FNUniv prof shortlisted for Mars expedition
- Diane Adams | July 19, 2014
A Professor at First Nations University may be one of the first humans to travel to Mars. Dawn Marsden, an indigenous health researcher and space enthusiast, is shortlisted to join Earth's first manned mission to the "Red Planet."
Two-hundred thousand people first applied to be astronauts for the "Mars One" mission. That list is now down to 705. The mission, which is privately funded, expects to send four intrepid people to Mars in 2024. Those astronauts will establish a human colony on Mars, with more Mars One missions arriving every two years.
"It's an opportunity to see what Mars has to offer, what the truths are about Mars," Marsden said.
Marsden, a member of the Mississaugas of the Scugog First Nation, says she's been interested in space travel since she was a child, living in a rustic cabin.
"I've been dreaming about travelling to other planets even before we had TV," she said. "We saw the moon landing in the 60's and the whole "space race." It was really exciting. A combination of and my own dreams just made me want to be an astronaut from day one."
Marsden says space travel simply wasn't an option for women when she was younger.
"Women weren't allowed in the military at that time and that was the only path to becoming an astronaut."
Marsden says she's excited to be shortlisted for the trip, but says others sometimes think she's "crazy" for putting her name forward especially when they find out the trip is one-way only. Mars One's astronauts will not return to Earth.
"My concern is were going to do it all over again. We're going to colonize other planets the same way [as Earth.] I wanted to ensure that there is deeper discussions about space ethics," she said.
"What are we going to do if we encounter other species - whether those are humanoid or plant species? ... We've made many mistakes in our history and we can learn from those mistakes and try to do it better," she added.
Marsden says indigenous knowledge has a great part to play in a future colony on Mars.
"I've grown up and Ive learned and I've listened to a lot of Elders, and for me, that wisdom is golden and as applicable today as it was 200,000 years ago... My interest is to see how we can develop these societies so that they are more environmentally conscious, they are more socially cohesive."
With the next phase of interviews just a few months away, Marsden has her mind... in the sky.
"Once we're all settled in there I want to go exploring!... What if there is other life out there? I would be really excited to find even a funghi growing somewhere."