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A mission to build the first human settlement on Mars, which drew 200,000 applicants, said it has already shortlisted about a thousand candidates who will now be tested to come up with a final list of 24 people who will go live in the red planet by 2025.
Out of the 1,000 shortlisted candidates from over 140 countries, 62 are from India. According to a website, 297 are from the US. Canada is the second best represented country with 75 candidates, followed by India with 62 and Russia with 52.
Mars One co-founder Bas Lansdorp described the shortlisted candidates as “first tangible glimpse into what the new human settlement will truly look like.”
“We’re extremely appreciative and impressed with the sheer number of people who submitted their applications. However, the challenge with 200,000 applicants is separating those who we feel are physically and mentally adept to become human ambassadors on Mars from those who are obviously taking the mission much less seriously,” Lansdorp said.
“The next several selection phases in 2014 and 2015 will include rigorous simulations, many in team settings, with focus on testing the physical and emotional capabilities of our remaining candidates,” Norbert Kraft, Chief Medical Officer of Mars One, said.
“We expect to begin understanding what is motivating our candidates to take this giant leap for humankind. This is where it really gets exciting for Mars One, our applicants, and the communities they’re a part of,” said Kraft.
The NGO informed that selected applicants were informed via email and those who couldn’t make it this time can reapply on a later date which hasn’t been announced yet, said Mars One.
Agencies
