100 Left In Competition To Earn One-Way Ticket To Mars: 34 Americans Make Mars One Top 100 List

The not-for-profit foundation, Mars One, has made its ultimate mission to establish a permanent human settlement on Mars. To begin the journey, Mars One began a search for the human crew it would train for the mission. The application process began back in April, 2013, and over 200,000 applied for the chance to win a one-way ticket to Mars. Today the applicant pool was narrowed to just 100 and it appears that 34 Americans have made the cut.

Mars One has been slowly weeding away at the over 200,000 candidates who applied for the maiden flight to Mars. According to a press release issued by Mars One this morning, the applicant pool has been narrowed to just 100.

“There are 50 men and 50 women who successfully passed the second round. The candidates come from all around the world, namely 39 from the Americas, 31 from Europe, 16 from Asia, 7 from Africa, and 7 from Oceania.”

After looking through the full Mars One top 100 list, it appears that 34 Americans have made the cut for the “Americas” section. What type of American would accept a one-way ticket to Mars? From the looks of it, a vary diverse group. The astronaut applicants include doctors, sci-fi lovers, NASA workers and even musicians. From planetary science majors to those who just want to lessen the suffering of the world, the applicants truly run the gambit when it comes to interests and work experiences.

Here are the overviews of just a few of the Mars One top 100 candidates to give you a glimpse at the truly eclectic group of Mars hopefuls.

George W. Hatcher, 35, says he has wanted to be an astronaut since the age of three. Hatcher set a very specific goal when he was 11-years-old specifically dedicated to stepping foot on Mars.

“By the time I was eleven, I had set a goal: Mars. I have followed that dream ever since. I graduated from the University of Tennessee with a Masters in aerospace engineering, then took a job with NASA as a Flight Controls engineer. For seven years, I repaired, tested and launched space shuttles. When the shuttles retired, I returned to school at the University of Central Florida, where I am now pursuing a PhD in planetary science.”

With Hatcher’s background, it is easy to see why he made the Mars One top 100 list, NASA experience and a deep desire for all things Mars.

Elena, 58, is another one of the Mars One top 100 hopefuls. Elena says that her “maturity” will help ensure that the first Mars colony is a success. One of the attributes that most likely landed her a place on the list is the fact that she is a registered MD with experience working in a hospital and in ambulatory care. Definitely an asset that the new Mars colony may need.

“I want to take care of our crew on Mars. I want to learn about aspects of psychological adaptation to humans isolated on Mars and how the best way to handle long term low gravity, radiation and other environmental problems. My crew will never be bored with me, because we all are a big adventurers and explorers.”

Benjamin Alan McLain, 31, doesn’t have a medical degree or experience with NASA; however, he does have other talents. McLain is an entertainer. This possible astronaut and Mars settler has a background in musical performance and drama. McLain currently tours in a comedy group.

“Growing up in advanced musical programs I soon fell in love with singing. I went on to double major in drama and music at UC Irvine. Since then I have toured the world and been on television shows singing and performing. I am currently on tour with a 2 man comedy music act.”

I suppose the Mars One team doesn’t want the crew to get bored; therefore, having a comedian on board may come in handy to pass the time at the secluded Mars colony.

Cody (yes he is hanging up-side-down in his photo) says that he would be right at home living on Mars. Cody grew up in an off-the-grid home in Utah. Cody says he has learned some useful skills while living on the farm and can fix just about anything. Aside from his ability to live on Mars comfortably, Cody says that if he left Earth it would be “a huge loss for the planet.”

“I have been known to be able to fix everything from a weed eater to a diesel locomotive. I am also a very friendly person that gets along with everyone so I could do very well here on Earth, in fact leaving would be a huge loss for the planet; it is for precisely this reason that I am greatly needed in this endeavor to colonize a new world. And yes I was hanging upside down for most of my application video.”

Cody’s ability to get along with everyone and tinkering skills could be viewed as quite useful for the Mars One mission.

Maggie is another one of Mars One’s top 100. Don’t let her sword wielding photo scare you, Maggie is actually an electrical engineer that decided to pursue a career in “high-end costume” design and sells the world’s largest zippers.

“Although I graduated Cum Laude with a degree in Electrical Engineering, I put my technical skills into making high-end costumes, starting an international business selling the largest zippers in the world. My passion is adventure and my strengths are optimism, intelligence, and creativity…which help me transcribe my journey into art through drawing, story, and song.”

Maybe Mars One has Maggie in mind for creating some killer spacesuit designs?

Be sure to check out the full Mars One top 100 list on the Mars One website.

What do you think of the Mars One top 100? What assets would you look for in applicants hoping to be the first to colonize Mars?