The intention of the Americans to land on the Red Planet is for the first time enshrined in legislation
The US Congress approved a bill according to which the US aerospace agency NASA will receive $ 19.5 million to organize a manned expedition to Mars and the landing of astronauts on the Red Planet. Moreover, according to the same document, NASA is obliged to organize such a flight within the next 25 years.
In order for the first man to set foot on Mars in a quarter of a century, the American Aerospace Agency and its partners are creating the Orion manned spacecraft and the SLS (Space Launch System) super-heavy rocket. Document S.3346 was the first to not only determine the amount of funding for the Mars manned expedition, but also legislate its deadlines.
In one form or another, NASA experts have announced plans to send a man to Mars for 45 years - since the first research satellite was launched to the Red Planet. For some time, the specific time frame for the implementation of such a project was not named, later information appeared that an expedition of this kind could happen as early as 2033, and in May of this year an even bolder forecast was announced - speaking at a forum in Washington, the vice president of one of the American concerns said that the first manned flight to Mars is scheduled for 2028. However, it was not about landing on the planet, but only about traveling to its orbit.
Around the same time, a number of experts, including Russian ones, said that they consider the prospects a somewhat more distant prospect than their American counterparts imagine. One way or another, shortly before this, the director of the American Aerospace Agency Charles Bolden said that he would be glad to cooperate with Russia and other countries in preparing the Martian expedition, and Russian President Vladimir Putin, in turn, emphasized the importance of cooperation with the United States in the space field for the country …
In June, NASA astronaut Tom Jones in an interview with MK noted that he considers 25 years the most likely period during which a manned flight to Mars will become a very realistic prospect, and specialists will collect enough information to make the flight and landing as safe as possible for the participants.
Dmitry Erusalimsky