Six Turkish citizens selected as Mars settler contenders

ISTANBUL

Mars One's goal is to establish a human settlement on the Red Planet.

Six Turkish citizens have been selected among the settler contenders of the Mars One Mission, which aims to be the organization that plans to establish a permanent human colony on the Red Planet, has whittled down its candidate pool to just 1,058 individuals Dec. 30.

Following the glorious path laid by Ömer the Tourist, a restless traveler movie character who crowned his hit TV series with space odyssey, the six will compete with contestants from 107 countries to clinch a place among the six co-ed teams of four prospective Mars inhabitants.

Four of the six contenders are women, the organization disclosed. Among them is 18-year-old Ece Kabadayı, who declared being a postulant for becoming the “Queen of Mars.” “Ece means queen [in Turkish],” she emphasized as a means of justification. “They call me the dreamer girl. And my dream is to start a new life,” she adds.

Yasemin Higgins, a 43-year-old scientist, who studied her masters at the prestigious Organization for Nuclear Research (CERN) in Geneva, also stands with the potential Mars voyagers. As a native of Kars, Higgins said she would like to die on Mars. “Although the earth is my motherland, I can quickly adapt to wherever I go,” she added, insisting on her nomadic lifestyle.

But Mars will test anyone’s aptitudes in adaptability to the greatest, as the settlers will have to produce their own food, water, oxygen – and even an atmosphere by extension. For those means, the contestants will have to pass through a thorough training that includes scientific knowledge and gaining proficiency in the use of technical equipment.

The good news however, presumably rather for the two Turkish men in the company, derby football games will be broadcasted if asked beforehand.

The Turkish settlers have the most chance of ending up with U.S. citizens (297 selected), Canadians (75), Indians (62), Russians (52) and Chinese (40).

The first colonists are prospected to arrive at the planet in 2025, reinforced every two years by an-other team until reaching 20 settlers by 2035.