I have recently been interviewed by many media outlets and the one particular topic that has been the focus of press is giving being pregnant on Mars.

I wanted to clear some things up. Firstly it is not my intention to go to Mars to breed, that is not the reason I applied. I am a scientist, research and knowledge is my passion. That is the reason I want to go to Mars. I am more than just a human vessel/lab experiment. However Mars is a one way journey. It is pretty much inevitable that eventually one of us will become pregnant (well unless MarsOne decides to castrate all the men, although I don’t think that would go down so well). Especially if we want to start a colony, reproduction is a key subject to be discussed.

There is a lack of research on everything from insemination to pregnancy to giving birth in low gravity environment. So the dangers involving such are unknown. What’s more the issue of the ethics of knowingly doing so is debatable. Personally I think that raising a child on Mars is no different than that on Earth. In poverty areas of rural Africa, women face huge risks of death during child birth. Knowingly so they still give birth to children, that are raised with no access to hygiene, food, water or education. Yes giving birth on Mars could be dangerous but there is no research to say for certain. Yes the children of Mars will be in a confined space, however they won’t know any better. What’s more they will be growing up with some of the most intelligent people of Earth, they will be eating healthy foods (grown on mars as opposed to all the junk food we have access to on Earth) and they will have a largely unexplored terrain as their back garden. I couldn’t think of anything better.

Of course being the mother of the first martian would be a privilege, I would never be so stupid as to race for the title. My priority is the research. The first few years on Mars would not be a good environment for a child. There is a lot to be built and set up and the habitat would need expansion. If we were to rely solely on the food resources grown on Mars then the nutrients available probably not be adequate for a child. In my opinion Mars will only become a suitable environment for a child after the colony settles, which would be many years after the first crew land.

Back when I was just starting my Undergraduate degree in Astrophysics, there was no chance I would ever be spending 8 years as a student. I was going to get my Masters and get out of here as quickly as possible. I was going to get a proper job and earn some big bucks. So how I managed to find myself now in the 7th year of academic studies and still living at home with mum is a complete mystery to me. Before I get the chance to whine and moan any further let me tell you 5 reasons why a PhD is amazing so that you can decide whether or not to pursue down the same career path. 1. Flexi-time I mean “real” flexi-time. As a PhD student, you can be in the office when you want, for as long as you want. Is it snowing outside? No problem, because you can work from home. As long as you get the work done, there is no reason why you can’t work from home, well with the exception of teaching duties, oh and meetings… can’t help but “love” those endless, pointless meetings. 2. For the title At the end of 3.5 +/- 0.5 years you will officially be a doctor (well if you successfully pass that dreaded viva). Although its not a “real” doctor as my medic friend kindly points out, the fact that you will have Dr. on your passport, credit cards and other paperwork will lead you many VIP treatments in the future for example upgrades on planes. 3. Your parents will love you Your parents will be so proud and boast continuously about having a doctor for a child to friends and relatives. Your friends will love you and call you the smartest person they know. Strangers will think you are a genius. All in all, love all round. 4. Opportunities to travel the world There are countless conferences and workshops in all different fields. This is your chance to see the world with everything paid for. Disclaimer: this can get boring after 3 trips to Italy per year as I have experienced first hand! 5. Advancing the world Lastly the most important point of a PhD is that you are contributing to the knowledge of mankind. Your research is unique and you will become the expert in your field. I hope this has persuaded some of you to do a PhD (or not). At some point I may blog about why you shouldn’t do a PhD so keep an eye out for it. Mwah M.