Camila Gil
04/04/2021 13:54
Clarín.com
Zonal
Updated 04/04/2021 18:48
Reaching space and walking on the moon was the dream that
Marco Soster
had since he was a child
(34).
Like so many other kids, the Monte Grande neighbor used to tell his mother that he wanted to be an astronaut.
A loyal follower of
NASA
networks
, he found out about the DearMoon contest whose prize is nothing more and nothing less than a trip to the moon.
Soster was one of the few Argentines registered for the space tourism journey, which will feature eight crew members.
And a week ago he received confirmation that he is one of the applicants who
passed the initial filter.
Continue in the race for the trip planned for two years from now.
Of course, to get to occupy one of the available seats you will have to pass more preselections, including a physical test.
Millionaires thing
If all goes according to plan by the South African megamillionaire Elon Musk - considered the richest man in the world, with a fortune that would be between
160,000 and 190,000 million
dollars - those who are winners will fly for free in 2023 around the natural satellite from the earth
.
The space mission will be carried out in a spacecraft of SpaceX, the aerospace company created by Musk with the aim of being the first to make private trips to space.
It may fail: A SpaceX prototype explodes during a test in March in Texas.
Photo: SPACEX / AFP.
The initiative in which Soster signed up came from another billionaire, the Japanese
Yusaku Maezawa
(whose capital, much more "modest" than Musk's, is estimated at 1.9 billion dollars), who contracted the first trip to the Moon at SpaceX. -in exchange for a sum that is kept confidential- and he will also be in charge of choosing the people who will fly with him.
In principle, Maezawa planned to travel alone.
But then he decided that there would be a total of 12 people, of which eight will be chosen in a space lottery on his website: www.dearmoon.earth.
As they explained, the Starship spacecraft will take three days to reach the Moon, it will go around the satellite and, finally, it will begin a trip back to Earth, also lasting three days.
The only initial requirement is one that Marco Soster fulfills perfectly: be
passionate about space.
The neighbor has already passed the first stage and is looking forward to the next preselection, which will be in the course of this month.
The next test will be physical, the idea is to make sure that the conditions are optimal to be able to carry out the trip.
“The contest consists of several instances and there are about 500 thousand registrants from all over the world.
I have already passed the first stage and there are four more, ”says Soster, who from a very young age has maintained an interest in science, which comes from the hand of his father, professor.
Marco Soster, a DJ from Monte Grande, postulated to travel to the moon in 2023.
And he adds: “I have been a DJ for 15 years but with the pandemic I am
working as an electrician
and
I am
studying the second year of nursing.
But I always had a strong interest in space, and this is a unique opportunity for me ”.
What's coming
Regarding the steps to follow, he says: “Currently, I am only in contact by mail.
There are four more instances and the finalists will be announced at the end of July ”.
“Personally, I know it is a long way to go,” he admits, “but as the selection stages progress, the illusion grows.
I think it would be amazing to be among the finalists.
I still feel that I have already won because I also believe that it is important to spread interest in science and space ”.
Finally, the neighbor assures that the repercussion that his registration had in social networks fostered interest in the spatial theme.
“These days, after the news was known, I came across many people who were interested and wanted to know more.
It is very good".
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