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NASA Will Land On Mars By 2030s, But It Needs Your Help
Mission to Mars "not just something you see in the movies or read about in comic books", says NASA boss
NASA is embarking on a mission to Mars and has invited the public to submit ideas on how to develop a continuous human base on the red planet.
NASA boss and former astronaut Charles Bolden announced this week that the US space agency intends to send people to Mars at some point in the 2030s, stating:
"There’s great value in reminding our neighbours that landing astronauts on the Red Planet isn’t just a pipe dream or merely something you see in the movies or read about in comic books. It’s the culmination of years of planning and work and discovery and dreaming and – yes – at times discussion and debate.
"So let me take this opportunity to thank you for what you are doing to remind our neighbours – here in the U.S. and around the world – that the Journey to Mars is real; it’s attainable and it matters to humanity and the pursuit of human progress."
The space agency wants the public to submit detailed plans on how elements such as shelter, food, breathable air, commucations, social interaction and medicine can be developed to maintain a permanent human presence in deep space.
NASA is set to offer up to three awards at a minimum of $5,000 each for the best ideas, from a total award pool of $15,000. The prizes will be given based on the relevance, creativity, simplicity, resource efficiency, feasibility, comprehensiveness and scalability of the ideas submitted.
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Unlike the crowdfunded Mars One mission, which seems unlikely to ever get off the ground, NASA has been planning on a Mars mission for a very long time and has already started testing the vehicles that will some day take astronuats to Mars, in the form of the Space Launch System rocket and Orion spacecraft.
A unique experiment is currently underway where two astronauts will be living on the International Space Station for a record-breaking year-long period. While Scott Kelly spends a year on the ISS, his twin brother and fellow astronuat Mark Kelly will remain on Earth. The comparison will allow NASA to study the effects of long-term space travel.
For details on how to send your Mars ideas to NASA, visit Journey To Mars
