Through the week, Adam Hurley operates a financial services company alongside his brother, Nick, from an office in the SBE Building on Wilshire Boulevard. The business is appropriately named Hurley Brothers LLC.

Adam Hurley is among 706 individuals still vying for a shot to become one of four people sent to Mars through Mars One. (photo by Aaron Blevins)

But during his down time, the Springfield, Mass., native is fixated on Mars. What would living on the Red Planet be like? What will the modular environment created for the astronauts look like?

Hurley is among approximately 700 people who are vying to become one of four individuals launched into space by Mars One, a nonprofit foundation looking to establish a human settlement on Mars by 2025.

“It’s kind of crazy, you know, but … it’s almost expected, in my eyes. We have the technology to do it,” he said of the mission. “We’ve been to Mars several times already with robots. Yeah, it’s a challenge, but it’s not an insane feat. …It is incredible, but not crazy.”

Led by Dutch entrepreneur Bas Lansdorp and research scientist Arno Wielders, Mars One offers private individuals an opportunity to punch a one-way ticket to the fourth planet from the sun.

If all goes to plan, four people will be trained as astronauts and launched into space in 2024, with the goal of landing on Mars in 2025. An additional crew is expected to depart for Mars in 2026.

Cargo missions will be launched to provide supplies for the four astronauts as soon as 2022. The first four will be tasked with setting the foundation for the settlement by making the habitat more hospitable, growing crops and conducting research, among other things.

The initial cost of the project is approximately $6 billion.

Hurley stumbled onto the mission while surfing the Internet in 2012. At first, he couldn’t decide if it was real, but was soon excited at the possibilities. His brother sensed that Hurley was itching to apply, so he dared Hurley to do it.

“It was almost like a challenge. He was like, ‘You won’t do it.’ Of course I will, so I just applied for it,” Hurley said. “I had always been interested in space exploration and physics and things like that — just anything dealing with space and time.”

He said the application was rather extensive. Hurley answered a lot of questions and submitted a video as requested, and within a year, he received a letter stating that he had made it through the first round.

Shortly after the first notification, he received a second that called for him to get a physical. Hurley did as instructed and received another message stating that he had passed an additional round of cuts. Now, 706 candidates remain.

He said each of the remaining applicants will be interviewed by a Mars One committee. Hurley said the nonprofit has shared few details about the meetings, but he anticipates being interviewed in the relatively near future.

The 31-year-old Mid-Wilshire resident traces his interest in space and alien life back to his childhood, when he had a natural curiosity for the environment and animals. His interest was probably cemented by Comet Hale-Bopp, which was visible from Earth in 1996 and 1997.

Living in suburban Connecticut, Hurley had an “awesome” view of the comet. He said he hung out in the woods and watched the comet from the same spot for several weeks.

“It was a great experience to see something just cruising through the solar system. …It was very inspirational,” Hurley said, adding that he was even more excited to learn that the comet could harbor life.

He said the first four astronauts will have different specialties — medical, engineering, geography and exobiology — to benefit the group on Mars. Hurley hopes to be the exobiology expert.

His professional expertise in studying aliens and the solar system is very limited, but he has been interested in the subjects since he was a child. Hurley assumes that previous experience is not a pre-requisite, and that part of the training will involve teaching the astronauts how to be proficient in what will become their specialties.

He said it is not his obsession to go to Mars; rather, he wants to learn more about what’s out there and whether life on Mars will provide insight on how to improve life on Earth.

“I love planet Earth, and that is the reason I’m going — to preserve planet Earth in the best way it can be preserved and possibly start a new one,” Hurley said, adding that he is thankful to have the opportunity to go. “It’s great to just be a part of something like that. I’m down to do it — no problem. I will not hesitate on doing what it takes, guaranteed. …I don’t understand how anyone could have not applied.”

He said the earth-shattering task of creating a human settlement on Mars does not seem too daunting, but the most challenging part could be ensuring that all four astronauts work together well. Hurley said the group will spend six months in Antarctica to see if they complement one another.

“The ego cannot exist. You have to work as one, one-hundred percent,” he added.

Hurley said the prospect of not returning to Earth is not terrifying, as he already has his mind made up. Besides, the journey will be worth it if it prompts change and leads to wealth of knowledge, he said. Hurley said Mars One could wait to make sure the technology is undeniably sound, but he would rather take the leap.

“You never know. There could be some crazy comet that comes and destroys part of planet Earth,” he said, adding that his family has been supportive of his decision to depart. “It’s all about sacrifice.”

Hurley is among a handful of individuals from Southern California who are still in the running for the journey to Mars. West Hollywood resident Sue Ann Pien said she is looking to escape the environmental issues and violence on Earth.

“I think Mars might be more pleasant for the next couple hundred of years,” she said in an e-mail.

For information, visit www.mars-one.com.