Mars One mission cuts candidate pool down to 100 aspiring colonists

In its latest round of cuts, the foundation cut its applicant pool

from 660 to 100 finalists on Tuesday. More than 200,000 people across

the globe originally applied when Mars One founder Bas Lansdorp first announced intentions to send what would be humanity’s first mission to the Red Planet by 2025.



The organization plans to send an initial four settlers to the planet

to establish a permanent human settlement in the next decade then

continue to shuttle people out every few years. The colony will

supposedly include livable habitats, greenhouses, rovers and everything

else a human would need to survive life on the barren, oxygen-free

wasteland.

The remaining finalists are equally divided between men and women

with 39 from the Americas, 31 from Europe, 16 from Asia, seven from

Africa and seven from Oceania. The selection process for the latest

round consisted of interviews with the organization’s chief medical

officer Norbert Kraft, who asked each of the candidates to demonstrate

their team spirit, motivation and understanding of the risks, according

to the announcement. 

In order to choose the final four candidates, Lansdorp has said that he wants to run a televised reality show-style competition

where teams of four compete in challenges that test their ability to

withstand Mars-like conditions, and the world will vote to decide the

winners. Advertising revenue from the competition will go toward

defraying some of the monumental cost of the mission, which will also be

supplemented by crowdfunding and private contributions.

Plenty of obstacles stand in the way of the mission.

Plenty of obstacles stand in the way of the mission.

Aside from the massive amount of funding needed to make such lofty

ambitions a reality, there are technical hurdles, health concerns and

legal issues to consider.

Lansdorp has pegged the price tag of the first mission at $6 billion, but many have called that number into question. For perspective, NASA’s Orion mission to Mars is expected to cost at least $100 billion.

Mars One also alludes to using the SpaceX Falcon Heavy rocket as a

launcher, but it has yet to lock down a deal with the company. 

A damning report

released by MIT researchers last fall also poked holes in the science

of the mission. The study’s authors analyzed the equipment plans

outlined by the organization and estimated that the Mars One settlers

would suffocate or starve within 68 days.

The upcoming round of competition will narrow the field to up to 24

would-be explorers through group challenges and more interviews. After

that, the final 24 will be put through training at a replica of the Mars

colony on Earth. A full list of candidates still competing for a spot

can be found here.

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Mars One mission cuts candidate pool down to 100 aspiring colonists