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An ambitious project that aims to put boots on Mars in 10 years may have fallen short of the expected number of Martian wannabes, but there is no shortage of Canadians willing to live on the red planet — and die there.

With the Aug. 31 deadline almost here, nearly 7,000 Canucks have applied to join Mars One — a $6-billion project that plans to establish a permanent human colony on Mars by 2023.

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Having my life mean something, for me, is just so important

They are among more than 165,000 applicants from 140 countries who have paid an application fee ranging between $5 and $75, depending on the country, in hopes of being selected for the one-way trip.

Lex Marion, of Vancouver, is one of them.

“My entire life I have always wanted to be a part of something that really makes a huge difference,” the 26-year-old said in an interview.

“Having my life mean something, for me, is just so important and this is the ultimate expression of that.”

Mars One — the brainchild of Dutch entrepreneur Bas Landorp — says the first four settlers would be followed by more groups, every two years.