A One Way Ticket To Mars

A husband supports his wife’s decision to go to Mars on a one-way ticket.

17:31 05 August 2015

Jason Stanford’s wife, Sonia Van Meter has been selected as part of the top 100 by Mars one mission, and he says that he has accepted and supports his wife’s decision even though it means that he’ll say goodbye to her in 11 years, as the mission is set to launch its first group in 2026.

 

The privately-funded mission to the Red Planet offers volunteers a one-way ticket.

 

Jason, who lives in Alexandria, Virginia, says he’s an “astronaut wife” and that he and his sons Henry, 13, and Hatcher, 11, have accepted Sonia’s decision and are excited for her to go.

 

In a feature for Texas Monthly, Jason wrote:  "This was bigger than me. It raises existential questions far weightier than how much I’d miss Sonia and whether I remembered who our plumber was or knew where she kept all the passwords.

 

"What could be my personal horror story would become the world’s grandest adventure, and understanding how this might change my life forced me to realize that Mars One could change everyone’s life.

 

"If it succeeds in its mission - establishing a sustainable colony on another planet - it would change the history of humanity by expanding our boundaries beyond this planet."