What kind of person would take a ONE-WAY trip to the red planet? Exclusive interview with Mars One hopeful reveals the mission is already affecting her relationships

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It has been branded impossible and absurd, but people are still clamouring to leave Earth behind to start a new life on the red planet as part of the Mars One mission.

Now a series of documentaries has been announced that will reveal more about the people who want a one-way ticket to another and one has told MailOnline the mission has already changed her life.

The video series, called Citizen Mars will feature personal stories from the people who want to call Mars their home, from a professional basketball player, to a trainee psychiatrist.

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A collection of documentaries has been announced that will reveal more about the people who want a one way ticket Mars and one of them - Sue Ann Pien (pictured) -  told MailOnline that it has changed her life already

Starting next week, the series will follow five people as they prepare for the privately-funded one-way mission, which aims to establish a permanent human colony on the red planet.

The first Mars One mission is slated to launch in 2026 - amid widespread criticism from scientists and space luminaries - when the first four people touch down. 

Another four people will launch and land every two years from there.

The colonists will live in cramped quarters,undertaking monotonous daily tasks such as cultivating food and maintaining equipment. 

Scientists are expected to fill their hours conducting experiments or perhaps using 3D printing to create objects they need to survive.

The video series called Citizen Mars will feature personal stories from the people who want to call Mars their home, from a professional basketball player, to a trainee psychiatrist. The red planet is shown

Despite a slightly bleak outlook, one of the five hopefuls, Sue Ann Pien, 35, is keen to start life afresh on Mars.

Ms Pien works at a tech company in Los Angeles and lives with her partner Cynthia Catania, a singer-songwriter. 

An avid rock climber and world traveller, Ms Pien has been fascinated by space since she was a child and even has a tattoo of the solar system on her skull.

She told MailOnline she has always wanted to go to space, and with both her parents working in the aerospace industry, grew up thinking it's possible.

'To me it was never a fantastical thing.

'If we push the technological envelope, why not be in space?' she said.

One of the reasons Ms Pien wants to start a colony is because she is concerned about the state of our planet.

'The population is rising, there's global warming and we're using up resources - we're got to look at ways to continue our civilisation for the next thousand years and beyond.

'Mars is fascinating and it's relatively speaking in our back yard…it once had all the conditions needed for life.'

While helping to ensure the future of the human race is a virtuous goal, not all her family and friends are thrilled she could be leaving them forever. 

Ms Pien (pictured right with her partner) told MailOnline she is living each day as if it is her last and it is possible she will achieve in 10 years what many people fail to do in their lifetime. 'It's affected all my relationships, especially with loved ones,' she said

Ms Pien (pictured) said she has always wanted to go to space and with both her parents working in the aerospace industry, grew up thinking it's possible

The first Mars One mission is slated to launch in 2026 - amid widespread criticism from scientists and space luminaries - with four people to touch down, and then another four every two years from there. An illustration of the proposed colony is shown

'I have friends who are completely against the idea of a one way trip to Mars,' she said.

'They're pleased the mission's been pushed back two years so they can spend more time with me, but they're also trying to support the things I'm interested in.

'It's not a very easy place to be for friends and family.'

However, she said the impending possible mission is having a very positive effect on her life.

One of the reasons Ms Pien wants to start a colony is because she is concerned about the state of our planet. She is pictured here scuba diving with a friend

While helping to ensure the future of the human race is a virtuous goal, not all Ms Pien's family and friends are thrilled she could be leaving them forever. 'I have friends who are completely against the idea of a one-way trip to Mars,' she said

'I've been a candidate for two years. There are lots of ways it's changed me already,' Ms Pien explained.

Much like someone who has been told they have a limited time in which to enjoy everything the Earth has to offer because of illness, Ms Pien has made a bucket list of things she wants to do before she possibly leaves for Mars in just over a decade.

'I've climbed a volcano, gone to Cambodia and Paris. I plan on going to India and making the most of the time I have here on Earth.' 

The colonists will live in cramped quarters (illustrated) undertaking monotonous daily tasks such as cultivating food and maintaining equipment. Scientists could fill their hours conducting experiments or perhaps using 3D printing to create objects they need to survive

The series following Ms Pien and four other MarsOne hopefuls will begin on 1 September on Engadget

She said she is living each day as if it is her last and it's possible she will achieve in 10 years what many people fail to do in their lifetime, because they put experiences off for 'another day'.

'It's affected all my relationships, especially with loved ones.

'You never know how much time you have left [with them].

'You start to be more present and to enjoy love, joy and shared moments.'

The series following Ms Pien and four other Mars One hopefuls will begin on 1 September on Engadget.

Michael Gorman, the tech website's editor-in-chief, said: 'There's a tremendous amount of interest in the Mars One project and many are sceptical about the mission's feasibility which is why we thought it an important story to tell, and why the subjects involved are so compelling.'

Mohammed, known as Mido Sallam is another Mars One candidate.

The 32-year old lives in Cairo with his younger brother Marwan and juggles working at a life-insurance company with playing professional basketball for a team in Egypt.

His parents and youngest brother were killed in a car accident when Mido was seventeen and Marwan was thirteen, but despite this, he is still keen to bag a one-way ticket to Mars.

Pietro Aliprandi, a 25-year-old trainee psychologist who lives in Trieste, Italy, said he is very close to his parents who live near Venice, while Shradha Prasad, a 19-year-old student in Coimbatore, India sleeps in the same bed as her mother, Geetha, who fled an abusive husband to make sure Shradha would be able to go to university and pursue her dreams.

'I've been a candidate for two years. There are lots of ways it's changed me already,' Ms Pien (shown) said

Despite their close ties with their families, both people who feature in the new series want to live on Mars.

Ms Prasad is a mechanical-engineering student, giving her desirable skills for the mission, which will require the colonists to grow food, maintain their habitats and conduct scientific experiments.

But Adriana Marais, a 31-year-old who lives in Cape Town, South Africa is arguably the most qualified of the Mars One candidates.

She recently completed a PhD in quantum biology, and she has an encyclopedic knowledge of space exploration.

Citizen Mars will premiere with a total of five episodes airing at engadget.com/citizen-mars.

In the next stage, the 100 candidates' teamwork skills will be tested.

'In September 2016 the next round starts. They're looking at Iceland to build the training post. It's going to be isolated,' Ms Pien continued.

'One hundred will be 40 based on how we interact as a team, then we'll go straight into isolation.' 

Mars One has previously revealed that five-days of interviews and group tests will be used to whittle down the 100 candidates to 40, and those left will be placed into isolation for nine days.

After that, a remaining 24 candidates will then be offered a contract to train, which the firm admits will take at least ten years.

'We will begin training the 24 Mars One candidates in teams of four, and we expect to have six teams,' Mars One said.

'Remember, only one team of four members will go on the first mission, so we will be screening until near to the end.

'This will be a long process since the training will last for at least 10 years.'

An avid rock climber and world traveller, Ms Pien (pictured) has been fascinated by space since she was a little girl and even has a tattoo of the solar system on her skull

The project will first bring the final 100 together 'to self-select into 6-10 teams of 10 to 15 members'.

Teams must be as diverse as possible in regards to age, nationality, and ethnicity. For example, 50 per cent of each group needs to be female.

Experts and commentators alike have raised concerns that no-one will fulfill their ambitions of going to the red planet with Mars One, but Ms Pien does not heed the warnings of sceptics.

'This is an ambitious project and what Mars One is proposing is out of the box,' she said.

'People forget that it [the mission] just needs funding – it doesn't need any new technology.

'I think people need to remember we do have the money and he resources as a planet to achieve this. I think we'll see the first person on Mars in our lifetime.' 

WHAT AWAITS THE ADVENTUROUS COLONISTS? 

How will they get there?

Plans about how the four finalists will arrive on the red planet are vague. 

Mars One simply says that the crew will arrive on Mars in 2025, after a seven month journey from Earth.

A landing module attached to a rocket would drop the humans off, before they were met by a rover and taken to the Mars One Colony.

There is a possibility that the colonists could hibernate on the long journey. A proposal by Nasa on an unrelated mission suggests a crew could be put in a deep sleep for 180 days, allowing them to make the journey of 350 million miles (560 million km) with a reduced need for food and water.

A landing module attached to a rocket would drop the humans off, before they were met by a rover and taken to the Mars One Colony. There is a possibility that colonists could hibernate on the long journey (illustrated)

The crew would be kept alive through intravenous feeding, before being woken at their destination by inhalation of a coolant gas.

Nasa Administrator Charles Bolden believes that colonising Mars is essential to ensure the survival of our species.

'It's important for the preservation of the species, and I want to make sure that my grand-daughters, and great-great-grandaughters, have the opportunity to go there,' he said.

After landing on the red planet, the colonists would move into small 'pods', which would be their homes. An experiment is under way in the Utah desert to recreate the psychological effects of life on Mars, with four 'astronauts' living in isolation in cyclindrical homes (pictured) for two weeks at a time

What about when they arrive?

After landing on the red planet, the colonists would move into small 'pods' - their homes.

The colonists will have 50 square metres each and a total of more than 200 square metres combined interior space, according to Mars One.

It says: 'Within the settlement are inflatable components which contain bedrooms, working areas, a living room and a 'plant production unit', where they will grow greenery.

'They will also be able to shower as normal, prepare fresh food in the kitchen, wear regular clothes, and, in essence, lead typical day-to-day lives'

An experiment is under way in the Utah desert to recreate the psychological effects of life on Mars, with four 'astronauts' living in isolation for two weeks at a time.

Like the researchers from the Mars Society, colonists might expect to survive on food rations, conduct experiments and shower every few days.

Nasa is also planning a manned trip to Mars and has designed a house with solar panels.

In its Hi-Seas experiment in Hawaii, crews of six are living in a small dome with a 'sense of airiness' and are only allowed to venture outside wearing space suits, perhaps indicating what may lie ahead for the colonists.

The colonists may breathe through a device called Helena, which will could use electrolysis to produce oxygen from water extracted from Martian soil.

Designed by the University of Western Australia and a Mars One astronaut candidate, the device could be flown on Mars One's first unmanned lander mission and arrive on the planet in 2018. 

While living on Mars may seem exciting, it could be monotonous sending time in cramped conditions with only three other people for company.Daily tasks might include cultivating food (an illustration of what a Mars One greenhouse may look like is shown) and maintenance of essential equipment

What will daily life be like? 

While living on Mars may seem exciting, it will probably be monotonous spending time in cramped quarters with only three other people for company on the entire planet.

Daily tasks might include cultivating food and maintenance of essential equipment. 

Scientists could fill their hours conducting experiments or perhaps using 3D printing to create objects they need to survive. 

In November, astronauts aboard the ISS made the first 3D printed object in space - a nameplate to commemorate the achievement. 

Nasa is studying objects to see how zero gravity conditions affect the printing process, but if they are sound, colonists could use additive manufacturing to produce spare parts and even perhaps games to keep them occupied.  

Will humans really be able to colonise Mars?

Maggie Lieu said: 'It would be incredible to be the first mother on Mars… just being able to say that your baby was a Martian would be really funny.' 

However, her maternal aspirations may not be possible if she does become one of the first colonists. 

Researchers from the University of Kansas have warned that high levels of radiation in space damage the ovaries and testicles, which could hamper people's efforts to reproduce. 

Mars One says: 'In the first years, the Mars settlement is not a suitable place for children to live. The medical facilities will be limited and the group is too small. 

Ms Lieu said it would be incredible to be the first mother on Mars, but researchers from the University of Kansas have warned that high levels of radiation in space damage the ovaries and testicles, which could hamper people's efforts to reproduce. An illustration of martian families is pictured

'The human ability to conceive in reduced gravity is not known, neither is there enough research on whether a foetus can grow normally under these circumstances. 

'In order to establish a true settlement on Mars, Mars One recognises having children is vital.' 

Kate Greene, who took part in Nasa's Mars simulation believes that all colonists should be female. 

She says it was rare for a woman to burn more than 2,000 calories a day, whereas men regularly exceeded 3,000, so sending women to Mars would be cheaper and more feasible than one with men – but arguably make reproduction harder. 

Mars One plans on sending additional teams to the colony every two years, with the intention that by 2033 there would be over twenty people living and working on Mars.