More than 200,000 people, including more than 20,000
Indians, have applied for an
In the five month application period, Mars One received
interest from 202,586 people from around the world, with 10% of the applicants
from only India.
The Mars One foundation has also announced that it has been
able to secure lead suppliers for an unmanned mission launching in 2018, involving
a robotic lander and a communications satellite.
Dutch company said that the first round of the Mars One
Astronaut Selection Programme has now closed for applications.
Mars One applicants come from over 140 countries listed
below:
√ US - 24%
√ India – 10 %
√ China (6 per cent), Brazil - 5%
√ UK, Canada, Russia and Mexico – 4%
√ Philippines, Spain, Colombia and Argentina – 2%
√ Australia, France, Turkey, Chile, Ukraine, Peru, Germany, Italy and Poland – 1%
√ India – 10 %
√ China (6 per cent), Brazil - 5%
√ UK, Canada, Russia and Mexico – 4%
√ Philippines, Spain, Colombia and Argentina – 2%
√ Australia, France, Turkey, Chile, Ukraine, Peru, Germany, Italy and Poland – 1%
From this applicant pool, the Mars One Selection Committee
will select prospective Martian settlers in three additional rounds spread
across two years.
By 2015, six to ten teams of four individuals will be
selected for seven years of full-time training.
In 2023, one of these teams will become the first humans
ever to land on Mars and live there for the rest of their lives, Mars One said.
The current applicants will be screened in a process that is
expected to take several months.
Candidates selected to pass to the next round will be
notified by the end of this year. The second round of selection will start in
2014, where the candidates will be interviewed in person by a selection
Committee.
