If all goes according to plan, in roughly 10 years Peter Degen-Portnoy, 51, of Stoneham, Massachusetts, will land on Mars. He'll leave behind his wife and five children, and never return home."It is the most difficult transition I can imagine. My intention when I married and we had children is that I would share my life with them. The thought that I would never be able to hold their hands or embrace them is the most painful part of this choice," Degen-Portnoy said.Four years ago, the Mars One team was established with the goal to create teams and a strategic plan for taking humanity to Mars. Two years later, the search for candidates began. Now, more than 199,000 candidates have been slimmed to a final 100, all of whom will be brought together for two weeks this fall. More cuts will be made until the final teams are selected. Each is vying to leave their life on Earth and travel to the nearest habitable planet, which is roughly 140 million miles.This isn't something Degen-Portnoy blindly agreed to: he's conducted extensive research and has been training in preparation."We know of no suitable body in the asteroid belt, and Jupiter and Saturn are gas giants. The moon has few available resources upon which we can draw. Mars has water we can extract from the soil to create potable water and oxygen; nitrogen and argon in the atmosphere we can use to create our atmosphere; carbon dioxide for our gardens; a temperature gradient in which we can survive; ample sunlight we can use to create electricity," Degen-Portnoy said.After hearing of the mission through conventional media, he filed and rehashed a few drafts of an application before submitting his. He read the Mars One chief medical officer's work, "Intercultural Crew Issues in Long-Duration Spaceflight,” and drilled himself on the Mars One FAQ and other supplemental information. He developed an interest in biology and horticulture.Peter believes that his past puts him in a unique situation regarding the mission."My understanding is that the most important criteria is the ability to participate in a team, which has been the focus of my professional life as a leader and participant in high-performing production and software teams. Then would come the ability to learn and master the required materials, which has been one of my core strengths as an engineer. Then would come the ability to operate independently, that is, without requiring constant approval from higher-ups; again something I also consider a core strength," Degen-Portnoy said.Peter has waited for two years for an answer to his application, watching the number of applicants drop from 200,000 to 1,058 to 100. Throughout the entire process he has been open with his family about the prospect of leaving. He has reassured them that the mission will allow him to be in constant communication, with the lives of those selected broadcasted at least 12 hours each day."There will be email, text messages and video messages to keep Earth and Mars connected," Degen-Portnoy said.Before his application, Peter worked as a ballet dancer, choreographer, lighting designer, software engineer, inventor, entrepreneur and manager -- though not all at once. He has a thirst for knowledge that can be seen in his application video. When he found out he had made the final 100, he was at work -- unable to share the information until the public announcement, "quite literally vibrating with glee.""When I was a child I had wanted to be a pilot and astronaut, (but) our focus will be on being colonists," Degen-Portnoy said.Seeing recent malfunctions of the Virgin Galactic Space Ship play out on his TV, he said his confidence in the mission hasn't wavered."First and foremost, I was very sorry for the death of the pilot. I would wish that no one ever had to die in order for us to gain new knowledge and capabilities. (I) do not believe that these events have any predictive power on the future," Degen-Portnoy said. "I think it’s only our nature to be aware that something could go terribly wrong, this is a highly risky venture. Even with understanding and acknowledging those risks, I don’t focus on them. If I did, then I don’t think I could continue pursuing this mission, and the goals of Mars One are sufficiently worth while that I can accept the risks involved."It will cost $6 billion to put the first four people on Mars, which includes the cost of all the hardware, in addition to operational expenditures. The price tag is steep, but Degen-Portnoy said it pales in comparison to the more than $51 billion spent mounting the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.He'll have to wait a little longer before the final cuts are made, but Peter isn't letting that stop him from dreaming of taking part in an expansion of the human species and what it could mean for mankind if the mission were successful."(I have) day dreams. I often envision what it might be like, what we will have to build, what types of resources we will have, and which ones we will have to obtain and refine ourselves. I find myself regularly observing my daily habits and wondering how they might change on Mars; often very mundane things like exercising, or cooking food. What is the effect of about 40 percent (of) Earth's normal gravity on sautéing vegetables?" Degen-Portnoy said.More information on the Mars One road map can be found here: http://www.mars-one.com/mission/roadmap.