Student Ryan MacDonald Shortlisted For One-Way Trip To Colonise Mars
Student Shortlisted For One-Way Trip To Colonise Mars
SWNS
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Oxford undergrad Ryan MacDonald has beaten more than 200,000 others to be placed on the shortlist of boffins to be sent on a one-way trip to Mars to colonise the planet.
Ryan is one of more than 160,000 people from across the world to sign up for what is planned to be the first manned mission to the red planet.
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The 20-year-old, who studied at Lees Brook Community School, in Chaddesden, is now entering his third year at Oxford University. If selected, Ryan would be one of just 40 people making the year-long trip to Mars with a one-way ticket.
One-way Mars Trip
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Computer graphic showing a proposed Martian colony developed by the team at the Mars One space exploration company. (credit:SWNS)
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Oxford University student Ryan MacDonald (left) meets Dutch entrepreneur Bas Lansdorp the co-founder and CEO of Mars One. (credit:SWNS)
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Mars One is planning to make the final selection via a Big Brother-style reality TV show to let the public choose who should colonise the planet, the Daily Telegraph reported.
While Spirit worked for six years and eventually gave up the ghost, Opportunity has vastly outlasted original estimates of its useful lifespan, and is still rolling across the surface sending back data to Nasa's team of researchers.
As part of its celebrations Nasa has published a gallery of images taken by the rovers over the last 10 years.
NASA's Mars Rover Anniversary PICS
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This Aug. 9, 2011 image provided by NASA shows a view from the Mars Rover Opportunity from the Western rim of the Endeavour Crater. (credit:AP)
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This undated image provided by NASA shows the Mars rover Opportunity looking back at an outcrop where it spent the Martian winter in 2012. (credit:AP)
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This image provided by NASA shows a rock that the NASA Mars rover Opportunity examined in 2012. (credit:AP)
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This image provided by NASA shows a shadow self-portrait taken by NASAs Opportunity rover on the Martian surface. (credit:AP)
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This image provided by NASA shows a panoramic view from NASA's Mars Exploration rover Opportunity of "Solander Point." (credit:AP)
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This image provided by NASA shows the late-afternoon shadow cast by the Mars rover Opportunity at Endeavour Crater. The six-wheel rover landed on Mars in January 2004 and is still going strong. (AP Photo/NASA) (credit:AP)
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Handout photo issued by NASA Wednesday 21 January 2004 of a image mosaic taken by the panoramic camera onboard the Mars Exploration Rover Spirit. (credit:PA)
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Nasa undated computer generated image of what the it's Spirit rover would look like on the surface of Mars. (credit:PA)
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This magnified image taken by the Mars Rover Opportunity shows evidence of past flowing water. (credit:Getty Images)
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This magnified image taken by the Mars Rover Opportunity shows evidence of past flowing water. (credit:Getty Images)