NASA Unveils Three-Stage Plan To Put People On Mars By 2030s
NASA has unveiled an ambitious three-part mission to Mars, with humans expected to set foot on the red planet some time in the 2030s.
The plan is set out in a new 36-page report called ‘Journey to Mars: Pioneering Next Steps in Space Exploration’.
“NASA is closer to sending American astronauts to Mars than at any point in our history,” said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden. “Today, we are publishing additional details about our journey to Mars plan and how we are aligning all of our work in support of this goal”.
The first phase is already underway with the American space agency already testing technologies and studying the effects of long-term space travel on the International Space Station.
In the second ‘proving ground’ stage, the space agency will carry out experiments in the cislunar space - the space around the moon - and will test the Orion spacecraft necessary to reach Mars.
Orion’s first manned test flight is pencilled in for 2018.
A habitat that can keep astronauts healthy for around 1,100 days will also be developed.
The final phase will combine everything that NASA has learnt into manned missions to Mars, eventually landing on the planet itself.
“NASA’s strategy connects near-term activities and capability development to the journey to Mars and a future with a sustainable human presence in deep space,” said William Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for Human Exploration and Operations at NASA.
The space agency will also develop a powerful new space transportation system, which will be powered by the sun, in order to take spacecraft deeper into space.
“The journey to Mars is an historic pioneering endeavour—a journey made possible by a sustained effort of science and exploration missions beyond low-Earth orbit with successively more capable technologies and partnerships,” says a NASA statement.
NASA recently announced that it found strong evidence of flowing water on Mars.
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