3 Indians in race to become first humans on Mars

London, Jan 17: Mars One project that aims to establish the first human colony on the Red Planet by 2025 has shortlisted 100 hopefuls which include three Indians to proceed to the next round of the Mars One astronaut selection process.

The three Indians included two women and one man. All three of them have made it to next round of an ambitious private mission that aims to send four people on a one-way trip to Mars in 2024. They are 19-year-old girl Sharadha, 29-year-old Ritika and 29-year-old Taranjeet.

These 100 aspiring candidates include 50 men and 50 women from all around the world - 39 from the Americas, 31 from Europe, 16 from Asia, 7 from Africa, and 7 from Oceania.

From the initial 202,586 applicants, only 100 hopefuls have been selected to proceed to the next round of the Mars One Astronaut Selection Process, The Netherlands-based non-profit organisation Mars One has announced.

The project aims to set up a human colony on Mars and eventually around 40 people will be sent to the red planet on a permanent basis. The finalists will train for seven years and Mars One will begin sending out four at a time from 2024.

The Mars 100 round three candidates include 50 men and 50 women with 39 from the Americas, 31 from Europe, 16 from Asia, 7 from Africa, and 7 from Oceania.

The Indian candidates include 29-year-old Taranjeet Singh Bhatia, who is studying Doctorate in Computer Science at the University of Central Florida.

"We were impressed with how many strong candidates participated in the interview round, which made it a very difficult selection," said Kraft.

The next selection rounds will focus on composing teams that can endure all the hardships of a permanent settlement on Mars.

The candidates will receive their first shot at training in the copy of the Mars Outpost on Earth and will demonstrate their suitability to perform well in a team.
OneIndia News
(With agency inputs)