Mars Mission Selects 100 Finalists

The Mars One mission has named the 100 finalists for its proposed one-way trip to colonize the red planet.

More than 200,000 people applied to Mars One in 2013, hoping to be chosen to colonize Mars. Applicants had to be at least 18 years old, healthy and between 5'2" and 6'3" tall, as well as fulfilling various personality requirements such as exhibiting adaptability, resiliency, and resourcefulness. During the next round of the selection process, the number was whittled down to 660 during a series of interviews and tests, while the next round will give the remaining 100 people a chance to train in teams in an earthbound copy of the future Mars outpost. The plan is to film the final Mars One training period for a reality TV show, although there's already been a predictable amount of interest in the candidates. Last week the Guardian released a mini-documentary interviewing three of the applicants, pointing out the intrinsic strangeness of applying for a one-way trip to Mars—an incredibly dangerous mission that will, at best, result in extreme social isolation.

Six teams of four will be the final finalists and the "entire world" is supposed to vote on the team that will actually go. The mission has a planned launch date of 2024. British physicist Ryan MacDonald filmed himself getting the email notice that he's been selected.