President Obama wants to see an American fly to and return from Mars within the next two decades.
“We have set a clear goal vital to the next chapter of America’s story in space: sending humans to Mars by the 2030s and returning them safely to Earth, with the ultimate ambition to one day remain there for an extended time,” Obama wrote in an op-ed for CNN published Tuesday.
“Last year alone, NASA discovered flowing water on Mars and evidence of ice on one of Jupiter’s moons, and we mapped Pluto — more than 3 billion miles away — in high-resolution,” Obama wrote about the space program’s recent breakthroughs. “Our space telescopes revealed additional Earth-like planets orbiting distant stars; and we’re pursuing new missions to interact with asteroids, which will help us learn how to protect the Earth from the threat of colliding with one while also teaching us about the origins of life on Earth.
“We’ve flown by every planet in the solar system — something no other nation can say,” he continued. “And we continue to drive down the cost of space exploration for taxpayers.”
Obama said growing up during the space race made him an exploration enthusiast.
“I still have the same sense of wonder about our space program that I did as a child,” he wrote. “It represents an essential part of our character — curiosity and exploration, innovation and ingenuity, pushing the boundaries of what’s possible and doing it before anybody else.
“The space race we won not only contributed immeasurably important technological and medical advances, but it also inspired a new generation of scientists and engineers with the right stuff to keep America on the cutting edge,” he said.
“Getting there will take a giant leap,” Obama wrote. “But the first, small steps happen when our students — the Mars generation — walk into their classrooms each day. Scientific discovery doesn’t happen with the flip of a switch; it takes years of testing, patience and a national commitment to education,” he wrote, listing the investments his administration has made in math and science education.
