This handout photo obtained on June 21, 2012 from Mars

This handout photo obtained on June 21, 2012 from Mars One shows an artist's rendition of a settlement on Mars. More than 1,000 candidates -- from 200,000 hopefuls -- have been chosen to train for a private Mars colonisation mission to be partly funded by a reality-TV show following their training and subsequent steps, organisers said on January 2, 2014. They are to be whittled down to just 24, who will be sent over six launches starting in 2024, according to Mars One, the Dutch-based non-profit group behind the audacious endeavour.