Mars One Way Trip: Claude Gauthier, a Université de Moncton professor, is one step closer to receiving a one-way ticket to Mars to establish a human colony on the red planet. He has made the next cut of the Mars One Astronaut Selection Process that could put him on a space craft going to Mars in the next decade according to CBC News.
The Science Professor said, "During the night, sometimes I'm dreaming of travelling on Mars."
Mars One is a $6-billion project that plans to establish a permanent human colony on Mars by 2025. Gauthier was one of more than 200,000 people from 140 countries that initially applied to join. This week, Gauthier found out that he will be one of just 706 people worldwide, who will be interviewed by the Mars One selection committee, CBC News reported.
Gauthier says he's anxious to meet the people who want to build a settlement on Mars by 2025. He hasn't been given any details about the interview.
"I'd like to meet those people to test their seriousness," he said.
Gauthier said anticipating life on Mars has been an adventure.
"This has changed the way I see my life and the life on Earth. It will never be the same for me and I hope that will be the same for other people too," he said.
Gauthier, 61, said that he will likely be one of the oldest involved with the mission if he is selected to be on the crew. But he said that would only work to his advantage.
"I have the experience of life. And I think I could be very useful to a crew, to give stability. I have passed all the medical exams so I'm fit to go, ready to go, with younger people ... I think we could make up a good crew."
The report said that after this round of interviews, there will be one more cut and whoever remains will be contending for one of 50 spots. The final crew will be announced in 2015.
Mars One was created by Dutch entrepreneur Bas Landorp. The project anticipates seeing the first crew leave Earth in 2024 and the crew is expected to land on Mars in 2025. The second crew would then leave in October 2026 and additional crews would land every two years. After the first four settlers, it would be followed by more groups.
