The US has pledged to send the first humans to Mars by the 2030s, but space experts have expressed doubts about the reach of that goal. Poor planning and lack of funds lead to constant delays. US President Donald Trump has also set the task of sending Americans to the moon - again, for the first time since the Apollo missions of the 60s and 70s - to test the technology and ships that will carry humans to Mars.
However, this decision - to return to the moon - could delay the whole process, because the previous President Barack Obama set the task to fly to Mars.
With an annual budget of $ 18 billion, NASA needs an additional $ 3 billion a year to implement a trip to Mars. At the same time, the space agency receives less funds.
The National Academy of Sciences calculated that if NASA's budget moves as planned, “we should forget about the scenario of reaching Mars by the 2030s. Perhaps by 2050”.
Obviously, no one will wait that long and does not want to.
Chris Carberry, chief executive of Explore Mars, believes international and private partners could help the United States get to Mars. However, they fear that the national course may change. At the same time, experts have outlined a dozen technologies that need to be developed now if the United States wants to land people on Mars in 2030.
Ilya Khel