Three Qatar residents shortlisted for Mars One mission

Three Qatar residents are among hundreds of people worldwide who have made the latest shortlist for a much-publicized one-way trip to Mars.

Mubashshir Ahmed is one of them. The 28-year old Indian expat beat out 119 other people in Qatar to advance into the third round of the Mars One selection process.

According to Arabian Business, nine other Gulf residents, out of an initial 1,259 hopefuls, are also in the race to establish the first human settlement on Mars. Three are from Saudi Arabia, three from the UAE and one hails from Oman. No applicants in Bahrain or Kuwait made the cut.

Only 705 people of the over 200,000 people worldwide who applied have made it this far.

Applicants will now face the Mars One selection committee in regional interviews, where they will have to demonstrate their “knowledge, intelligence, adaptability, and personality,” Chief Medical Officer Norbert Kraft said in a statement on Monday.

Ultimately, six teams of four people will be selected to train from 2015 to 2024, leading up to the final four who will make the historic one-way trip to Mars.

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Three Qatar residents shortlisted for Mars One mission