Mission to Mars: Meet the UAE applicants who want to live there

Lionel D’Souza will be 31 years old if he makes the cut to be shuttled off on a one-way trip to the red planet.

The year is 2023. The mission is moving to Mars.

D’Souza, currently 21, is one of the applicants from the UAE who is vying for the Mars One programme that aims to boldly go where no human has managed before – settling down on another planet.

The aim to establish a permanent human settlement on Mars in 2023 is within the grasp, as the Dutch not-for-profit foundation sifts through 202,586 applications from across 140 countries in a bid to send its first four-member team to live on the red planet in 10 years.

The mission design hopes to expand the human colony where a new crew will arrive every two years.

The search for astronauts began in April 2013, with more than 78,000 registered for the selection programme within two weeks of its launch.

The UAE also found a few hopefuls for the mission.

Homing in on Mars

The current resident of Calgary, Alberta, D’Souza calls UAE his home and believes his “unique personality” and “ability to be upbeat and positive in the harsh cold conditions” of Canadian winters has sculpted him into the perfect candidate for the job.

D’Souza is a first year engineering student at Mount Royal University, with a background in door-to-door direct sales and marketing.

His reasoning for signing on for the mission?

The self-proclaimed science buff stated in his video: “You rarely hear people say they are proud to be human. I want to inspire others to work together and do great things.”

Link to the UAE applicants videos:

Dr Navin Mathew, also from the UAE, is an Indian national, who states that his childhood camping trips, “memorising all the major constellations” piqued his interest in outer space.

The 28-year-old, who cites bathroom singing as one of his interests with a sense of humour that is “ sarcastic, yet smart”, says that he has always been interested in astronomy and lifelong dream to be a space traveller.

He continued: “As a doctor and a man of science, I am curious by nature. I daily deal with people from different temperaments and nature, working under great stress and heart in mouth situations.

“I believe I am the right candidate for the job.”

According to Arabian Business, a total of 1,259 Gulf residents have applied to join the Mars One programme, with 52 UAE-based residents applying for the move to the red planet.

Meanwhile, from the GCC, Saudi Arabia is leading by numbers with 477 applicants in total.

According to Mars One, the largest numbers are from the United States with 24 per cent, followed by India with 10 per cent and China at six per cent, rounding up the top three.

From this applicant pool, the Mars One Selection Committee will select prospective Martian settlers in three additional rounds spread across two years.

By 2015, six-ten teams of four individuals will be selected for seven years of full-time training.

In 2023, one of these teams will become the first humans ever to land on Mars and live there for the rest of their lives.

The current applicants will be screened by the Mars One Selection Committee.

This process is expected to take several months.

Candidates selected to pass to the next round will be notified by the end of 2013.

The second round of selection will start in 2014, where the candidates will be interviewed in person by a Mars One Selection Committee.

Aspiring martians who have missed Round 1 or could not meet the age restriction can join subsequent Astronaut Selection Programs.

Mars One will commence regular recruitment programs as the search for follow-up crews continues.