Helen Sharman, first Briton in space, backs manned mission to Mars

'You need a vision of going somewhere, doing something that is hard, going further than humans have ever been before'

Plans to send humans back to the moon lack "vision", according to the first Briton in space, who says that the true challenge is now to send our species to Mars.

Former astronaut Helen Sharman, who undertook an eight-day mission to the Mir space station in 1991, was speaking to the Guardian ahead of her appearance at the Leeds international festival 2018.