A law graduate from De Montfort University Leicester (DMU) has been named as one of just 100 applicants to be the first humans on Mars.
Alexandra Doyle, who took a First in Law, was named this week as one of the hopefuls by Dutch company Mars One, which aims to colonise the Red Planet in 2024.
More than 200,000 people applied for a place on the programme and Alex, who lives in Oakham, found out she was a finalist on Friday.
She said: “I have always loved anything space-related. I’ve harboured a dream to travel to space since I was really little.
“It seemed like the most incredible opportunity and an amazing adventure. My parents are completely unfazed by it all.”
The one-way trip has been run by Mars One, part of Dutch company Stitchting Mars One. So far 50 men and 50 women have been chosen for the next stage of the process.
They will be whittled down to 24 and, after years of training, a final four astronauts will be selected to form the first colony on Mars.
“I actually like the fact that there’s no coming back,” said Alex. “I think that if you put a decade’s worth of training into this, and we land there, why would you want to just turn back?”
Alex, 29, graduated from DMU in 2012 after completing her degree part-time and working full-time to support her studies. “I was the first person in my family to go to university. DMU was really good for me; I’d be in lectures in the evening and in the library at really odd times! The lecturers were all so supportive. Leicester is a great place to study.”
Since graduating, Alex has been acting and has appeared in 24: Live Another Day, Endeavour and Sherlock, as well as working as a stand-in on Skyfall.
Posted on Monday 23 February 2015