The girl who dreams to live on Mars

It's a beautiful thing to dream. My advice to this young lady is as follows: First, understand that if and when the world launches a mission to the Red Planet, competition for those first seats is going to be tough. We don't know what we'll encounter there, and whichever government makes that step, will send crew who are prepared to deal with everything from life and death choices, to first contact. I would argue that having a pilot's license is good... but being a freshman at Annapolis or Colorado Springs would've been better. Meeting and greeting leading minds and personalities is a great move... it's always good to have publicity. Still, she's going to need to be either a highly skilled and experienced test pilot, scientist, or medical professional to make the cut. More to the point, she needs this mission to happen sometime between twenty to thirty years from now-no more, no less. Otherwise, she'll either be too inexperienced, or too old to join. I wish her luck, but she needs a solid "back up" plan; like earning Navy or Air Force wings, to obtain the best shot at a fulfilling life... vs. a serious let down early in life.

Given the opportunity, I'd go. It would be a chance in a lifetime that I couldn't pass.