for Planned Parenthood
• Use Your Gaming Laptop and Play On Battery Power? Is It Possible?
• Fed up women of America speak out as Alabama looks to criminalize abortion
• Supreme Court rules that consumers can sue Apple for App Store practices
• The FCC unveils its plan to stop the never
• The Best CPU & GPU Purchases of 2017
• How will Dany die in the 'Game of Thrones' Season 8 finale?