A 28-year-old Filipina may just be one of those who will be chosen to go to Mars in 2026 as part of a crew to establish a permanent human settlement there.
Jaymee Del Rosario, who was born in Quezon City, and is the chief executive officer of a metal company in the United States, said she is excited to have the chance to go to Mars, calling that “a dream come true.”
“This experience of being able to be a part of a great opportunity of space exploring, it makes me very happy,” Del Rosario said during the weekly Pandesal Forum at the Kamuning Bakery Cafe in Quezon City yesterday. She is visiting her ailing father in the Philippines.
Del Rosario is one of the two Filipinos in the shortlist of 202,586 applicants who volunteered to join the ambitious “Mars One” project.
“This is a once in a lifetime experience. I am very happy because I was chosen from 200,000-plus applicants,” she said, hoping that her interest to travel to Mars will encourage more interest in Science and Technology all over the country.
Del Rosario has a wide range of interests – being an entrepreneur, metallurgist, political science junkie, president and CEO of International Metal Source and co-founder of Giggup. International Metal Source distributes raw material metals and exotic alloys to aerospace, defense and commercial industries since 2009.
This early and even if she is not yet confirmed to be chosen, Del Rosario said she is already preparing for the seven-month journey to Mars. That includes a lot of hiking, half-marathons, and gym workout.
She said she has also traveled to London, New York and Washington DC to meet her possible teammates.
Her preparations also include reading and doing research to better understand the planet Mars.
Her mind already strays to what to bring to Mars. That will be Earth scents such as grass and tree, and also a Philippine flag.
With that much uncertainty, is she afraid of death? Her reply: No, I am ready for anything.
“People always ask if I’m scared of death. You know anything can happen from the launching, to the voyage, to the transit time and arrival. We are all scared of death. But in this instance, at least I know when and where and how it may happen. Hindi naman suicidal diba,” Del Rosario said.
Del Rosario said there are a total of 16 candidates from Asia for the Mars trip, two of them Filipinas. She expressed confidence that she will be chosen.
“And If I don’t get chosen, I’m still happy that I created awareness of space exploration worldwide. That would be enough for me,” she said.
MARS ONE
According to its website mars-one.com, Mars One is a not for profit foundation with the goal of establishing a permanent human settlement on Mars. The first unmanned mission is scheduled to depart in 2020. Crews will depart for their one-way journey to Mars starting in 2026; subsequent crews will depart every 26 months after the initial crew has left for Mars.
Francis T. Wakefield
