This Is How NASA and Mars One Prepare for the Mars Mission

It was in 2012 when a private company called Mars One announced that they plan to send the first set of humans to set foot on the planet Mars. With the originally aimed schedule of 2024 nearing, it is about time that the first astronauts to reach Mars start to prepare. What is most interesting about this trip is that it may be a one-way ticket, as Mars One not only plans to set foot on Mars, but also plans to be the first to "establish a colony" on the red planet.

Mars One, as reported by The Guardian, is currently undertaking a painstaking process of selecting six groups of four astronauts from more than 200,000 volunteers all over the world who are ready to take on the challenge of reaching Mars for the first time. The final selection round includes a stage in which these "astronauts" are expected to cope with living in very harsh made-up Mars habitats.

A report from Washington Post described how NASA is preparing its astronauts for an upcoming Mars mission. With the planet's terrain different from our home planet, these astronauts must undergo very stringent training to have a full-on chance of survival.

According to the report, the "astronauts" being trained are carrying with them heavy equipment while they traverse rough terrains on the side of a Hawaiian mountainside. Scientists explained that this is the closest they could come so far to the actual terrain on the planet, and preparations are still a long way to go before the full design of the itinerary is cooked up.

It was reported by Time that since raising money to send astronauts to Mars is becoming a great difficulty, Dutch company Mars One has moved their planned mission from 2024 to 2026. Then just recently, the company once again delayed their plans to a newer date of 2031. With only about a decade and a half away, many are betting that this planned mission might not still be ready by 2031 and would need more technological advancements to succeed.