NASA needs to overhaul Mars manned mission project, report says

According to the Daily Mail, a report released by the US National Research Council has warned NASA to review its current strategy if it wants to send a manned mission to Mars. The document - commissioned by the US Congress in 2010 - also recommends that the space agency partner with other countries, and suggests that the ban on international collaboration with China be reevaluated.

According to NASA, there is a consensus that its next goal should be a human mission to Mars. One of the options considered includes the space agency's ongoing project to capture an asteroid with the help of a robotic device, redirect it to orbit around the moon, and then send astronauts there to explore the space. Space rock.

Travel Options

From the asteroid, the next step would be to travel to the moons of Mars, then to a stable orbit of the Red Planet, and finally to reach the Martian surface. However, there are still two other less technologically challenging options. One would be to use the International Space Station as a foothold, and from there to go to the moon and then directly to Mars.

The last option considered, although it involves the largest number of “stops” to the Red Planet, is the least complicated, as the components needed to complete the trip would be built along the way. Thus the journey would begin on Earth to the International Space Station and from there to a stable orbit of the moon.

Then the astronauts would travel to an asteroid on its native route - not one that was previously "towed" by NASA - and then to the lunar surface. Once on the satellite, a base would be installed there, and from that point the astronauts would follow to the moons of Mars, the Martian orbit, and finally the surface of the planet.

Partnerships

However, whichever option is chosen to take astronauts to Mars, NASA will have to rely on the support of public and private organizations, as well as the collaboration of other space agencies. This is where China comes into play - and things get complicated. To begin with, the country is not yet a member of a group of 15 nations participating in the International Space Station-related program.

Not to mention a law passed by the US Congress in 2011 that prohibits any cooperation between the US and China, including partnerships with US companies. However, given China's rapid development with respect to space exploration, the report suggests that the ban be lifted and the Chinese included in the group of 15 countries for future partnerships.

With respect to deadlines, NASA estimates that man could step on Martian soil by 2035, although some private organizations, supported by recent surveys, point out that this would be possible by 2025. The panel has not yet released any estimates of the cost of the mission, but based on previous missions, the public will certainly approve the initiative. After all, this could be humanity's greatest achievement.