An East Sooke woman took one small step Monday toward fulfilling her lifelong dream of exploring outer space. Marina Miral learned by email that she was one of 1,058 candidates short-listed for a one-way mission to Mars that aims to establish a human settlement on the red planet by 2025. The Mars One project selected the 30-year-old author from more than 200,000 applicants around the world. “I was shocked, for one, because I’d kind of given up; I sort of thought I would have heard sooner,” Miral said. “I just haven’t been able to stop smiling. “I’m so excited. I’ve never been so excited.”