Contemporary Diaspora News

Tuesday 17 February 2015

Five people selected to go on a one way trip to Mars and die there
mars

The five British candidates are all under the age of 35 and hope to be chosen to be among the final crew of four, who will eventually be selected for a 'one-way ticket' to the red planet. Pictured left to right, they are: Maggie Lieu, Alison Rigby, Hannah Earnshaw, Ryan MacDonald and Clare Weedon. Hannah Earnshaw, 23, a PhD student in astronomy at Durham University, said: 'Human space exploration has always interested me so the opportunity to be one of the people involved was really appealing. The future of humanity is in space. My family is pretty thrilled. They're really happy for me. Obviously it's going to be challenging, leaving Earth and not coming back. I've had support from my friends and family and we can still communicate via the internet.' The final team of four is scheduled to arrive in 2025 following a gruelling seven-month journey from Earth and could live in pods

MEET THE BRITISH CANDIDATES FOR THE MARS ONE MISSION

Name: Hannah Earnshaw

Age: 23

Born: Durham

Occupation: Student in astronomy at the University of Durham

Reason for going to Mars: 'Human space exploration has always interested me so the opportunity to be one of the people involved was really appealing. The future of humanity is in space.'

Hannah Earnshaw

Name: Alison Rigby

Age: 35

Born: Beckenham, Kent

Occupation: Lab technician

Reason for Going to Mars: 'I think it's time for humans to start living somewhere else and I have the skills to make that happen.'

Dr Alison Rigby

Name: Maggie Lieu

Age: 24

Born: Coventry

Occupation: Astrophysics student at the University of Birmingham

Thoughts about Mars: 'Mars is a challenge. It is highly risky, and an enormous responsibility as well as an adventure.'

Maggie Lieu

Name: Ryan MacDonald

Age: 21

Born: Derby

Occupation: Master's student in physics at the University of Oxford

Reason for going to Mars: 'The most important thing to do in life is to leave a legacy. A lot of people do that by having a child...for me this would be my legacy'.

Ryan MacDonald

Name: Clare Weedon

Age: 27

Born: Addlestone, Surrey

Occupation: Systems information manager for Virgin Media, who lives in Addlestone in Surrey

Reason for going to Mars: ‘I believe there is more to life than marriage and babies and I soon hope to escape the office environment and travel the world solo for some amazing life experiences.’