A 29-year-old Dublin astrophysicist is among the 100 shortlisted candidates selected for the planned one-way trip to Mars with Mars One. From the initial 202,586 applicants, 100 hopefuls have now been selected to proceed to the next round of the Mars One Astronaut Selection Process. These candidates are one step closer to becoming the first humans on Mars.
Dr Joseph Roche is an astrophysicist at Trinity College Dublin. He has worked at NASA and used the Hubble Space Telescope to observe symbiotic stars. He was a member of the Astrophysics Research Group in Trinity’s School of Physics and has also served as Education and Learning Manager for Science Gallery Dublin. He is Assistant Professor in STEM Education at Trinity’s School of Education where his research area is the role of science in society. See more at: https://community.mars-one.com/profile/f735a7a7-27c3-471c-b87d-c04b3799e026#sthash.NMxT2Vam.dpuf
“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 Mars 100 Round Three candidates were selected from a pool of 660 candidates after participating in personal online interviews with Norbert Kraft, M.D., 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 this life changing expedition.
Dr. Norbert Kraft said, “We were impressed with how many strong candidates participated in the interview round, which made it a very difficult selection.”
So who are the Mars 100 Round Three candidates? There are 50 men and 50 women who successfully passed the second round. The candidates come from all around the world, namely 39 from the Americas, 31 from Europe, 16 from Asia, seven from Africa, and seven from Oceania. The selection process will narrow the 100 down to just 24.
What further challenges will these candidates face? The following selection rounds will focus on composing teams that can endure all the hardships of a permanent settlement on Mars. The candidates will receive their first shot at training in the copy of the Mars Outpost on Earth and will demonstrate their suitability to perform well in a team. More information about the selection process can be found here: Mars One Selection Process.
“Being one of the best individual candidates does not automatically make you the greatest team player, so I look forward to seeing how the candidates progress and work together in the upcoming challenges,” said Dr. Norbert Kraft.
Candidates that were not selected to continue will have a chance to reapply in a new application round that will open in 2015. New application opportunities will follow in order to train candidates that can replace eliminated teams and join the crews of settlers that will leave Earth to live on Mars.
More Information
- The Mars 100 - Mars One Astronaut Selection Round Three Trailer
- Mars One Selection Process
- Mars One Selection Criteria
About Mars One
Mars One is a not-for-profit foundation that will establish permanent human life on Mars. Human settlement on Mars is possible today with existing technologies. Mars One’s mission plan integrates components that are well tested and readily available from industry leaders worldwide. The first footprint on Mars and lives of the crew thereon will captivate and inspire generations. It is this public interest that will help finance this human mission to Mars.
For more information visit www.mars-one.com
We have released a trailer for the Mars One selection documentary series. Find it here: The Mars 100 - Mars One Astronaut Selection Round Three Trailer.