The US has made up its mind to send humans to Mars by 2030. NASA has informed that work on the project has already started on preparing deep space habitats. The US President, Barack Obama notified on Tuesday, 12 October 2016 that the US would be in partnership with private enterprises will try to accomplish this feat in the next 15 years. The first step in this venture will envisage building Deep Space habitats which will be used as a springboard to send humans into ultra deep space journeys including an odyssey to Mars.
Private organizations like Tesla founder Elon Musk’s Space X company is already planning to send a human to Mars in the next few years. NASA is developing a rocket name Space Launch System or the SLS for a Mars mission. NASA is planning to send astronauts into space beyond Moon but not to Mars by 2020. The first task by the SLS without humans aboard has been scheduled for 2018.
NASA’s Mars Odyssey will be accomplished in partnership with more than 1000 private enterprises. It is for the first time, so many different companies including private finances are being utilized for this gigantic project.
The US President was talking to CNN where he revealed his future goals in space exploration. He underlined the goal to send a man to Mars and safely return by 2030. It will be followed by a permanent outpost of humans on the red planet. It will require the participation of private enterprises and the first goal will be to make deep space outposts which will be used for more ambitious deep space journeys.
On Thursday ‘scientists, engineers, innovators and students’ will gather in Pittsburgh for the White House Frontiers Conference where they will have an exhaustive discussion on how these future projects will be accomplished. In the coming two years, astronauts of private companies will be visiting the International Space Station for the first time.
Six companies have been granted permissions to evolve habitats which will be suitable for an extended human stay in deep space. They will also design spacecraft which will be suitable for long space journeys like a mission to Mars.
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