The Martian 100: Mars One Selects Its Potential Astronaut Corps, Announces 2015 Registration

Mars One Settlement — Artist's concept of a Mars One settlement. Mars One/Bryan Versteeg

More than 200,000 people signed up for a one-way ticket to Mars when Mars One opened up its astronaut candidate search. And Mars One announced on Monday that it has whittled down its potential astronaut class to 100.

The 100 people vying for the chance to be the first humans on the red planet is evenly divided between males and females. Thirty-nine candidates come from North America, 31 from Europe, 16 from Asia, seven from Africa and seven from Oceania.

Challenges lie ahead for the 100 individuals before they get the chance to establish a colony on Mars. They will soon be split into teams that will get a taste of what it's like to survive on an alien world. Mars One will create a Martian Outpost that will simulate the extreme conditions on Mars. The teams must learn how to work, communicate and trust each other despite being strangers who have lived different lives before the selection process.

“These aspiring Martians provide the world with a glimpse into who the modern day explorers will be,” Bas Lansdorp, co-founder and CEO of Mars One, said in a statement. Of the potential candidates, 48 individuals are between the ages of 26 and 35. The oldest candidate is 60 years old, while the youngest candidate is 19. Eighty-two people are employed, while 13 are currently in school, and six are unemployed. In terms of education, 37 individuals have their bachelor's degree, 30 have a master's degree, four have medical degrees, and seven have their Ph.D. One person has a law degree, two have an associate's degree, and 19 have no degree.

Mars One Habitat — Artist's concept of the interior of a Mars One habitat. Mars One/Bryan Versteeg

The 100 potential astronauts are in round three of the selection process. The individuals will participate in team challenges and interivews, and the Mars One selection committee will choose the candidates that will advance to the fourth and final round. The candidates will divided into groups of four and compete for the chance to be the first Mars colony. Up to six groups could be chosen to be full-time Mars One astronauts.

"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.” Dr. Norbert Kraft, Mars One's chief medical officer, said in a statement.

In addition to selecting astronauts for its first Mars mission, Mars One is developing the science and technology necessary for the astronauts to get to Mars and live on the planet. The not-for-profit foundation announced scientific payloads that will fly to Mars in 2018. Lockheed Martin was contracted to develop the Mars lander that will be used in the unmanned 2018 mission, while Surrey Satellite Technology Limited will develop the communication satellite.

If you missed out on a chance to sign up the first time Mars One asked for potential astronauts, the organization announced it will open up a new registration period in 2015. The selected individuals will go on to potentially replace eliminated teams or serve in future Mars colonization missions.

Mars One plans to establish its outpost by 2023 with the departure of the first crew scheduled for 2024. The first astronauts could land on the red planet in 2025.

The Mars One 100 candidates can be viewed below.