Obama set a "clear goal" to send humans
to Mars by the 2030s and to have them return to Earth safely, "with the
ultimate ambition to one day remain there for an extended time."
"Someday,
I hope to hoist my own grandchildren onto my shoulders. We'll still
look to the stars in wonder, as humans have since the beginning of
time," Obama wrote. "But instead of eagerly awaiting the return of our
intrepid explorers, we'll know that because of the choices we make now,
they've gone to space not just to visit, but to stay -- and in doing so,
to make our lives better here on Earth."
Achieving
the goal, Obama added, will "require continued cooperation between
government and private innovators" -- a collaboration that will begin in
the coming years when companies send astronauts to the International
Space Station.
To that end, Obama
announced that the government is "working with our commercial partners
to build new habitats that can sustain and transport astronauts on
long-duration missions in deep space."
The
White House in a joint blog post with NASA said that seven companies
have received awards to develop habitation systems. And this fall, NASA
will provide companies with the opportunity to add modules and other
capabilities to the International Space Station.
Obama who's in the final months of his
eight-year presidency is also looking to set in motion plans, which
could pan out to be a key part of his legacy.
It isn't the first time Obama has rhapsodized about traveling to Mars in his lifetime. at the Kennedy Space Center, the
President outlined an ambitious program that will eventually include
human travel to Mars. He said then that he believed people could be sent
to orbit Mars by the "mid-2030s."
"I expect to be around to see it," Obama said in the speech.
Achieving the goal, Obama added, will
"require continued cooperation between government and private
innovators" -- a collaboration that will begin in the coming years when
companies send astronauts to the International Space Station.
To
that end, Obama announced that the government is "working with our
commercial partners to build new habitats that can sustain and transport
astronauts on long-duration missions in deep space."
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