Humans on Mars in the next 10 years - the next step in humanity's evolution

Be part of the Mars One Mission whilst studying at the University of Twente

The Mars One project will build the first human settlements on Mars in the next decade. Co-founders of the project are alumni of University of Twente, Bas Lansdrop and Arno Wielders. The Mars One Foundation has joined forces with University of Twente, Netherlands in a partnership where undergraduate students at the university will help tackle specific mission challenges.

Water from the Martian soil, oxygen from the water, food from hydroponics, rockets from SpaceX ...

No science fiction here, this is all do-able with current technology.

The project founders have thought this through, and have thought well. There will be multiple missions every two years, the first of which will be unmanned. Robots will build the habitat before the astronauts arrive.

Who will be part of the first crews to head into space? It could be anybody. The first selection round is going on right now. Mars One is inviting anyone interested to apply for astronaut candidacy. Think that's crazy? They already have over 200,000 applicants!

Experts from Mars One are now working closely with undergraduate students studying the University of Twente’s ATLAS course.

The Academy of Technology and Liberal Arts & Sciences (ATLAS), is an interdisciplinary programme for top students, integrating social and technical perspectives to a new perspective on technology.

The course was established to address the latest demands of new technology and engineering and provide academic all-rounders with the technological and social expertise to generate usable design solutions for all kinds of social, cultural and political issues.

It is a project-led education and learning experience based on real-life themes and challenges.

The ATLAS course attracts ‘pioneers and leaders of change’. “At every secondary school, there are two or three pupils whom ATLAS would fit like a glove,” say Dean Jennifer Herek. “They are equally at ease with technology, science and the humanities. They’re clever, ambitious, hard-working and they care about the world they live in. They are holistic problem solvers, pioneers,leaders of change.”

Engaging ATLAS students is crucial to the success of the Mars One mission. By working closely with them Mars One will address a broad range of social and technical research questions surrounding:

• Spacecraft development
• Travel of seven months
• Radiation exposure
• Settling & Survival
• Physiological and psychological human factors
• Effects of microgravity on bone demineralization

In addition to education there are plenty of potential research links. Professor Brinksma offers some 

examples: “Our Robotics and Mechatronics departments can contribute to the manned and unmanned robotic vehicles that the Mars pioneers will use. Our behavioural scientists can also help astronauts learn coping mechanisms and how to deal with uncertainty.”

Working on projects such as the Mars One Mission gives ATLAS students a solid foundation in both technological and social science disciplines. Students develop invaluable skills in the areas of creativity, flexibility, leadership and communication.

University of Twente is an entrepreneurial university with a focus on 'High Tech Human Touch'. Believing that most innovations take place at the interface between technology and society, and the university’s strength lies in their capacity to combine them both. Twente works with technologies of the future (e.g. information technology, biotechnology and nanotechnology), in which behavioural and social science play a vital role.

Find out more about the ATLAS course at University of Twente here.

Find out more about the Mars One Mission here.