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 Joseph Roche, an astrophysicist and lecturer at Trinity College in
Dublin, Ireland, is among 100 finalists selected by Mars One, a
nonprofit Dutch organization, for possible permanent resettlement on
Mars in 10 years.
“I do not think we will see a one-way mission in my lifetime,” Roche
wrote in an article published on Wednesday in the Guardian
newspaper.
His comments are not the first words of skepticism about the project
in the scientific community. In October, researchers with the
Massachusetts Institute of Technology concluded that the plan, which
aims to establish a self-sufficient colony of 24 settlers, is
flawed.
“Although Mars One was never likely to overcome the financial and
technical barriers during the proposed timeline, it was refreshing
to hear a new idea that challenges us to think about our own role in
the future of space exploration,” Roche wrote.
 Roche broke his silence after Mars One issued a “top 10 candidates”
list which he said was based on how much financial support
candidates had donated to the organization.
“I think that the shortcomings of the selection process, coupled
with (Mars One's) unwillingness to engage and collaborate with the
scientific community, means that the time might have come for Mars
One to acknowledge the implausibility of this particular venture,”
Roche said in the essay.
Mars One denied that candidates’ financial contributions affect the
selection process. Many successful candidates "have never
contributed financially beyond the application fee, and there are
many that did contribute significantly, but were not selected to
proceed to the next selection round,” Mars One communications
director Suzanne Flinkenflögel wrote in an email to Reuters.
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Mars One skeptics have questioned various aspects of the project.
"For example, if all food is obtained from locally grown crops, as
Mars One envisions, the vegetation would produce unsafe levels of
oxygen, which would set off a series of events that would eventually
cause human inhabitants to suffocate," MIT said.
Likewise, a system to bake out ice from Martian soil for drinking
water does not exist, the study found.
Last month, industry trade publication Space News reported that Mars
One contractors Lockheed Martin and Surrey Satellite Technology had
completed concept studies for robotic precursor missions, but had
not signed contracts for follow-on work.
(Editing by David Adams and Matthew Lewis)
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