Three Indians among 100 selected for one-way trip to Mars

BENGALURU: Taranjeet Singh Bhatia is a computer scientist at the University of Central Florida. He is also a potential would-be Mars dweller. Bhatia and two other Indians are among the 100 shortlisted for the one-way trip to the red planet by Mars One - the organisation that is hosting the mission with the aim of colonising it. It will be whittled to 24 after rigorous tests.

"It's been a nail-biting experience so far, and we aren't even close to the final thing," said Bhatia, in an interaction with ET. "I love computers and space, and while both aren't necessarily connected, I came across Mars One, solely because I was in front of a computer 24*7. This is my chance to become an astronaut."

Mars One was set up in 2011 by ex-NASA employees Bas Lansdorp and Arno Wielders.The Netherlands-based not-for-profit organisation hopes to colonise Mars by 2024. So far, all attempts to do so have failed. The proposal for the daring trip had received 2,00,000 applications. After two rounds of tests, it was pared to 100. The second round consisted of submission of medical certificates and a video interview with Mars One's chief medical officer, Norbert Kraft. The mission, however, has raised questions regarding feasibility, cost, support from gover nments, technology and infrastructure. A report published by The MIT stated that the crew is most likely to face starvation, dehydration and incarceration.

Mars One, which has even tapped into crowdfunding platform Indiegogo to raise money, has gained NASA's support and got space contractors Lockheed Martin and Surrey Satellite Technology on board. The mission is estimated to cost about $6 billion.

"We were asked questions on our physical strength, thought processes, psychology and sense of humour, amongst others," said UAE-based Ritika Singh, the second Indian participant to have come this far. Singh is an engineer by profession. Her passion for science and space goaded her to participate. The penultimate round will include team challenges designed to demonstrate participants' physical and psychological, living and learning capabilities and adaptability.

"We will be trained in developing medicines. For instance, they will give us study material on medicine; we should be able to prepare that medicine accurately. Health is taken very seriously during these rounds," said Singh, 29.

Shradha Prasad, the third Indian on the list, could not be reached for comment.

There are so many things that need to be taken into account. Starting from one individual's psychological state to the largescale physical infrastructure and technologies required, every little detail has to be meticulously met. Psychological ability and adaptability is just as important as physical ability, he said.

The 24 people chosen by the Mars One Selection Committee will enter into the final round, where they will face rigorous astronaut training.