100 brave souls from around the globe are now vying for a one-way ticket to Mars, knowing they will never return from the Red Planet. The Dutch-based Mars One project - which aims to send people to live on the faraway planet - has whittled down its shortlist of candidates from more than 200k to just 50 men& 50 women, a 3rd of them Americans
Among the array of science fanatics, Trekies, physics majors, engineers and doctors, there were also a few more surprising choices, including a singer who was doing a two-man show in New York at the time of his application for the program; an artist with a fascinating family connection to NASA; a mechanic from a remote part of Utah, and an aspiring novelist.
Andrew Tunks (left), 28, works in health care technology and in his free
time is writing a novel. His goal in life is to reduce suffering in the
world; Carmen Paul (right), 32, serves in the National Guard and is an
avid techie.
From
this shortlist, a final crew of four will eventually be sent to Mars,
scheduled to arrive in 2025 following a grueling seven-month journey
from Earth.
Among the 100 prospective Mars colonists, which hail from 40 countries, there are 33 US residents ranging in age from 19 to 60.
The
American hopefuls come from all walks of life, including PhD students,
engineers, artists, medical doctors, and even a singer and a workout
trainer.
Out
of the 33 men and women vying for the honors of traveling to Mars, half
a dozen are over the age of 50, including a married father of five.
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