Sign in
ExploreWe as a species aren’t very nice to the planet that feeds us, gives us shelter and basically seems to be the only one we’ll ever get. But is it? There is a project happening right now, and it might seem like a crazy idea, but it’s an idea that already had over 202 thousand people applying for it. These were the volunteers for a one way ticket to Mars. That’s right. They volunteered to go to Mars, do a few things and then die there. Why? To make it easier for the the rest of us to migrate there one day.
Out of the over 202.000 people who volunteered, the first round of checks left just 1000 people. In the second round that number was cut to 660. And now, after some online interviews with the Mars One medical advisor, this number has been reduced to 50 men and 50 women. 39 come from the Americas, 31 from Europe, 16 from Asia, 7 from Africa and 7 from Australia, and they are ranging in age from 19 to 60.
“The large cut in candidates is an important step towards finding out who has the right stuff to go to Mars,” said Mars One co-founder and CEO Bas Lansdorp. “These aspiring Martians provide the world with a glimpse into who the modern day explorers will be.”
In the next step, they will be testing to see how the potential candidates cooperate as a team. They will be tested to see how they interact under pressure. After that they will be left with 24 volunteers, 24 brave men and women who will prepare Mars for colonization after they take a 7 month ride through the solar system. Before all of that happens in 2025, Mars One will send out satellites for communication, 2 rovers and several cargo missions, to prepare a space for the astronauts to live and work in.
If you feel bad that you didn’t apply, don’t worry. They did say there will be other chances. And while you wait, you can get a cool Mars themed t-shirt.
