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Can Mars One really get off the ground?

Journalist Elmo Keep and round three candidate Ben Criger share contrasting views on the highly-publicized one-way mission to Mars.
CBC Radio ·
A Martian space habitat is shown in this undated handout artist's rendering. Artist Bryan Versteeg started working on the Martian space habitat after he was approached by the founders of the Mars One Foundation, which is planning a one-way mission to the red planet. (Bryan Versteeg/Canadian Press)
Q16:52Can Mars One really get off the ground?

For the past four years, a Dutch non-profit group has been preparing to send 24 people on a one-way mission to colonize the planet Mars. 

The Mars One team has narrowed their list of potential participants to 100 people from around the world, ranging in age from 19 to 60. Some candidates have backgrounds in science, engineering and medicine, while others seem to bring little more than a fascination with space travel.

As the project continues to generate headlines, some critics — like journalist Elmo Keep — says more must be done to scrutinize Mars One. Others, like round three candidate Ben Criger have "provisional faith" in the mission. 

Both join guest host Piya Chattopadhyay to discuss some unusual aspects of the selection process, and the profound technological challenge of getting to Mars.

*Click on the listen button above to hear the full segment (audio runs 16:52) 

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