FlightCom Magazine 16Face to Face
RepoRt: Guy LeitchDr Adriana Marais is by any standards an extraordinary
person. Unquestionably bright, she is nonetheless
posturing on the world’s stages about living the rest of
her life on Mars. Guy Leitch discusses the practicalities
of this mission in his attitude for altitude column in
SA Flyer this month. But what makes her tick? To
understand Adriana as a person, here are her answers
to 25 somewhat more personal questions:
25 RANDOM QUESTIONS
FOR DR ADRIANA MARAIS
- Window or aisle seat? Aisle.
- Classic or rock music? Rock.
- How do you define art? As a crucial letter
in STEAM- the tools with which to create a
#ProudlyHuman future. - Party animal – or stay in with a good
book? I make time for both [winking smiley] - What question do you hate to answer?
Will you have babies on Mars? (Clearly the
end goal for a woman, whatever planet she’s
on). - What are you most afraid of? That
humans don’t evolve quickly enough to
emerge from the current era. - What takes up too much of your time?
(Still) Trying to renew my passport. - What would be your first question after
waking up from being cryogenically
frozen for 100 years? Double espresso?
And take me to your leaders.
9. What car do you drive? I rent or Uber.
10. Have you ever bungy jumped - or
skydive? My life is enough of a roller-coaster
ride, haven’t felt the urge yet...
11. What are some things you’ve had to
unlearn? Learning is a journey, always
forwards.
12. What is something you will never do
again? I try never to say never.
13. If there are two types of people in this
world, what are the two types? People
who accept the status quo and people who
don’t.
14. Do you drink tap water? In countries
where it’s possible.
15. Are women the stronger sex? For
purposes of space travel, on average women
are smaller and therefore eat, drink and
breathe less and are therefore more resilient
with fewer resources.