Notre Martien

IRISHMAN SIGNS UP TO SPEND THE REST OF HIS LIFE ON A MARS COLONY!

This is Joe Roche, the only Irishman shortlisted to travel to Mars by space exploration company ‘Mars One’. The catch is that if he goes … he can never come back!

Joe grew on a small farm in Kildare and spent many clear nights gazing at the stars, dreaming of becoming an astronaut. He couldn’t have known that, 20 years later, he would be part of the selection process for a manned mission to Mars. If he’s one of the successful applicants, Joe will undergo eight years of training while a number of robotic missions lay the infrastructure for the colony on a planet 225 million kilometres away.

The first four astronauts will prepare for lift-off in 2025. Getting to Mars is tricky … surviving on Mars is theoretically possible … but getting a crew back is a problem and the feasibility of the mission includes the fact that these astronauts will never return to Earth.

For most of us, that would make it very scary but apparently there are plenty of people who want to go to Mars and spend the rest of their lives there. Joe, who is an astrophysicist working at the Science Gallery in Dublin, knows all the risks. He says …

“People assume that just because I want to go, I must not be happy here, but that couldn’t be further from the truth. I’ve been very fortunate. I grew up in a great family and love my work. I think putting someone on Mars who has a full appreciation of life on Earth is key to the mission’s success.”

Fair play to you, Joe. Rather you than me but Good Luck!

Frm Ireland and Peg's cottage