4 FILMS | 16 MIN
Directed by Julia Ngeow

Would you travel to Mars if it meant staying forever? To some, a one-way ticket to another planet might sound daunting—but when Mars One, a European and American venture aiming to send human settlers to one of Earth’s closest neighbors, put out its first call for applicants in 2013, it received thousands of responses. In this new series of doc shorts, we meet five Mars One finalists eager to become the first extraterrestrial emigrants: a former military man, an architect, an engineer, and an adventurous couple who met through Mars One forums online. Find out why all of them are eager to join the first mission, projected to take off in 2031—and what they think will be the biggest challenges of becoming Martians.

R Daniel and Yari Golden-Castaño are applicants for a 2032 civilian mission to Mars. TOPIC

Boston-based couple Yari and R Daniel Golden-Castaño met on a Facebook group for aspiring Martians, married on a day when the red planet was closest to the Earth — and have signed up to colonize the fourth planet from the sun.

“It’s just part of [my] childhood dreams,” said R Daniel, 36, an Army reservist who is studying computer science.

The pair are two of 100 semi­finalists worldwide who have been selected for the Mars One program — a Dutch organization’s scheme to launch a human colony on the planet by 2032. More than 4,200 candidates originally applied, and the group of 100 will eventually be whittled down to 24 trainees. They’ll be subjected to a decade of intense training: sequestered in a remote location where they will learn to grow food, repair technology and offer medical training. No one will be given a return ticket.

The 100 come from all ages (18 and over) and walks of life and were chosen for their adaptability, curiosity and suitability to work and live with others. Each submitted an online application with a short video and were interviewed about their motivations.

The Golden-Castaños are among five potential future Martians profiled in “I’m Moving to Mars,” a four-part documentary that premieres Thursday on Topic.com.

Bas Lansdorp, Co-Founder & Chief Executive Officer : “Mars One can only implement the mission to Mars if we can afford it – and we need investments to get going. Being listed on a stock exchange will make fundraising more straightforward. In order to make Mars One’s commercial activities an attractive investment with the potential of a good return on investment, Mars One had to adjust the timing of the planned unmanned and manned missions. This pushes the large expenses associated with the mission hardware back in time, making the company cash positive sooner. The delay we are currently announcing is also because it took us longer to get to this point than we originally anticipated. Of course the whole Mars One team would have preferred to be able to stick to the original schedule, but this new timeline significantly improves our odds of successfully achieving this mission roadmap”.

Mars One is currently raising up to €10 million in the first round of funding after the listing on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. This will provide enough funding to move the mission to Mars forward: award new contracts to suppliers, organize the next round in the astronaut selection process, hire team members with experience in implementing Mars missions, and crew selection and training. Additionally, Mars One Ventures, the commercial arm of Mars One, will build a core team of experienced media professionals to develop the Mars One brand, including by creating captivating media content for audiences around the world.

Mars One and InFin Innovative Finance AG [FRA:KCC] (“InFin”) are pleased to announce that a takeover agreement was signed between InFin and all shareholders of Mars One Ventures PLC (“Mars One Ventures”). InFin will acquire 100% of the shares of Mars One Ventures for €87 million with newly issued, fully paid up InFin shares. After admission of the new InFin shares to trading on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange, the Mars One Ventures shareholders will hold 97.5% of the InFin shares and supermarket stocks. The boards of the companies have unanimously approved the agreement. InFin Innovative Finance AG will be renamed Mars One Ventures AG.

“Mars One is very pleased to have been acquired by InFin. This step provides the opportunity to raise capital through the listing on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange. This listing also supports our aim to attract international support to establish a permanent human settlement on Mars: our global followers will have the opportunity to be part of this adventure and to literally own a piece of this historic venture. We have a solid business based on our historical performance that might be of interest to anyone looking for diversification of their investment portfolio,” says Bas Lansdorp, CEO and co-founder of Mars One.

With the acquisition of Mars One Ventures by InFin, Mars One creates a decisive and time-critical competitive advantage by being the first Mars exploration company to successfully go public. The listing at the renowned Frankfurt Stock exchange enables direct access to the global capital market. This will be the first global opportunity for investment banks, funds, stockbrokers and any other (retail) investor to take part in a human mission to another planet through buying shares in a listed company. If you’re interested in learning how to invest, explore valuable resources at theinvestorscentre.co.uk.

Mars One is pleased to provide further insight into the upcoming selection rounds that The Mars100 will face. The new information on the Mars One astronaut selection process has been released in a new Inside 360 article: “Screening from 100 to 24”. Mars One additionally introduces six new candidates to the astronaut selection process that have replaced former candidates that were not able to proceed to the next selection round.

In the latest Inside 360 article, Dr. Norbert Kraft, Chief Medical Officer of Mars One, outlines Round Three and Four of Mars One’s astronaut selection process. Round Three takes place over the course of 5 days, in which groups of 10 to 15 candidates are formed. “The Mars One selection committee will then set up group dynamic challenges and provide study materials related to the challenges,” explains Dr. Kraft. “This allows us to observe how the candidates work in a group setting.”

Following the challenges, the Mars100 will be screened to 40 candidates that will enter the next selection phase: isolation. Candidates will spend nine days in an isolation unit. “It is very important that the candidates are observed closely to examine how they act in situations of prolonged close contact with one another,” says Dr. Kraft. “During the journey to Mars and upon arrival, they will spend 24 hours a day with each other. It is during this time that the simplest things may start to become bothersome. It takes a specific team dynamic to be able to handle this and it is our job to find those that are best suited for this challenge.”