American cosplayer Maggie Duckworth has a chance at being one of the first human beings to set foot on Mars. And, when that’s done, be the first human being to cosplay on Mars.As one of the finalists in the Mars 100 competition, Duckworth was picked from over two hundred thousand applicants. You might think a pastime and craft like cosplay has nothing to do with the selection process in such a (potentially) important endeavour. After all, any mission to Mars surely needs more doctors, electricians and engineers than it will cosplayers. But you’d be surprised just how big a part Maggie’s hobby had in earning her a shot at the stars.
“I’ve had a love of outer-space and exploration since I was little,” Duckworth says, “if I had to track it back to one source, the next generation with my parents in the 80s really made the cosmos come alive for me, and I wanted to get out there.”
“That same drive is the one that pushed me into fantasy and science fiction, which led to my desire to cosplay and to later become an Electrical Engineer. When I saw that Mars One was looking for applications for those looking to get out there and start colonizing other planets, I thought it would be an incredible chance to live an adventure that I’ve always wanted to be a part of, and one which I had spent my life inadvertently developing skills for.”
The way she’s been “inadvertently developing skills” is key to Duckworth’s spot in the selection process. Sure, Mars will need scientists and surveyors, but if the only people to embark on the mission were highly-trained specialists, life might get a little boring.
