Karen Cumming

MARS ONE CANDIDATE

No one can say that Karen Cumming shies away from adventure – the more outlandish, the better. Perhaps that’s why she’s excited, rather than anxious, about the very real possibility that in ten years’ time, she may find herself on a one-way trip to another world. The former broadcast reporter and current teacher is one of only 75 Canadians to clear the first round of eliminations en route to the first Mars One mission to the Red Planet, a project aimed at building a permanent community there.

After whittling the field down from over 200,000 applicants, from all over the world, the privately funded enterprise will narrow the remaining 1,058 candidates to a crew of four that will head into space in 2024. While many might balk at the idea of a one-way ticket into space – once the crew takes off, there’s no returning to Earth – the Burlington resident isn’t worried about spending the rest of her life on another planet. In fact, she’s eager to be one of the few with the opportunity to relay all that she learns back to us: “It is an amazing opportunity to cover an absolutely amazing story.”