Mars One candidates claim they WON’T eat each other on the red planet (but one says he would be tempted…)
- Mars One aims to create a permanent human colony on Mars in 2027
- Firm asked hopefuls how willing they would be to become cannibals
- Earlier this year it cut its list of 200,000 candidates to just 100 people
It's been described as a publicity-seeking scam, but backers of the Mars One mission are adamant they will establish a colony on the red planet in 2027.
The Dutch firm, Mars One wants four astronauts to land on Mars every two years in the mid 2020s, steadily increasing the settlement’s size.
But unlike Nasa's plans to go to Mars, these astronauts will only be offered a one-way ticket, and they'll need to survive by any means possible.
Now, in a new video, the company asks some of the mission hopefuls to discuss how willing they would be to become cannibals in order to survive.
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Pictured are hopefuls Pietro Aliprandi (left) from Italy, and Adriana Marais (right) from South Africa, who may have a chance to go to the red planet with Mars One
'If you were running low on food, would you consider eating on of your fellow Masrtronauts?,' the video asks.
Sue Ann from Los Angeles says: 'No, that would be, like, would you consider eating your Mum or Dad if you were in a famine?
'No, we'd have to work together to figure it out.'
'Unless the person died already of natural causes. I don't know, that would be weird.'
Pietro from Trieste in Italy had a similar reaction: 'Humans have a complex relationship with death.
'Personally, without any hope of supply, knowing that we will die of starvation anyway, I'd prefer to leave my fellows in peace.'
Mido from Cairo begins by saying that he will be a vegetarian on Mars.
'But the curious part of me would be, I wonder what do they taste like?,' he added.
'I'm going to be tempted, but no, I'm not going to do it.'
The Mars One project plans to launch a supply mission to land on Mars as soon as October 2016.
A 'settlement rover' will then land in 2020.
The landing systems will be tested eight times before they are used to transport humans - a move that Mars One said will make the trips 'much safer than moon missions'.
The group said it aims to have a human settlement on Mars by 2027.
Journey time to Mars, which is approximately 40 million miles away depending on its position in orbit, would be around 200 days.
Earlier this year, the Mars One project whittled down its shortlist of candidates from 200,000 to just 50 men and 50 women.
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The chosen 100 include 33 from the US, 31 come from Europe, 16 from Asia, seven from Africa and seven from Australia.
Chris Hadfield, former commander of the ISS, recently told Elmo Keep, writing in Medium that the mission may not deliver on this promise.
'There's a great, I don't know, self-defeating optimism in the way that this project has been set up,' Hadfield told Medium.
Sue Ann from Los Angeles (left) said: 'No, that would be, like, would you consider eating your Mum or Dad if you were in a famine? But Mido Sallam (right) said he might be tempted
Mars One’s Surface Habitat Environment Control and Life Support System (ECLSS) is the infrastructure that the company says will keep its astronauts alive. Shown is an artist's impression of the habitat
Among the most difficult aspects of creating a habitat on Mars are the size and shape of the structure (interior illustrated). A demonstration mission is due to be sent to Mars to test technologies in 2020
'I fear that it's going to be a little disillusioning for people, because it's presented as if for sure it's going to happen.'
Endemol, the production company behind Big Brother, said earlier last year it will be documenting the progress of the group of hopefuls as they compete for a 2025 ticket to the red planet.
Candidates do not need to have any scientific qualifications and an audience vote will be used to make the final choice.
Any chosen Mars settlers will then be required to dedicate eight years of their lives preparing for the 300 million-mile pioneering mission.
Igore Mitrofanov of the Space Research Institute at the Russian Academy of Sciences told the Voice of Russia that the largest risk is the huge amounts of radiation the volunteers will receive.
In a new video, the company asks some of the mission hopefuls to discuss how willing they would be to become a cannibal in order to survive their stay. Pictured is an artist's impression of the colony on Mars
Echoing Hadfield's concerns, he said he doubts that the volunteers for this trip know enough science and technology to take the risk.
The group had promised on its site that in 1,000 years, everyone on Earth will remember who the first humans on Mars were.
A robotic lander and orbiter are scheduled to lift off in 2018, followed by a scouting rover in 2020 and six cargo missions in 2022.
The firm recently revealed how it plans to whittle down their candidates from 100 to 40.
It will hold five day of interviews and group tests will be used, and those left will be placed in isolation for nine days.
Inside the habitat, fans would be used to circulate the air and provide adequate mixing of the gases, as well as heat transport. Plants would also be grown to provide food
In the early 2020s Mars One says it plans to place a lander on the surface, shown here, before a rover and ultimately humans follow
The remaining 24 candidates will then be offered a contract to train - which the firm admits will take at least ten years.
'We now have 100 candidates, and we have a process in place to trim this down to 24 people who will receive a formal full-time employment offer to train for the mission to Mars,' the firm said.
'We will begin training the 24 Mars One candidates in teams of four, and we expect to have six teams.
'Remember, only one team of four members will go on the first mission, so we will be screening until near to the end.
'This will be a long process since the training will last for at least 10 years.'
The project will first bring the final 100 together 'to self-select into 6-10 teams of 10 to 15 members.'
The next selection rounds will take place in September 2016.
MEET THE AMERICAN CANDIDATES FOR THE MARS ONE MISSION
Cody Reeder
Name: Cody Reeder
Sex: Male
Age: 22
Occupation: Mechanic
Reason for going to Mars: I grew up on an off grid ranch in the west desert of Utah, so Mars will be like home. The experiences I have had and my ability to think in logical ways that no one else does has allowed me to find novel working solutions to problems. I am also a very friendly person that gets along with everyone so I could do very well here on Earth, in fact leaving would be a huge loss for the planet; it is for precisely this reason that I am greatly needed in this endeavor to colonize a new world.
Peter Degen-Portnoy
Name: Peter Degen-Portnoy
Sex: Male
Age: 51:
Occupation: Software engineer
Reason for going to Mars: I have dreamed of travelling through space to live on another world all my life and am so very excited that Mars One is making this a possibility.
George W. Hatcher
Name: George W. Hatcher
Sex: Male
Age: 35
Occupation: PhD student
Reason for going to Mars: When I was three, I told my parents I wanted to be an astronaut. By the time I was eleven, I had set a goal: Mars. I have followed that dream ever since.
Peter Felgentreff
Name: Peter Felgentreff
Sex: Male
Age: 50
Occupation: Network security entrepreneur
Reason for going to Mars: I’ve been confident that someday people would return to the the moon and even journey beyond. I’m both surprised and delighted to see that private companies are making man’s next step possible. I’m motivated and eager to do my part in moving us beyond our own planet.
Kay Radzik Warren
Name: Kay Radzik Warren
Sex: Female
Age: 54
Occupation: Architectural project manager
Reason for going to Mars: All my life I’ve always thought of our species as ever-growing and evolving, and interplanetary settlement makes sense. It’s a dream-come-true to be this much closer to being a part of what’s to be a growing settlement on Mars. It has always been a goal to make a difference, to be part of the difference.
Christopher Patil
Name: Christopher Patil
Sex: Male
Age: 43
Occupation: Scientific language editor
Reason for going to Mars: I fell in love with Mars as a boy watching Sagan’s “Cosmos”, which convinced me that colonization of Mars is essential and inevitable.
Dan Carey
Name: Dan Carey
Sex: Male
Age: 53
Occupation: Computer professional
Reason for going to Mars: I am a husband, father, and computer professional. But more importantly for Mars One, I am a child of the Space Age. I absorbed the optimism and can-do spirit of that time, as well as a trust in science and technology to make our world and our lives better.
Cassandra Morphy
Name: Cassandra Morphy
Sex: Female
Age: 32
Occupation: Mathematical reporting
Reason for going to Mars: Going to space has been one of my life-long goals since before I can remember; going to Mars has been one since I first heard the idea of colonizing it.
Matthew Kliebert
Name: Matthew Kliebert
Sex: Male
Age: 27
Occupation: Computer system repairman
Reason for going to Mars: I have always been the adventurist type and the one to explore the unknown.
Name: Carl LeCompte
Carl LeCompte
Sex: Male
Age: 28
Occupation: Programmer
Reason for going to Mars: The idea of not just try to survive, but thrive, in an alien environment has always held a strange sort of fascination to me... I feel it's the next big step in the human evolution, and I want to be a part of it
Name: Dr Elena Shateni
Dr Elena Shateni
Sex: Female
Age: 58
Occupation: Medical doctor
Reason for going to Mars: I want to take care of our crew on Mars. I want to learn about aspects of psychological adaptation to humans isolated on Mars and how the best way to handle long term low gravity, radiation and other environmental problems.
Name: Benjamin Alan McLain
Benjamin Alan McLain
Sex: Male
Age: 31
Occupation: Singer
Reason for going to Mars: I would like to go to Mars because I'm curious. I would like to go to Mars because I believe that planet may hold the answers to some of the greatest unknowns that exist in science.
Zachary Gallegos
Name: Zachary Gallegos
Sex: Male
Age: 27
Occupation: Graduate student in planetary science
Reason for going to Mars: I want to go to Mars not just to be a part of history, but to be on the frontier of exploration so that I could do science on Mars and inspire people around the world.
Oscar Mathews
Name: Oscar Mathews
Sex: Male
Age: 32
Occupation: Nuclear engineer
Reason for going to Mars: We can be the generation that begins this journey... the best reason to go because it's possible.
Laurel Kaye
Name: Laurel Kaye
Sex: Female
Age: 20
Occupation: Physics and pre-medicine student
Reason for going to Mars: this is something that's inspirational. It will lead to new scientific discoveries, it will bridge barriers across countries, and it will provide something that people look forward and aspire to for generations to come.
Sue Ann Pien
Name: Sue Ann Pien
Sex: Female
Age: 35
Occupation: Educator
Reason for going to Mars: I've always wanted to be an astronaut. It was first dream and first love as a kid.
Sara Director
Name: Sara Director
Sex: Female
Age: 26
Occupation: Project manager
Reason for going to Mars: I just believe in humanity and in our ability to grow and evolve into something much greater than what we currently are, and I really just want to contribute to that really part of our history that is just on the horizon.
Shirelle Erin Webb
Name: Shirelle Erin Webb
Sex: Female
Age: 22
Occupation: Paramedic
Reason for going to Mars: Participating in the colonization of Mars is the adventure of the century. This opportunity beats all others. This is a huge step for the advancement of mankind.
Andrew Tunks
Name: Andrew Tunks
Sex: Male
Age: 28
Occupation: Health care technology
Reason for going to Mars: In short, I want to reduce suffering in the world. This is just a different way of being a part of something bigger than myself.
Name: Carmen Paul
Carmen Paul
Sex: Female
Age: 32
Occupation: National Guardsman
Reason for going to Mars: I think a successful manned mission to Mars would be the absolute pinnacle of human achievement, and I want in on that.
Kenya Armbrister
Name: Kenya Armbrister
Sex: Female
Age: 36
Occupation: Project manager at pharmaceutical company
Reason for going to Mars: The reason why I want to be selected for this human mission to Mars is because I truly feel that I have what it takes to advance the human race on another planet. I also want to inspire people on Earth to realize their dreams.
Yari Rodriguez
Name: Yari Rodriguez
Sex: Female
Age: 27
Occupation: Data analyst
Reason for going to Mars: I'm not afraid of this one-way trip to Mars. In fact, I’m excited about being part of this great adventure on Mars. I think of this as donating my life to science.
Andrea Stancin
Name: Andrea Stancin
Sex: Female
Age: 44
Occupation: Geologist
Reason for going to Mars: I have wanted to be an astronaut since I was a little girl. It is what inspired me to get degrees in science and engineering.
Name: Maggie Duckworth
Maggie Duckworth
Sex: Female
Age: 30
Occupation: Electrical engineer
Reason for going to Mars: This is our chance to get the world excited about space again... this is something we need to do to inspire generations to come.
Kristin Richmond
Name: Kristin Richmond
Sex: Female
Age: 32
Occupation: Civil engineer
Reason for going to Mars: the Mars expedition will fulfil my thirst for learning and knowledge, as well as allow me to make a contribution to the human race that I would never be able to make on Earth.
Ethan Dederick
Name: Ethan Dederick
Sex: Male
Age: 22
Occupation: Graduate in physics and astronomy
Reason for going to Mars: What's left after you go is the good that's left behind. I want my life to have a strong purpose, I want my impact to be greater, but above all, positive.
Yvonne Young
Name: Yvonne Young
Sex: Female
Age: 32
Occupation: Workout instructor
Reason for going to Mars: Call it a childhood dream of watching way too many Star Trek episodes, but I truly believe that the final frontier for humans is outter space travel.
Dr Leila Zucker
Name: Dr Leila Zucker
Sex: Female
Age: 46
Occupation: Emergency room doctor
Reason for going to Mars: Since I was a little kid, all I wanted was to be a doctor and travel in space.
Name : Michael McDonnell
Michael McDonnell
Sex : Male
Age : 50
Occupation : Physicist
Reason for going to Mars: I'm adventurous. I've traveled all around the world. I've climbed Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania, but living on Mars has been my passion and life-long dream. The time for mankind to live on mars is now.
Laura Smith-Velazquez
Name: Laura Smith-Velazquez
Sex : Female
Age : 38
Occupation : Systems engineer
Reason for going to Mars: Because I've wanted to be an astronaut since I was 8, because when I was doing my Master's, I wanted to design a colony on Mars, and because I think we need to give [people hope, show them that we can risk and be successful, and that we're not afraid to do so.
Sona Van Meter
Name: Sonia Van Meter
Sex: Female
Age: 36
Occupation: Political consultant
Reason for going to Mars: Of course i would love to fly through space and be the first human being to walk on another planet. what girl wound't? but my purpose on this mission is to help people back on earth look up and relaize that ther eis nothing we can't accomplsh if we simpley make the decison to do it.
Mead McCormick
Name: Mead McCormick
Sex: Female
Age: 27
Occupation: Artist
Reason for going to Mars: My grandfather is Jim McCormick, an engineer who worked for NASA and helped invent the jetpack. I think it would be great to carry out his legacy.
Name: Megan Kane
Megan Kane
Sex: Female
Age: 29
Occupation: Manager at data company
Reason to go to Mars: We cannot stay here forever. Our future is as an interplanetary society, and mars is a first step outside our cradle.I want to go to Mars and build that future where we truly are an interplanetary society.
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