Coventry's wannabe Martian mum: 'You can do anything if you want it enough'

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Waving goodbye to friends, family and life on Earth holds no fear for Maggie Lieu.

The Coventry PhD student, 24, has made a shortlist of 100 prospective astronauts from more than 200,000 applicants hoping to make a one-way trip to Mars.

Committing to life on a barren, inhospitable planet would seem a daunting prospect but for Maggie this pales into insignificance compared to the chance of being part of one of the biggest milestones in human history.

She is now due to spend ten years undertaking the training needed for the 140million-mile journey with the $6billion Mars One mission.

University of Birmingham student Maggie Lieu has been named on the shortlist of candidates to set up the first human colony on Mars

A final selection of 40 will leave Earth to live - and die - on the planet under the plans, which will be filmed for a reality TV show to raise funding.

The space science graduate, from Tile Hill, is studying astrophysics at the University of Birmingham and traces her interest back to the age of 12.

She said: "I've been interested in space from a young age, probably since science club in year seven.

"I've always wanted to be an astronaut but it's never been a realistic dream so I swayed towards being a rocket scientist and I did a space science undergraduate degree.

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Coventry's wannabe Martian mum: 'You can do anything if you want it enough'