A hundred people, including Poles, wants to die on Mars. Why? – Newsweek Poland

Although NASA announced the discovery of water on the Red Planet, Mars is still extremely hostile place: the atmosphere with carbon dioxide and nitrogen, -87 ° C, sandstorms speed of 300km / h. That’s why he wanted to go there, we asked Nicholas Zielinski, a participant in the project Mars One.

Mars One, that the Martian one-way ticket

Mars One is giving away tickets to Mars, but only one way. The colonists, if they manage to reach the Red Planet, they will have to stay there for life, because the drafters did not envisage the possibility of returning. Madness? Perhaps, but buyers for the flight was over 200 thousand. people – so many have signed up to the first stage of the recruitment process.

After a several months recruiting a hundred candidates were selected (50 men and 50 women) who will have the chance to go to Mars. It picks up her three Poles. Joanna, 26-year-old from Sopot, Nicholas Zielinski, lives in Dubai 38-year-old (for the project uses the pseudonym M1-KO) and Maciej Józefowicz, 30-year-old from Warsaw. Zielinski received during the recruitment of one of the highest notes and found himself in the top ten best candidates. We decided to ask him why he wants to be one of the first settlers of the Red Planet.

“I am willing to risk”

Newsweek. en: Journey to Mars with a one way ticket seems to be madness, yet you made up his mind. Why?
Nicholas Zielinski: I want to go in one direction, because we have only so it is possible. But most of all I want to fly because the aim is the colonization of Mars. When Europeans colonized other continents, it also chose one way – just to settle somewhere and not return to the country from which they came.

Newsweek.pl: A commitment to the Mars One already has some influence on your life? How do you combines them with work?
Nicholas Zielinski: I’m working in a branch of the German IT company in Dubai. Mars One absorbs a lot of my time, but at work we all support me. When I wanted to organize a conference on the expedition, in finding sponsors and fundraisers helped me even presidents and directors. We all support me and cheer, head to let me take unpaid leave enough how much I need to get ready to recruit.