Mars One plans to send humans to Mars with the first launch scheduled for 2024, but one of the finalists in its crew selection process has come forward with some serious accusations against the private space developer.
The organization has announced its goal of sending a group of settlers to Mars, where they would be housed in permanent settlements, never to return back to Earth.
Joseph Roche from The School of Education at Trinity College in Dublin, Ireland, was selected as one of the 100 finalists to be sent on a one-way trip to Mars. Roche also holds a doctorate in physics and astrophysics.
Most media reports state that 200,000 people signed up to be part of the astronaut selection process, but Roche claims the actual number of applicants was much smaller - just 2,761.
The finalist also tells the press that Mars One operates a system of points for its applicants, which begins as soon as a candidate applies to the program.
"You get points for getting through each round of the selection process (but just an arbitrary number of points, not anything to do with ranking), and then the only way to get more points is to buy merchandise from Mars One or to donate money to them," Roche said.
According to the applicant, a list of advice for working with the press encourages applicants to talk with reporters, and asks them to donate 75 percent of their profits to Mars One. Roche claims the selection process was based on how much money applicants brought to the organization. A spokeswoman for Mars One said the number of points is unrelated to its selections.
Medical examinations of candidates were carried out by local doctors, with appointments arranged by the potential astronauts. A brief Skype call with Norbert Kraft, chief medical officer for Mars One, did not cover any medical questions or psychological testing, the finalist has stated.
The applicants were also required to record a video and upload it to the Mars One Web site.
Other problems are also plaguing the private space development company. Gerard 't Hooft, a theoretical physicist at Utrecht University in the Netherlands and a Nobel laureate, who was once an adviser to the group, has told the press it will take Mars One 100 years to begin colonizing the Red Planet. A television deal, which management of Mars One once estimated would bring $6 billion dollars in revenue into the program, recently fell apart.
The organization has not made a public statement concerning the allegations.
Roche originally signed up as an astronaut aboard Mars One in an effort to bring more attention to human space travel, as well as out of a sense of curiosity.
Mars One is planning on sending its first robotic mission to the Red Planet in 2018. If these allegations are true, there will be little money for such a program, and the astronauts selected for a human mission to Mars may not be ready for the journey.
