Mars One plans to have a human settlement on Mars within a decade
The group will select between 24 and 40 candidates for training in 2015
The third round of selection will include a series of challenges that will be broadcast on television and online
A one-way ticket to a barren, hostile landscape, where temperatures can drop as low as -150°C, might not sound like everyone’s dream destination.
But as of the application deadline a week ago, more than 200,000 people from 140 different countries have applied to be among the first colonists on Mars.
The applicants have agreed to stay on the red planet for the rest of their lives – and be filmed for a reality TV programme, said the company behind the mission, Mars One.
They added that landing systems will be tested eight times before they are used to transport humans – a move that Mars One said will make the trips ‘much safer than moon missions’.
From the 200,000 applications, between 24 and 40 candidates will be selected to participate in a seven-year training program that would start in 2015.
Current applicants have three more rounds to get through before the final selection.
The second round will include an interview with Mars One committee members, and candidates advancing to the third round will compete against one another.
The third round will include a series of challenges to prepare candidates for the potential mission and will be broadcast on television and online.
The group said it aims to have a human settlement on Mars within a decade.
Journey time to Mars, which is approximately 40 million miles away depending on its position in orbit, would be around 200 days.
‘Going to Mars would make me feel like I am a true Star Trek officer,’ said one applicant, Michael Archavian.
He said that if selected he would ‘do a lot of exploring, see the sites, and stay up at night to see the dual moons’.
VIDEO: Construction steps of the Mars One settlement
But Dr Veronica Bray of the University of Arizona has expressed concerns about the project.
‘Radiation exposure is a concern, especially during the trip,’ she said. ‘This can lead to increased cancer risk, a lower immune system and possible infertility.’
The colony budget is £4 billion, compared to the £1.8 billion spent on Nasa’s rover Curiosity, the most advanced and biggest robot to ever traverse Mars.
Mars One aims to raise money to help fund the project through a long-running, global, reality TV show, which will select the first 24 candidates and follow their training.
Viewers would vote for who should be on the first team of four to leave Earth in ten years’ time. By 2033 the colony would reach 20 settlers.
Dr Chris Lintoot, from Oxford University, said that while the mission was plausible, the problem would lie in the funding.
‘It’s about having the political will and the financial muscle to make this happen,’ he added. ‘That’s what nobody has been able to solve so far.’
