At least 200,000 people have expressed interest to join in the ambitious project that will send human beings on a one-way trip to the red planet and colonize Mars by 2014, the project organizer said.

The list, however, is now down to 705 people following a stringent selection process that will determine who will be the four human beings that will be sent to Mars for a no-coming-back trip to the said planet, the Mars One organization said.

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The Netherlands-based Mars One, a not-for-profit organization, has conceptualized plans to colonize Mars by 2014. The colony will be permanent and those who will be chosen to participate in the project will no longer be able to see Earth again.

The project, announced in May 2012, is funded by Dutch entrepreneur Bas Landsdorp.

The announcement of the private spaceflight project triggered so much interest that at least 200,000 people signed up for the initial drafting. When the concept and the permanent colonization plan were discussed, only 705 people were left longing for that once-in-a-lifetime trip, Mars One said.

"The Mars One selection committee will conduct interviews and another round of screening before making the final decision on who will be the first four human beings that will be sent to Mars," the organization said in a statement.

The 10 countries with the most applicants left in the second round of the selection process are United States, Canada, India, Russia, Australia, China, United Kingdom, Spain, South Africa and Brazil.

Based on the project's masterplan, the four human beings who will be chosen to permanently colonize Mars will have skills and proficiency in variety of disciplines.

Mars One said two of the four people, who will be considered as astronauts, must be skilled in the repair and use of all equipment that will be brought to Mars.

Two others should also under extensive medical training to treat minor and critical health problems.

One of the four must also be well-versed in the planet's geology while another one should become an expert in exobiology, or the study of life beyond Earth.

The journey of the four human beings who will colonize Mars will be documented for a reality TV program.

TagsMars One, Mars Colony, Mars Colonization, Human Beings Sent to Mars