Les cent candidats pré-sélectionnés pour devenir les éventuels premiers colons sur Mars dans dix ans participeront d'ici environ six mois à des épreuves qui composent la troisième phase de sélection, a annoncé lundi 6 juin la société Mars One, à l'origine du projet.
Alors qu'environ 200 000 personnes originaires de 140 pays s'étaient inscrites à ce projet, qui veut notamment se financer par des émissions de télévision, ils ne devraient être plus que quarante au terme des cinq jours axés sur le travail d'équipe, a indiqué la société néerlandaise dans un communiqué.
Les épreuves auxquelles ils seront confrontés, dont 90% sont issues de l'agence spatiale américaine Nasa, ne peuvent être résolues qu'en équipe, a expliqué Norbert Kraft, directeur médical de Mars One et membre du comité de sélection.
Les candidats seront sélectionnés sur plusieurs critères: la prise de décisions, l'attitude face aux problèmes, le moral, la motivation, l'aspect psychologique, les normes sociales, le comportement durant et en dehors des épreuves.
Après le placement des quarante candidats restants dans un environnement isolé et l'interview, similaire à celle des astronautes, des trente derniers sélectionnés, Mars One connaîtra ses 24 colons potentiels, répartis en six groupes de quatre personnes.
Mars One prépare sa première mission non habitée pour 2018, comme le fondateur de la société aérospatiale californienne SpaceX et milliardaire Elon Musk.
Les premiers colons de la société néerlandaise devraient faire leur aller simple pour la planète rouge à partir de 2026, les équipes suivantes partant à 26 mois d'intervalle.
Sans retour possible, ils devront vivre dans de petits habitats, trouver de l'eau, produire leur oxygène et cultiver leur propre nourriture. "À nos yeux, nos participants sont suffisamment matures pour prendre une décision et la soutenir", a ajouté le directeur médical.
Vrai projet, rêve un peu fou ou arnaque?
Jusqu'à présent, il n'y a eu que des missions robotiques sur Mars, menées avec succès par la Nasa, mais les États-Unis veulent envoyer des astronautes sur cette planète d'ici une vingtaine d'années.
Des étudiants en aéronautique du MIT avaient passé au crible les données scientifiques du projet Mars One disponible, fin 2014. Leurs conclusions n'étaient pas très glorieuses: la mort du premier pionnier "arrivera approximativement au bout de 68 jours de mission, par asphyxie", écrivaient-ils dans un rapport de 35 pages qui analyse avec force graphiques et formules mathématiques les ressources en oxygène, nourriture et technologies disponibles pour cette mission censée être autosuffisante.
En mars 2015, un des finalistes avait critiqué le projet, affirmant avoir l'impression d'avoir participé à une sorte d'arnaque, les candidats étant invités à acheter des produits dérivés, par exemple. Plusieurs astronautes sont dubitatifs quant à la viabilité de ce projet.
Mars One Habitat
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Open Image ModalA space station is shown in this undated handout artist's rendering. Kalpana space station, which the artist says is his update of the space station in "2001- A Space Odyssey." Bryan Versteeg hasn't stopped drawing ever since he got his first crayons and left marks all over the walls as a child - all the while dreaming of someday living in space. (credit:THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Bryan Versteeg/ spacehabs.com)
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Open Image ModalA space station is shown in this undated handout artist's rendering. Kalpana space station, which the artist says is his update of the space station in "2001- A Space Odyssey." Bryan Versteeg hasn't stopped drawing ever since he got his first crayons and left marks all over the walls as a child - all the while dreaming of someday living in space. He still remembers that sketch books and drawing pencils were the predominant gifts on his fifth and sixth birthdays. So began the career of the 38-year-old Calgary space artist who's becoming known for his futuristic out-of-this-world illustrations. (credit:THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Bryan Versteeg/ spacehabs.com)
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Open Image ModalA space station is shown in this undated handout artist's rendering. Kalpana space station, which the artist says is his update of the space station in "2001- A Space Odyssey." Bryan Versteeg hasn't stopped drawing ever since he got his first crayons and left marks all over the walls as a child - all the while dreaming of someday living in space. He still remembers that sketch books and drawing pencils were the predominant gifts on his fifth and sixth birthdays. So began the career of the 38-year-old Calgary space artist who's becoming known for his futuristic out-of-this-world illustrations. (credit:THE CANADIAN PRESS/HO-Bryan Versteeg/ spacehabs.com)
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Open Image Modal (credit: Mars One/Bryan Versteeg / Rex Features)
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Open Image Modal (credit: Mars One/Bryan Versteeg / Rex Features)
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Open Image Modal (credit: Mars One/Bryan Versteeg / Rex Features)
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Open Image ModalSpace concept artist Bryan Versteeg at work at his home studio in Calgary, Alberta on Tuesday, February 11, 2014. Versteeg hasn't stopped drawing ever since he got his first crayons and left marks all over the walls as a child - all the while dreaming of someday living in space. He still remembers that sketch books and drawing pencils were the predominant gifts on his fifth and sixth birthdays. So began the career of the 38-year-old Calgary space artist who's becoming known for his futuristic out-of-this-world illustrations. (credit:THE CANADIAN PRESS/Larry MacDougal)
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Open Image ModalSpace concept artist Bryan Versteeg at work at his home studio in Calgary, Alberta on Tuesday, February 11, 2014. Versteeg hasn't stopped drawing ever since he got his first crayons and left marks all over the walls as a child - all the while dreaming of someday living in space. He still remembers that sketch books and drawing pencils were the predominant gifts on his fifth and sixth birthdays. So began the career of the 38-year-old Calgary space artist who's becoming known for his futuristic out-of-this-world illustrations. (credit:THE CANADIAN PRESS/Larry MacDougal)
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Open Image ModalThis Aug. 9, 2011 image provided by NASA shows a view from the Mars Rover Opportunity from the Western rim of the Endeavour Crater. (credit:AP)
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Open Image ModalThis undated image provided by NASA shows the Mars rover Opportunity looking back at an outcrop where it spent the Martian winter in 2012. (credit:AP)
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Open Image ModalThis image provided by NASA shows a rock that the NASA Mars rover Opportunity examined in 2012. (credit:AP)
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Open Image ModalThis image provided by NASA shows a panoramic view from NASA's Mars Exploration rover Opportunity of "Solander Point." (credit:AP)
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Open Image ModalThis image provided by NASA shows the late-afternoon shadow cast by the Mars rover Opportunity at Endeavour Crater. The six-wheel rover landed on Mars in January 2004 and is still going strong. (AP Photo/NASA) (credit:AP)
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Open Image ModalHandout photo issued by NASA Wednesday 21 January 2004 of a image mosaic taken by the panoramic camera onboard the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit. (credit:PA)
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Open Image ModalNasa undated computer generated image of what the it's Spirit rover would look like on the surface of Mars. (credit:PA)
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Open Image ModalThis magnified image taken by the Mars Rover Opportunity shows evidence of past flowing water. (credit:Getty Images)
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Open Image ModalThis magnified image taken by the Mars Rover Opportunity shows evidence of past flowing water. (credit:Getty Images)