super/collider: Life On Mars

super/collider presents: Life On Mars.

The coming decades could see the first crewed expeditions to Mars, and because of the vast distances involved we could be there to stay. So what would a small settlement and an off-planet society be like? Join leading astrobiologist Dr Louisa Preston and prospective Mars settlers Maggie Lieu and Clare Weedon as we explore the daunting challenges but incredible potential of life on another world.

Dr Louisa Preston is an astrobiologist and planetary geologist who often works in some of the most extreme environments on the planet to explore how life thrives, how it’s preserved and how we can identify ancient life on Earth and (potentially) similar life on Mars.

Maggie Lieu and Clare Weedon were chosen as prospective astronauts for the Mars One expedition – an ambitious plan to send four settlers to the Red Planet on a one-way trip to establish mankind’s first off-world colony. Maggie, who has now left the project, is pursuing a PhD with the Astronomy & Space Research group at the University of Birmingham and believes that a ‘race for Mars’ between several key players means she’ll get to Mars one way or the other.