First Martian Baby!

A young British student who wants to give birth to the first Martian has been shortlisted in a project to establish a colony on the planet.

Image by: NASA / REUTERS

Maggie Lieu, a 24-year-old astrophysics student at Birmingham University, was among 100 candidates shortlisted for the mission from among more than 200000 hopefuls. The project, called Mars One, has raised eyebrows among some aerospace academics. Backed by a Dutch not-for-profit organisation, the hopefuls will spend the next 10 years being trained about life on Mars.

The best four men and women will then be picked to man the spacecraft, which is due to depart in 2024. Backers claim that the necessary funds will be raised by a reality TV programme that will follow the project's progress. Even so, the money would only fund a one-way trip and the astronauts would be expected to establish a human colony on Mars, building everything themselves.

"I think it would be really exciting to have a child because it would be the first real Martian," Lieu said.

"I don't know what race or nationality it would be because there are no countries on Mars - yet.

"Nobody knows the effects low gravity would have on a foetus. Also, the high levels of radiation would make the guys infertile. So, I don't know if it would work, but if you want to start a colony, you have to reproduce."

Lieu, who is studying for a PhD in astrophysics, is among five Britons shortlisted for the project. The others include a PhD student from Durham University, a science and laboratory technician and a systems integration manager. There are others from other countries. The 50 men and 50 women were selected for round three after coming through an online interview with the project's chief medical officer.

Source:

TimesLive