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HALIFAX – A Nova Scotia man is now on a shortlist to become one of the first human beings to step foot on Mars.

“It’s very exciting,” Tyler Reyno said, with a wide grin on his face.

Reyno applied for the Mars One program earlier this year, which aims to colonize the red planet by 2025. However, the trip is not round-trip: it is a one-way ticket.

The 20-year-old got an email Monday saying that he was moving on to the second round.

“It’s an honour. It’s a privilege. I definitely feel like it’s where I’m meant to be. It just feels nice to be in a position to do what I love to do and what I’m passionate about,” he said.

Reyno is one of 1,058 now hoping to make it to the next stage, but first he has to complete a phone interview with the chief medical officer of the Mars One program.

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His selection email also says he has to continue raising awareness, interest and money for the ambitious program.

“I’m going to be doing anything I can to increase awareness of the project,” he said.

“I’m definitely trying to stay on my feet mentally.”

He will need to stay on his toes: there are several more selection phases in 2014 and 2015.

More than 200,000 people from around the world applied for the Mars One program.

Reyno hopes to become the first Maritimer in space.

You can keep track of Reyno’s journey by following his Twitter account.