Names of 6 Iranians are included in the list of 663 hopefuls from around the world to travel to Mars as announced in the website of Mars One Organization at http://www.mars-one.com.
Ali Rasoulzadeh, 23 years old, Sadegh Modarresi, 29, Elaheh Nouri, 20, Zohreh Fotoureh Bonabi, 32, from Iran, Ramin Saeedi Azar, 31 from Italy, and Sahar Voghouei, 36, from Athens are the Iranians who have entered the next phase of the project.
From the original 202,586 applicants, only the 663 candidates will be interviewed, in the next step to narrow down the list of possible candidates flying to Mars.
Mars One is a not-for-profit organization based in the Netherlands that has put forward conceptual plans to establish a permanent human colony on Mars by 2025 and also have the first humans land on Mars.
The projected cost, not including over-runs, has been estimated at $6 billion; in fact the revenue generated by the London Olympics would be enough to cover the costs.
Planning of Mars One started in 2011 in discussions between the two founders, Bas Lansdorp and Arno Wielders. The feasibility of the idea was consequently researched with specialists and expert organizations, which discussed the financial, psychological and ethical aspects of the plan.
They intend to establish a permanent human settlement on Mars. Crews of four will depart every two years, starting in 2024. The first unmanned mission will be launched in 2018.
Long Journey
According to their April 2013 schedule, the first crew of four astronauts would arrive on Mars in 2025 after a seven-month journey from Earth. Additional teams would join the settlement every two years, with the intention that by 2033 there would be over twenty people living and working on Mars.
Mars One conducted a global search to find the best candidates from any country in the world for the first human mission to Mars. The astronaut selection process began on April 22, 2013 and was expected by the organization to be completed in July 2015; six teams of four.
The combined skill set of each astronaut team member must cover a very wide range of disciplines. The astronauts must be intelligent, creative, psychologically stable and physically healthy. This is the foundation upon which a mission must be built, where human lives are at risk with each flight.
Resiliency, Adaptability, Curiosity, Ability to Trust, and Creativity/ Resourcefulness are the five key characteristics of an astronaut to travel to Mars. In an extensive training period, candidates will learn the skills they will need on Mars and on their journey there.
The applicants need to be 18 years or older to be capable of entering into a legal contract without the supervision of others.
Once on Mars, there are no means to return to Earth. Mars is home. A grounded, deep sense of purpose will help each astronaut maintain his or her psychological stability and focus as they work together towards a shared and better future.
Human settlement on Mars is the next giant leap for humankind. Exploring the solar system “as a united humanity, will bring us all closer together.”
