Two Filipinos May Be Among The First Humans To Reach Mars

Maybe you do not know where the Phillippines is, but you are able to identify Mars.

You can find a link between the two now. There are two Filipinos who may soon be among the first humans to reach Mars, after being chosen from among more than 200,000 candidates.

Minerva Rañeses, 24, is from Pasig City, and US-based Jaymee Orillosa del Rosario, 27, is US-based, and are featured among the Mars 100 Round Three candidates who will undergo more tests to see if they can live there, according to gmanetwork.com.

According to the Mars One astronaut selection process, the 100 were chosen from among 660 candidates, who in turn were shortlisted from among 202,586 contestants.

The first one, Del Rosario, 27, is the CEO and founder of an interesting company: International Metal Source. It distributes raw material metals and exotic alloys to aerospace, defense and commercial industries since 2009.

She is also the partner of fitness equipment, Bounce Core Platform, and admitted that she is "very interested to be part of any outer space endeavor."

 "I want to offer my life experience, knowledge and skills to the Mars One team to achieve the goal for preserving humanity," she said on her profile page.

The second candidate, Rañeses, 24, called herself an "intellectual wanderer" who seeks "growth in knowledge and philosophy."

"I don't decide based on monetary or materialistic returns, but on the experience I will garner. As of now, career-wise, I'm a drifter. There is so much to learn, and keeping to a linear path seems a bit too constricting. I've been focusing in adventuring lately. As for my profession, I tell people I'm a writer," she said, according to rappler.com.

Her interests included philosophy, literature, and history, along with politics and religion, "and their cause and effect on society."

There are 50 men and women who have completed the second round. Among the 100, 39 are from the Americas, 31 from Europe, 16 from Asia, seven from Africa, and seven from Oceania.

The co-founder and CEO of Mars One, Bas Lansdorp, acknowledged that by cutting down the number of candidates, it is easier to find out who could reach Mars. "These aspiring Martians provide the world with a glimpse into who the modern day explorers will be," Lansdorp said.

 Those who have not been selected can apply again to a new application round later this year.

 Mars One is a non-profit foundation, which is trying to colonise Mars and settle human habitation, with the belief that it is possible to do so with existing technologies.

The mission plan is integrating various components that have been tested and are available from global industry leaders.

 "The first footprint on Mars and lives of the crew thereon will captivate and inspire generations. It is this public interest that will help finance this human mission to Mars," Mars One said.

All the 100 Round Three candidates were selected only after personal online interviews with Norbert Kraft, the chief medical officer. The candidates were asked about their awareness of the risks that were involved, their team spirit and eagerness for the mission.

 "We were impressed with how many strong candidates participated in the interview round, which made it a very difficult selection," added Kraft.

All the selected 100 candidates will get their first training session in a copy of the Mars outpost on Earth and will be able to show how well they can perform.

"Being one of the best individual candidates does not automatically make you the greatest team player, so I look forward to seeing how the candidates progress and work together in the upcoming challenges." said Kraft.

Mars One is a non-profit body that is ready to set up permanent human life on Mars, according to voicepointsph.com.

In the end, just two dozen people will leave the earth for a new start on a "cold, dry, oxygen-less planet" that is 55 million kilometers---or six months' journey away.

The trial resettlement will be funded by a reality-TV show. The project is expected to cost $6 billion, and rules out the possibility of a return trip. After every two years, crews of four will leave, beginning from 2024. The first mission, which will not be manned, will be in 2018. Beginning with 2024, there will be crews of four leaving the earth after every two years.