NASA chief Charles Bolden has marked a three- step plan to land humans on our ginger neighbors by 2030. More specifically, Bolden claims that a manned mission to Mars is necessary for the survival of our species.
Humans on Mars is not only inevitable, it’s a necessity.
A second Earth? We may need to make it ourselves. Charles Bolden is the head of the US space program and a veteran space shuttle pilot. To achieve the ambitious goal of saving the human species by way of Mars, Bolden has outlined a list of stepping stones that include some… out there ideas. The first step to getting humans on Mars is “lassoing” an asteroid and bringing it into the Moon’s orbit by 2015. NASA will then attempt to grow plants on the asteroid and also use a series of 3D printers for onboard repairs. One reason capturing an asteroid makes sense is that most scientist agree that asteroids contain water ice.
If this species is to survive indefinitely we need to become a multi-planet species
Although most of what Charles Bolden said seems reputable, it is important to realize Bolden released NASA’s plan at the Humans to Mars summit. Releasing information about a manned mission to Mars to a group of people, and in some cases Mars groupies, dedicated to seeing a manned mission to Mars might just be an act of pleasing the flock. That is not to say the release of information is not exciting. It certainly is. Even this specific scenario might be one of preaching to the choir, it’s hard to fault Charles Bolden’s enthusiasm. “If this species is to survive indefinitely we need to become a multi-planet species. We need to go to Mars, and Mars is a stepping stone to other solar systems.”
“Mars is a stepping stone to other solar systems.” Charles Bolden emphasized.
Although getting humans on Mars was the main attraction, A few other developments were also announced at the Humans to Mars summit. An Ion thruster that uses beams of electrically-charged atoms to navigate deep space was announced dubbed NASA’s Solar Electric Propulsion System, adding to their long list of abbreviated projects. Bolden also briefly mentioned plan for a next generation spacecraft, Orion Multi-Purpose Crew Vehicle. This new spacecraft will be in the frontline for future trips to the Moon and Mars. These changes have all come off the back of NASA’s recently increased budget. Charles Bolden added “With some increases in Nasa’s budget, we’re gonna be able to get to Mars in the 2030s.”
For further reading on this subject visit the Washington Post article here.
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