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Derby student is dreaming of a one-way ticket to Mars

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NEXT year can not come fast enough for Oakwood's Ryan MacDonald.

The physics student will then find out if he is blasting off to Mars – on a one-way ticket to the Red Planet.

"This is all I have dreamed about for a very long time," he said.

"If I get selected then I will be very, very happy. It will mean everything to me. It will mean the world.

"I will have made it through the Mars One programme and will be one of just 24 people from around the world who will be going to live on Mars.

"More than 200,000 people applied to become an astronaut on Mars One.

"I'm keeping everything crossed that I get in."

Yesterday, Ryan shared his remarkable story with youngsters at the Roundhouse, part of Derby College.

He talked at the East Midlands Big Bang Fair – one of the largest celebrations of science, technology, engineering and maths for young people in the UK.

The event provided seven-to-19-year-olds with a fun and educational experience to help inspire them to pursue a career using science and maths.

To a packed audience of young people, Ryan talked about wanting to become an astronaut since he was very little.

At the end of his session, he answered questions from his young audience, who filled the room.

"One day, will you drive cars on Mars?" someone asked Ryan, with humour in their tone.

"Will you get married and have children there?" said another interested student, keen to find out more about Ryan's new life.

Ryan laughed and answered as many quirky questions as he could. Nothing was too much trouble.

"One day, people on Mars will probably drive cars," he replied.

"I'm not sure about having children. At this moment in time it is unclear whether a foetus would be able to grow inside a woman living on Mars.

"But over the next 200 years or so, all these things will be investigated and explored.

"Will there be a Government or a Queen or a leader?" asked another child, who was sitting right at the front.

"No," said Ryan. "Not right away. Every two years, four more astronauts will arrive.

"So within 30 years or so, Mars will resemble a sustainable environment. We need to build up the population."

In the first round of the Mars One programme, Ryan had to fill in an extensive online application, including a one-minute video explaining his motivations.

The former Lees Brook Community School pupil discovered he had made it to the next round of selection at the beginning of 2014.

He was in his third year at Oxford University.

"Last year, I found out I was in the final 1,000 people," he said. "Now, I'm through to a group of 705 potential candidates. This is big news.

"By next year, I will know one way or another, if I'm in.

"That day can't come fast enough for me.

"I won't be going anywhere in 2015 – that's just when all the intensive training will begin. But it will mean, should I choose to accept the invitation, that I will be going to Mars."

Ryan has many more hurdles to jump from now until next year.

He will have medical examinations to pass.

He will have hearing and vision tests and samples of blood and urine will be taken for examination.

Ryan will also undergo checks on his heart.

"You have to be committed," he said. "But you are also allowed to drop out at any moment.

"If you later decide that Mars isn't for you, you can step down from the programme.

"Once you're there, there's no coming back."

Astronauts will start to descend on Mars in October 2024.

The company organising the trip, Dutch not-for-profit foundation, Mars One, will send their first four people in 2023.

The journey will take about eight months.

"It's a one-way trip," said Ryan. "We'll live out the rest of our lives on Mars.

"Our bodies will adjust to the atmosphere on Mars and that will make it very difficult for us to return.

"There are bonuses –- like Mars has a 24.5 hour day, which means an extra 30 minutes in bed," he smiled.

"Before an astronaut goes out to Mars, a rover will be sent to explore the area.

"It will look at suitable places for us to build our settlement.

"We need a flat area where we will be able to do lots of landings."

Asked how he feels about cutting ties with his family, Ryan explained.

"I will be able to talk to them via a video link.

"There will be a delay of just a few minutes, but we will be able to have conversations.

"Of course, I will miss them but this is an opportunity that is just too good to miss.

"I can't let this go now. I can almost feel it.

"And next year I will know for sure."

Ryan chatted for more than two hours at yesterday's event.

He soaked up the atmosphere and appeared to love the attention.

And at the end of both talks, he took more questions from people who had not managed to get a get a word with the wannabe astronaut. Even if he is not chosen, he says the experience has been too good to miss.

"Creating a second Earth is so exciting," he said.

"It is so important to me to set up another place where people can live."

"What's wrong with Earth?", he was asked.

"Nothing," he smiled. "But living on Mars does have a certain appeal.

"And you never know, there might already be some kind of life on Mars.

"We'll turn up and there could already be microbes on Mars. Now that would be exciting."

Derby student is dreaming of a one-way ticket to Mars


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