Last month, it was revealed that Irishman Dr Joseph Roche had made the final 100 candidates for the Mars One mission.
The Trinity College based astrophysicist was one of - supposedly - 202,586 applicants to the scheme, which aims to send 24 people to establish a colony on Mars.
The 55 million kilometre journey would be one-way, with no return planned for the volunteers. Mars One plans to cover much of the €4.4bn cost through a reality TV show based around the project.
Mars One is the brainchild of Dutch men Bas Lansdorp and Arno Wielders, who hope to establish a permanent human colony on the planet by 2025.
Now Dr Roche has raised several significant concerns about the direction the Mars One project is headed.
“My nightmare about it is that people continue to support it and give it money and attention, and it then gets to the point where it inevitably falls on its face,” Dr Roche told Elmo Keep of Medium's Matters blog. He says he fears such a scenario could lead to people's perceptions of NASA and even science being damaged.
He raises particular concerns about the project's logistics, claiming that finalists are being encouraged to donate three quarters of any appearance or interview fees they receive back to Mars One. Candidates can also receive community 'points' for buying Mars One merchandise. However a spokesperson said the points are not related to the selection process.
Dr Roche, however, has also criticised the selection process itself. "All the info they have collected on me is a crap video I made, an application form that I filled out with mostly one-word answers… and then a 10-minute Skype interview. That is just not enough info to make a judgment on someone about anything.”
Elmo Keep had already written a lengthy article raising many concerns about the logistics of a manned mission to Mars and with the Mars One mission itself. In the latest article, it is pointed out that many media outlets have reported that Mars One received more than 200,000 applicants, but it is alleged the actual number of applicants was 2,761.
It is also reported that production company Endemol has parted ways with Mars One, putting the TV aspect of the project in jeopardy.
You can read the full Medium article with Joseph Roche's comments here.
