New Delhi: Three Indians, two women and one man, have made it to the list of 100 applicants who will move on to the next round of an ambitious private mission that aims to send four people every two years on a one-way trip to Mars starting 2024.
Out of the initial 202,586 applicants, only 100 were selected to proceed to the next round of the Mars One Astronaut Selection Process, the Netherlands-based non-profit organisation Mars One has announced.
The project plans to select 24 people, train them on surviving the harsh conditions of outer space, send them to Mars in groups of four — but not bring them back.
Two of the three Indians are women, including 19-year-old Shradha Prasad from Kerala and 29-year-old Ritika Singh from Delhi.
The Mars 100 round three candidates include 50 men and 50 women with 39 from the Americas, 31 from Europe, 16 from Asia, 7 from Africa, and 7 from Oceania.
As per the English daily Hindustan Times reported, Ritika Singh said, "I applied because I have been adventurous since childhood and like to take on challenges. What can be a better challenge than this? We all take a two-way ticket. To get a one way ticket to Mars will be a lifetime experience."
The third Indian, 29-year-old Taranjeet Singh Bhatia, lives in Orlando.
"Space science has been my passion and I love taking risks," said Shradha Prasad, adding that she wouldn't let anything mar her dream to go to Mars.
If finally selected, all three will not have to pay a penny and receive a salary from Mars One. The cost of putting the first four people on Mars is estimated at $6 billion and the first unmanned mission is slated for 2018.
It wasn't easy for some of the Indians to convince their families. "But I made them understand this is my dream and this is what will make me happy. Now they are fine," said Ritika.
The final selection round will be aired on TV and internet across the globe. Selected candidates will participate in group challenges that demonstrate their suitability to become part of the project.
"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 and CEO of Mars One.
"These aspiring Martians provide the world with a glimpse into who the modern day explorers will be," he added.
The third round has selected 100 candidates from a pool of 660 after they participated in personal online interviews with Norbert Kraft, Chief Medical Officer.
During the interviews the candidates had a chance to show their understanding of the risks involved, team spirit and their motivation to be part of the life changing expedition.
"We were impressed with how many strong candidates participated in the interview round, which made it a very difficult selection," said Kraft.
The Mars One selection committee will create an international group of four candidates, who would have to demonstrate their ability to live in harsh conditions and work under difficult circumstances. They would be trained in a replica of the Mars outpost. Up to six groups of four will become full-time employees of the Mars One astronaut corps.
