The man was quite ecstatic and determined upon hearing that his name had also been included among the one thousand shortlisted candidates from a total of one thousand hopefuls. A total of two hundred applicants had applied and only one thousand have been shortlisted. Reginald, the lucky Pakistani to be selected, served as an army pilot for the Pakistan Air Force. He retired in 1992 and moved to Canada with his wife.
Foulds seemed happy and undeterred in his mission to explore the new planet. On his website, he exclaimed “I, like the Mars-One team, have a vision to leave a legacy for this world to remember for thousands of years to come. I am determined to do something literally out of this world and be one of the first human for the dawn of a new era – human life on Mars.” Reginald also claimed his military background has toughened him up for the role and he intends to survive in any given situation. “With my 22 years of military background as an infantry officer and a helicopter pilot, I am capable of surviving in any conditions. I have been trained to stand against any odds and in any conditions. I have learned to be adaptable, determined, curious and courageous; I am very focused in what I get out to do. I am a very reliable and a trustworthy person,” he added. His family, also seems to have welcomed the news, despite the obvious dangers it poses. “Both my children are very supportive to my endeavours towards the mission to Mars.”
Reginal Foulds currently works as Emergency Operations Officer for the Pakistani government. His job is to respond to damages caused by any massive scale natural disaster that strikes the country. The mission could spell doom for the Pakistani astronaut-to-be, as according to a recent study, the venturing humans can only venture for a total of sixty-eight days before they perish, on account of lack of oxygen. The mission will commence from 2024, where the final selected would be slashed down to 24 selections. These 24 will be sent to Mars in six groups of four, two years from 2024.
Good luck to Pakistan’s very own Reginal Foulds. Let’s hope the discovery for a new planet yields positive results and our very own flag gets planted on the face of Mars some day!
