A University of Waterloo PhD graduate in physics has cleared another hurdle in his quest to be part of a privately run, one-way space mission to Mars.

Ben Criger is one of six Canadians who will compete in a televised, reality-show style selection process to be part of the crew of a mission to the red planet, slated to depart Earth in 2024 and never come back.

"I applied because exploring other planets is the next big step for civilization, and I think you'd have to be crazy to not want to be a part of it," Criger wrote in an instant message from his home in Aachen, Germany, where he is completing post-doctoral studies.

The Mars One Foundation aims to garner enough money through fundraising, selling broadcast rights to its selection rounds, and corporate sponsorships to pay the billions it is estimated it will cost to try to establish a permanent human settlement on Mars by 2025.

After landing a robot on the planet's surface and sending a communications satellite to orbit the planet, Criger aims to join a pair of four-person teams that will be sent to Mars in 2024 and 2026. When they arrive, they will not have an ability to return to Earth.

Criger said the magnitude of what he might be asked to do "will no doubt get more intense," as time counts down to his departure.

"But I look forward to all of it."

He passed a basic medical exam, and was evaluated for his academic prowess and social skills. He was also interviewed by scientists working for the Mars One project. More than 200,000 people from across the globe submitted applications to be part of the mission.

In a news release, Institute for Quantum Computing Executive Director Raymond Laflamme, who once oversaw Criger, called him "a talented scientist."

"This is an opportunity of a lifetime and all of us here in Waterloo will be watching and cheering him forward."

Things are about to get serious for Criger, with the shortlisted applicants expected to undergo rigorous tests at an installation made to resemble the cluster of modules astronauts will be expected to live in when they settle on Mars.

"The next step is we sign a contract in a few months time," Criger said of the upcoming plan to televise a selection competition. The foundation will eventually choose 24 people to form its first teams of astronaut-colonists.

Mars One chose Endemol, a Dutch television producer and distributor that has produced reality shows such as "Deal or No Deal," "Big Brother" and "Wipeout," to document the selection process Criger and 99 of his peers will compete in.

Criger said he does not mind that millions of television viewers might get a front row seat to watch the competition unfold.

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"It's a great idea to raise money for the mission, and I'm sure that actual, rigorous astronaut training is cool enough to be put on TV."

- Mars One selects 75 Canadians in second round of selections for one-way mission