La Veillée #2 : Florence Porcel

The next storyteller honoured
us to be here tonight

but if it was up to her, she would be
on another planet

Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome
Florence Porcel

Good evening. So I would actually like to
go on another planet.

I would like to settle down on Mars.

So, Mars, for those who don't really get
it, is located between

60 millions and 400 millions kilometers
from Earth -- quite a long way.

It is very cold, -63°C (-81,4°F) on
average, there's no liquid water

at a stable state. It is constantly
exposed by cosmic rays

and the atmosphere is 95% CO2.

So... Not really an oasis. But I
definitely want to go there.

It's not like a silly whim or something.

I mean, I do everything
to prepare myself.

For example, a few weeks ago,
I was returning of a simulation

of a journey on Mars in the Utah desert,
in the United States. There's a housing

that is similar to the ones that will
be used on Mars in a few years;

We ate lyophilized food like astronauts.

We never went outside without our space
suits. We also simulated the distances

between Earth and Mars -- each
time we sent a mail

we waited 40 minutes to answer, so that
would be as immersive as we could.

Beside, I applied to a project named
Mars One

you may have heard about it. It's a
private company who is willing to

send men and women on Mars.

The principle of this project is to settle
permanently -- there's no back on Earth.

It's not a scientific mission where we
just go, take some samples and thats it.

This is another kind of approach. We're
gonna settle, make our new house

on another world. And as one of
the few French to go further and further

in the candidacy, I was well reported on
the media.

I've met a lot of journalists, I went to
plenty of TV shows.

I've met a lot of people, I've made
conferences, round tables,

all kind of events. So I really met a lot
of people.

And each time I tell my story, there's
two possible reactions.

Wether the people were super enthusiastics,
like "Wow, that's so cool!"

They asked me question about the approach,
the practicability of the project,

how it would goes, etc.
Or they were getting completely angry

and agressive. And there is always this
sentence:

"You're completely crazy, do
you even know that you

"are going to die ?"

"Well... Yes, I'm going to die. And you
too by the way. Sorry for this

unpleasant reminder, but yes,
we're all going to die."

And people weren't like you in general,
they wouldn't laugh,

they just became livid. That was funny
to see these people reminding my

own death while they didn't even know
themselves if they were going

to die one day.
Ironically, I'm already dead.

I died drown when I was young.
When I say that I died,

it is because I was able to live a
"Near-Death Experience."

And later, at 16, I got a brain tumor.
I nearly passed away again.

And then, 3 years ago, I've been
intoxicated by carbon monoxide.