NASA outlines 'stepping stones' to get to Mars
NASA says a manned mission to Mars can be accomplished in the 2030s.
NASA has outlined a three-step plan to launch a manned mission to
Mars in the 2030s, with the space agency's chief Charles Bolden
describing such a mission as necessary for "this species is to survive
indefinitely". Bolden, a former test pilot who has flown four shuttle
missions into space including the deployment of the Hubble telescope in
1990, was speaking at the 'Humans to Mars Summit' when he outlined the
"stepping stones" that would take NASA to the Red Planet.
 "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," the Times reported Bolden as saying.
The first of these steps is to "lasso" an asteroid by 2015 and bring
it into the Moon's orbit.
This mission would not only bring scientists new samples from outer
space but would provide a valuable testing ground for key technologies
necessary for manned missions.
These include the deployment of NASA's Solar Electric Propulsion
System - an Ion thruster that use beams of electrically charged atoms or
molecules to create a low, but precise, amount of thrust necessary for
navigating a manned mission in deep space.
Other steps outlined by NASA include developing the technologies that
would allow for self-reliant spacecraft, including the use of 3D
printers to manufacture parts for repairs and finding methods to grow
vegetables in space to create sustainable food supplies. However, as
well the technical challenges Bolden also highlighted the need for
increased funding from the US government.
NASA's 2015 budget is currently requesting one percent less than the
2014 request but $600 million more than the agency received in 2014.
Bolden said, "with some increases in NASA' budget, we're going to be
able to get to Mars in the 2030s".
The NASA chief also revealed more missions about the agency's
under-development Orion spacecraft, which is being designed to ferry
astronauts into deep space.
"Orion is finishing preparation for a heat shield test in December,
and in New Orleans we're beginning to manufacture flight hardware for
the heavy lift rocket necessary for Mars missionsm," wrote Bolden.
- The Independent
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