Mars One has announced its top 100 finalists, 24 of whom will be given an one-way ticket to Mars in the hopes of starting a human colony.

100 Candidates To Compete For One-Way Ticket To Mars

Mars One, a Dutch company, was founded in 2011 with the sole goal of creating a human settlement on Mars. As part of this mission, it launched a contest for hopefuls interested in traveling to Mars. After receiving 202,586 applicants, Mars One has narrowed down the hopefuls to just 100, who were announced on Monday. These 100 astronaut wannabes will now participate in another round of selection. Once the applicants are narrowed down to 24, Mars One plans to send them to Mars in six groups of four, with one crew launching ever two years, ideally beginning in 2024.

“The large cut in candidates is an important step towards finding out who has the right stuff to go to Mars. These aspiring martians provide the world with a glimpse into who the modern day explorers will be,” said Mars One CEO and co-founder Bas Lansdorp.

The 100 selected – 50 men and 50 women – will now participate in a series of tests and trials to determine their fate going forward. According to the press release, the next series of tests will be geared towards determining which of the applicants are good team players and can withstand the rigors of life on Mars.

“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, who is on the selection committee.

The candidates – or Mars 100 – range in age and nationality, with 39 Americans, 31 Europeans, 16 from Asia, 7 from Africa and another 7 from Oceania. To become part of the Mars 100, each one had to express their willingness to leave their lives on Earth behind, as Mars One is only offering one-way tickets.

Not all contestants are scientists, like physics student Ryan MacDonald, 21. For example, the oldest member of the Mars 100, Reginald, age 60, is a Pakistani government worker. In their application requirements, Mars One does not emphasize scientific knowledge, or knowledge of the mission, but five key characteristics:

Resiliency: ex ‘You have indomitable spirit.’
Adaptability: ex ‘You draw from the unique nature of individual cultural backgrounds.’
Curiosity: ex ‘You ask questions to understand, not to simply get answers.’
Ability to Trust: ex ‘You trust in yourself and maintain trust in others.’
Creativity/Resourcefulness: ex ‘Your humor is a creative resource, used appropriately as an emerging contextual response.’

It is estimated that Mars One would need billions of dollars to fulfill its dream of colonizing Mars, and it appears that they intend on documenting the Mars 100 process in a documentary film in an attempt at drumming up publicity and funds.

Article by Olivia Truffaut-Wong

Olivia Truffaut-Wong was born and raised in Berkeley, California, where she developed her love of all things entertainment. After moving to New York City to earn her degree in Film Studies, she stayed on the East Coast to follow her passion and become an entertainment writer. She lives on a diet of television, movies and food.