UK Space Agency hopes first woman on moon mission will make it key player

UK wants to be deeply involved in next frontier of space exploration - the mission to Mars

When the first female astronaut walks on the moon, more than half a century after Neil Armstrong took that historic first step, it will probably be heralded as a small step for a woman but a giant leap for womankind.

But in the corridors of the UK Space Agency it will also be marked as the moment when Britain staked its claim to become a key player in the next frontier of space exploration - the mission to Mars.