In NASA believe that the expedition to Mars could take place in the next 20 years
However, according to assistant Director of the office of Thomas Zurbuchen, in order that the expedition took place, it is required to solve a number of problems of the technical plan.
GENEVA, September 13. /Offset. TASS Konstantin Gain/. Manned flight to Mars could take place in the next 20 years. This confidence was expressed by Thomas Zurbuchen, assistant Director of the National Directorate of the USA on Aeronautics and space research (NASA), responsible for the scientific mission.
In an interview with the newspaper Blick, Zurbuchen, is a native of Switzerland and a graduate of the University of Berne, said: “it is possible that over the next 20 years we will be able to send people to Mars.”
Probably, it will happen in 2030-ies, he added, explaining that the terms depend on the budget of NASA and its partners.
However, in order for the expedition took place, it is required to solve a number of problems of the technical plan. “We are still too slow, said Zurbuchen. — We should develop a much faster rocket. Second, the life support should be more effective than the current space station. They should be more reliable since we can’t easily send it in for repair. We will be in total isolation for several years.”
The study of Mars, the expert considers “strategically important” task. In particular, you will need to deliver to Earth samples of soil from various parts of the world. At the moment there are only a few pieces of meteorites, which are presumed to have a Martian origin.