Meet the Mars One Mission’s Top 10 Candidates

Mars One, the group that is intending to send the first humans to Mars, has announced its final 100 candidates. Shortlisted from over 200,000, these 100 consist of 50 men and 50, aged between 19 and 60 years old, from all over the globe. There are 39 from the Americas, 31 from European countries, 16 from Asia, 7 from Africa and 7 from island nations. For more background on this topic, read: What is the Mars One Mission?

Mars One have ranked the candidates with a point scoring system, here is their top 10. Which would you send?

1. Christian O. Knudsen

• Male Age 34
• From: Denmark
• Points: 2469
• Personal Interests: Electronics, Computers, Fitness, Nutrition.
• Christian is motivated to test limits, both personal as well as technological.

2. Mikolaj Zielinski (M1-KO)

• Male Age: 38
• From: Poland
• Points: 1903
• Personal Interests: Utilizing energy, Life extension and creating artificial life.
• M1-KO says: “I am one of the first four Martians to arrive on your planet. After identifying the most developed species on Earth and learning how to interact with it.”

3. Josh Richards

• Male Age: 29
• From: Australia
• Points: 1694
• Personal Interests: Comedy, how the universe works and his ukulele!
• If Josh could take 3 things to Mars it would his ukulele, and e-book reader and a camera.

4. Etsuko Shimabukuro

• Female Age: 50
• From: Japan
• Points: 1161
• Personal Interests: Civilization, Evolution, Universe, Humanity, Science, Technology, Opera/Musicals.
• Etsuko is very grateful to have had so many opportunities on Earth. Now she wants to open the first sushi bar on Mars.

5. Dianne McGrath

• Female Age: 45
• From: Australia
• Points: 1071
• Personal Interests: Running, boxing, Pilates, weightlifting, general gym work, cycling, cricket, AFL and soccer.
• Dianne has already jumped from planes and run marathons. She believes nothing is insurmountable.

6. Steve Schild

• Male Age: 30
• From: Switzerland
• Points: 1040
• Personal Interests: Include Sports, including extreme sports, friends, family, travel, adventure, politics, world events, technology, watches, traditions, science fiction.
• Steve has a very inquisitive mind and is always looking for new challenges.

7. Ryan MacDonald

• Male Age: 30
• From: United Kingdom
• Points: 834
• Personal Interests: Space and Science, Physics
• Ryan is currently working on designing a thermal-IR camera for a future visit to Mars’s moon Phobos.

8. Joanna Hindle

• Female Age: 42
• From: Canada
• Points: 740
• Personal Interests: learning, reading, pondering, writing, dreaming, outdoorsing, laughing.
• Joanna is ready to give up everything she knows to be a part of the mission.

9. Lennart Lopin

• Male Age: 36
• From: Germany
• Points: 724
• Personal Interests: Mars, Space, Astronomy, Science, Math, Engineering
• Lennart was a Buddhist monk and reckons he knows a thing or two about sensory deprivation.

10. Robert P Schröder

• Male Age: 27
• From: Germany
• Points: 713
• Personal Interests: Exploring, science, sci-fi, electronics, technology, reading, programming, problem solving, badminton, sports.
• Robert has always wanted to be an inventor and explorer and is studying electronics.

Preparing for Mars

As part of a project to measure the effects of long-term isolation on astronauts, small groups of individuals have been selected to live in a tiny ‘Habitat’ perched on the upper slope of a volcano in Hawaii. In doing so, the project team has contributed to the understanding of issues that would confront a manned mission to Mars. For more information on this topic, read: Analysing Waste Gases During Simulated Mars Mission.