Kerala girl a step away from ticket to Mars

MUMBAI: Kerala girl Shradha Prasad’s dream of settling down on Mars is inching towards reality, with the 19-year-old from Palakkad qualifying for the final round of selection for the “once-in-a-lifetime opportunity”.
Her parents’ only child, this mechanical engineering student is also the lone candidate based in India to be selected by Netherland-based Mars-One for the fourth round of the astronaut selection process, the organization announced on Monday.

Three other Indians have been selected, of which two are based in the US and one in Dubai.

Out of 202,586 applicants, 100 qualified for the third round. Of these, 24 will be chosen by Mars-One for the mission. Among the organization’s advisors are two Indians — K R Sridhara Murthi, former head of Antrix Corporation, Isro’s commercial arm, and aerospace expert Gautam Hariharan.

Mars-One is a non-profit organization based in the Netherlands. It aims to establish a permanent human settlement on Mars by offering a one-way trip to those selected. The current plan envisages crews of four departing every two years beginning 2024. The first unmanned flight is slated for lift-off in 2018.

Artist’s impression of a rover which drives around the chosen region to find the best location for the settlement.According to Mars-One, 50 men and 50 women passed the second round. The candidates came from across the world — 39 from the Americas, 31 from Europe, 16 from Asia, seven from Africa and seven from Oceania.

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Source:Timesofindia

Shradha Prasad