The Massachusetts Martian: A Man’s Journey to Colonize the Red Planet
Thursday, February 26, 2015
Peter Degen-Portnoy
Degen-Portnoy,51, is one of 100 finalists of more than 200,000 applicants to interview to be part of the Mars One mission to colonize the planet of Mars beginning in 2024.
“I feel I have a very good chance to be in the final 24. The selection committee will be looking for people who form together and work together effectively as a team and that those teams are high performing to accomplish the tasks that are set out about them effectively and that they can maintain relationships that indicate a long-term compatibility. Long-term is the key focus here,” said Degen- Portnoy.
As scheduled right now, this fall, the group of 100 will be narrowed down to 24 people. The 24 people selected will spend the rest of their lives on Mars. The teams will leave every two years with a first launch planned for 2024. Each journey will last seven months. The first colonists on Mars will arrive in 2025.
Degen-Portnoy Leaving Family Behind Permanently
GoLocal asked Degen-Portnoy what his family felt about him leaving. Degen-Portnoy has a wife and five children. His children's ages range from elementary school-age to college age.
Degen-Portnoy said, “I’m looking forward to it, but I’m looking forward to it with mixed emotions. I have a lovely family and I will be sad to have to leave them behind. I’ve made a commitment to this endeavor, and I’ve spoken to my family. It’s been a mixed response. My wife is supportive. We still have a number of years of training and preparation if I do get selected as one of the 24. We still have many years for us to spend together.”
“My children have been supportive. My 12-year-old son is the one that has been the most affected. I’ve told him I would never stop being his daddy. If I go to Mars, I will still be his daddy and I will be in constant communication. I will just be his daddy that lives and works on Mars,” he continued.
Degen-Portnoy hails from New York and attended graduate school in Boston. He’s a software engineer at Black Duck Software, Inc. in Burlington where he leads a team of engineers. He takes part in triathlons and has a background in the performing arts in ballet and choreography, and studying lighting and design.
The Final 100 Applicants
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Artist's Rendering of Life on Mars
“The large cut in candidates is an important step towards finding out who has the right stuff to go to Mars,” said Bas Lansdorp, Co-founder & CEO of Mars One. “These aspiring Martians provide the world with a glimpse into who the modern day explorers will be.”
There are 50 men and 50 women in the third round The candidates consist of 39 from the Americas, 31 from Europe, 16 from Asia, 7 from Africa, and 7 from Oceania.
The 100 candidates were selected following personal interviews with Norbert Kraft, M.D., Chief Medical Officer. During the interviews the candidates had a chance to show their understanding of the risks involved, team spirit and their motivation to be part of this life changing expedition.
“We were impressed with how many strong candidates participated in the interview round, which made it a very difficult selection” said Dr. Norbert Kraft.
A Lifelong Dream
“To be part of the team to colonize Mars has been a dream of mine my whole life. I spoke to my wife and I said ‘I have to go for this.’ It’s been a dream of mine since I was a child," said Degen-Portnoy. "She and I spoke about it early on in our relationship. We really spoke about if it was possible to go colonize another planet in our lifetime, would you go? Her answer was ‘no.’ My answer was ‘yes.’"
The following selection rounds will focus on composing teams that can endure all of the hardships of a permanent settlement on Mars. The 100 candidates will need to show real teamwork while training in a copy of the Mars Outpost.
“Being one of the best individual candidates does not automatically make you the greatest team player, so I look forward to seeing how the candidates progress and work together in the upcoming challenges.” said Dr. Norbert Kraft.
“It’s a one-way trip. You don’t have the problems of getting astronauts to Mars, landing them, and then bringing them back. It’s made the challenge dramatically more simple, but it is still a challenge. And I think it is one we must do. The opportunity and prospects of the types of things that we can learn by establishing a colony in Mars is too important to our society,” said Degen-Portnoy.
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