LONDON: Private foundation Mars One has chosen 100 candidates for its mission to send the first humans to establish a permanent human settlement on the Red Planet.
Out of 202,586 initial applicants, the Mars 100 were selected from a pool of 660 candidates after participating in tough personal online interviews with Norbert Kraft, M.D., Chief Medical Officer for the project. During the interviews the candidates had to show their understanding of the risks involved, team spirit and their motivation to be part of the expedition. The 100 will now proceed to round three of the Mars One selection process.
“We were impressed with how many strong candidates participated in the interview round, which made it a very difficult selection” said Dr Kraft.
“The large cut in candidates is an important step towards finding out who has the right stuff to go to Mars,” said Bas Lansdorp, Co-founder & CEO of Mars One. “These aspiring martians provide the world with a glimpse into who the modern day explorers will be.”
The applicants are keen to be involved in a mission which more cynical scientists believe cannot succeed due to an underestimate of the enormous costs necessary and the huge dangers that would be faced in getting to Mars, let alone surviving on its surface.
Of the 100 who successfully passed the second round, 50 are men and 50 women. The candidates come from all around the world, 39 from the Americas, 31 from Europe, 16 from Asia, 7 from Africa, and 7 from Oceania.
