Mars One, the Dutch nonprofit enterprise that proposes to start a Mars colony sometime in the early 2020s, announced on Monday the names of the 100 potential astronauts, culled from an initial group of more than 200,000 applicants. The Mars 100, as the group is called, consists of 50 men and 50 women from across the Earth, namely 39 from the Americas, 31 from Europe, 16 from Asia, 7 from Africa, and 7 from Oceania. The plan is to break this group into four-person teams to train in earnest for the task of setting up a Mars colony. <\/p>\n
If all goes well, the first four Mars colonist will blast off around the year 2022 and will venture to Mars, never to return. The plan is to send teams of four Mars colonists every 26 months when the window for voyages between Earth and Mars opens up. Eventually, so it is hoped, the Mars colony will be a thriving concern, the subject of the most expensive reality show in the history of television. <\/p>\n
The Mars One project has endured criticism from a number of quarters. Some have suggested that its business plan, to finance the scheme from donations and the revenues derived from the reality show, is unrealistic. Even given the fact that the voyage to Mars is a one-way, trip, setting a colony upon another world is a daunting, expensive prospect. <\/p>\n
According to a recent story in Extreme Tech, the Mars One project may be a complicated and expensive way for its Mars colonists to commit suicide. Citing a study conducted by researchers at MIT, the first Mars colonist would die of suffocation in 68 days with the rest to follow by dehydration, starvation, or some other cause. The Mars One experts dismiss the study as being based on incomplete and inaccurate information on the architecture of the proposed colony. <\/p>\n
Whatever the chances of Mars One even getting off the ground, not to mention accomplishing its goal of making humanity a multi-planet species, the scheme has generated significant interest worldwide. It combines the vision of colonizing space with the method of doing it as a private enterprise. The adventures of the people who want to leave Earth forever will continue to be followed with great interest. <\/p>\n
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