A teenage wannabe astronaut from Cornwall is on a mission to secure a place on a one-way trip to Mars – despite being given no guarantees of ever returning to planet Earth.
The venture by Mars One programme has an attraction for Josh Harvey, from Camborne, who said he was willing to be sealed up in habitats, supplied with machine-made air and water and nourished by food that can only be grown on a cold, barren planet for the rest of his life.
"My family will of course miss me and I will miss them but they know my lust for travelling and exploring and they would without a question support me and what I do," the 18-year-old from Camborne Science and International Academy said. "And quite frankly all this gazing and staring up at the night sky is starting to make my neck ache, so that would be a nice change."
He got involved in the Dutch-based programme because he believed there would not be anything like it again.
But he is not alone in his willingness to emigrate across the solar system to a permanent settlement on Mars. He is one of 80,000 applicants from more than 120 countries who have paid a fee and submitted a video in which they explain why they would like to go, their sense of humour and what makes them perfect candidates.
By August the applicants – hoped to reach 500,000 – will be narrowed to 50 to 100 for each of the 300 geographic regions identified by the company, and by 2015 that number will be reduced to between 28 and 40 overall.
Those people will train for seven years, followed by a reality television show, with the audience deciding who will ultimately get the green light to fly in 2023.
In his video, Josh said: "The thought of travelling to Mars... well just saying it makes my heart go faster with excitement.
"Going to space travelling through the stars has always been a dream of mine."
His video is currently ranked third in the UK with a rating of 3.75 and he said he was the second highest rated 18-year-old in the world.
He is now asking for support from his local community to help his chances.
