These nine people were chosen to move onto the second round of the Mars One mission to be part of the first human settlement on Mars.
In August, we wrote about 13 people who applied to the Mars One mission, and at least nine of them were selected for the second round of the application process.
The Mars One mission will send four people to the Red Planet to create the first human settlement in space. They plan to send additional teams to space every two years. Those chosen will not be able to return to Earth.
The qualified applicants were notified via email that Mars One Chief Medical Officer Norbert Kraft would contact them by Jan. 6, 2014. In addition to medical exams, all of the applicants will be interviewed in person by a selection committee.
"It's time to talk with your loved ones regarding your dream of starting a human civilization on Mars," the email read. "Passing the first round of selection is a major step closer to going down in history as one of the chosen few who will experience and live something that has never been done before."
The email also stressed the importance of crowdsourcing and social media.
"Use Facebook, Twitter (#Marstronaut), LinkedIn, Pinterest, Instagram, Vine... tell everyone you know, including friends, family, and media that you need their help... helping generate interest and funding in the Mars One mission is your first assignment."
The funding refers to an Indiegogo campaign that has been launched to raise enough money to send the four "Marstronauts" to the Red Planet to create a human civilization.
Sybelle Silverphoenix
"[When I saw the email] I was ECSTATIC!!" Sybelle wrote to BuzzFeed in an email. "I was jumping all around screaming, I think I almost cried! If I could go back in time and tell my 4 year old self this would happen, I think I would have been even more determined."
