Boston-based couple Yari and R Daniel Golden-Castaño met on a Facebook group for aspiring Martians, married on a day when the red planet was closest to the Earth — and have signed up to colonize the fourth planet from the sun.

“It’s just part of [my] childhood dreams,” said R Daniel, 36, an Army reservist who is studying computer science.

The pair are two of 100 semi­finalists worldwide who have been selected for the Mars One program — a Dutch organization’s scheme to launch a human colony on the planet by 2032. More than 4,200 candidates originally applied, and the group of 100 will eventually be whittled down to 24 trainees. They’ll be subjected to a decade of intense training: sequestered in a remote location where they will learn to grow food, repair technology and offer medical training. No one will be given a return ticket.

The 100 come from all ages (18 and over) and walks of life and were chosen for their adaptability, curiosity and suitability to work and live with others. Each submitted an online application with a short video and were interviewed about their motivations.

The Golden-Castaños are among five potential future Martians profiled in “I’m Moving to Mars,” a four-part documentary that premieres Thursday on Topic.com.

“The idea [for the candidates] is that there is a greater goal,” said director Julia Ngeow. “It’s greater than the individual — it’s being part of a larger thing for humanity.

“It’s a blank societal slate and they get to create their best life,” she added. “I asked them what that looks like, and no one knows.”



There is one thing they do know: As the lyric from Elton John’s “Rocket Man” goes, “Mars ain’t the kind of place to raise a kid.” The mission isn’t to populate. It’s simply to ignite the pilot light on Mars — including potentially finding water as well as ways to create sustainable food sources.

“Neither of us are wanting to have children,” said R Daniel, who has two kids from a previous marriage.

There are still many details to be ironed out for the mission, which will be funded through corporate sponsorship and broadcasting rights. Before any humans arrive, supplies will be sent ahead. In 2031, a Mars One spaceship will carry four people to the planet for a preliminary 18-month journey, staying in small pods as they attempt to acclimate to the gravity and other ele­ments.

The red planet is red hot at the moment. Tech entrepreneur Elon Musk is aiming to establish a manned base by as early as 2025. In November, NASA landed a study probe there. Russia has announced it is launching manned and unmanned trips to Mars.

But colonization is hardly a slam dunk. Bill Nye told USA Today last month: “It’s not reasonable because it’s so cold. And there is hardly any water. There’s absolutely no food, and the big thing, I just remind these guys, there’s nothing to breathe.”

The Mars One trainees’ out-of-this-world aspirations have been tough for their families to accept.

“That commitment to the hypothetical adventure is having real-life repercussions right now,” said Ngeow.

After Yari’s grandmother in Mexico expressed concerns that this was a “suicide mission,” the 30-year-old engineer worked to convince her otherwise.

“I brought slides with me and explained it to her,” Yari said. “Now she says, ‘God will put you on the path where you need to be.’ She tells people, ‘My granddaughter is going to Mars!’ ”

Things haven’t been so smooth for aspiring colonist Peter Degen-Portnoy, a Boston-based father of five (his youngest is 11) who reveals in the documentary that his desire to live on the red planet has resulted in the end of his marriage.

“Our responsibility as a species is to help our species advance, to grow, to ensure its continuity,” he says in the series. “Therefore, what I can do as a parent, as an individual, [is] I can help raise my kids to be the best possible adults they can be. Then I’ll be their dad who lives and works on Mars.”

As scheduled, Degen-Portnoy will be 70 when he leaves Earth.

The Golden-Castaños are already prepping for a pared-down extraterrestrial future by living in a cramped motor home.

“For me it’s about the exploration … and sharing the information back [to Earth],” said Yari of her decision to give up earthly life. She sees herself as a pioneer: “Everything we experience there will be for the first time.”