Beemer to Mars
By Lisa Taylor
“By refocusing our space program on Mars for America's future, we can restore the sense of wonder and adventure in space exploration that we knew in the summer of 1969. We won the moon race; now it's time for us to live and work on Mars…” ~Buzz Aldrin In recent years, the world is witnessing a renewed interest in space exploration. Although this mission will be hard, laced with separation, sacrifice and danger - for one Fort Campbell Soldier, this perilous mission is worth the opportunity to explore the uncharted lands of Mars. First Lieutenant Heidi Beemer’s 17 year dream to be one of the first humans to colonize Mars may soon come to fruition as she enters the third round of selections for the Mars One Mission. Beemer was selected out of a pool of 200,000 candidates who applied for this program and joins the ranks of 1,058 candidates who will enter round three of selections. Out of the 1,058 selected to enter round three, only 45 candidates will be chosen to participate in the program, with current plans for only 24 candidates to colonize Mars.
Beemer has long dreamed of being one of the first humans to inhabit Mars since she first read about the Mars robot, Sojourner, in the
Virginian-Pilot newspaper in 1997, sharing that, “Ultimately, this is the greatest thing mankind has ever done. The curiosity of the unknown; that is something I am passionate about. Learning about new things and answering the questions of why we exist? What happened on Mars? What happened on the surface? If we can go to a place that is entirely different from Earth, the discoveries are endless.” Preparation for the Mars One mission is something Beemer has been training for her entire military career. After graduating from the Virginia Military Institute, she was commissioned as an officer in the U. S. Army. Serving as a Chemical Specialist with the 63rd Chemical Company on Fort Campbell, Beemer is no stranger to working in harsh environments surrounded by deadly chemicals, “We do extensive training in full chemical masks and suits and we go down range to environments that are hostile to humans. I have actually been in a facility that had live chemical agents, where if you took your mask off you would become severely sick. Knowing that I can keep a level head and be calm during a training situation like that lets me know that I am going to be okay in situations I may face where it is life or death.” There will be a considerable amount of self satisfaction for those chosen to go to Mars, however, Beemer insists, “This isn’t 100 percent about me. This is something that humanity needs
Hometown Hero and we need people who are willing to volunteer for this mission to say hey, I’m going to leave everything behind and go do this.” Since completing round two of selections Beemer has taken to sharing her deep passion for space exploration through public outreach, stating, “I have been able to go to elementary schools, middle schools and high schools to talk to kids and get them more excited about not only the Mars One program but space exploration in general. This is their future, something they will one day have to take care of.” In addition to providing leadership to her Soldiers and training to qualify for the Mars One Mission, Beemer is a volunteer coach for the Royals Futbol Club saying that, “Soccer has been an outlet I have used my entire life. I played Division One soccer with the Virginia Military Institute, and I learned so much about leadership and myself. This is the first year that I actually have teams. Working with kids, seeing them look up to me and being able to share with them the love I have for this sport has been an awesome experience.” 2024 is the target year for humans to take their next step forward in the universe by landing the very first team on the Red Planet. Phase three of the selection process will begin in April of this year. Keep an eye on Beemer as she is sure to make a steady climb towards achieving this milestone in human history. Find Heidi on Twitter at beemer2mars
“I think this is fulfilling a lifelong dream. This is something I have wanted to do my whole life! It is almost to the point where everything is unfolding and I almost feel like maybe I really am made to do this.” ~Heidi Beemer
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