Obama announced the US intention to make a “giant leap” to Mars Look

US President Barack Obama published an article in which he declared the country’s intention to send astronauts to Mars and return them to Earth in 2030-ies.

According to him, the US space program reflects the features of the “American character, which is characterized by curiosity, innovation, creativity, the desire to push the boundaries of what is possible and to do it faster than anyone else.” “The space race, which we won, says Obama in an article published on the CNN website, not only contributed to the development of immensely important technological and medical advances, but also inspired a new generation of scientists and engineers to maintain America’s leadership in this area.”

Among the achievements Obama noted the fact that the US is the only country capable of launching spacecraft “to all planets of the Solar system”, and that the American telescopes discovered many new, potentially Earth-like planets. In addition, says the American leader, the USA scientists began to study asteroids, which should help not only to prevent their collision with the Earth, but also to solve the mystery of the origin of life on our planet. “And we continue to reduce the cost of space exploration for the taxpayers,” he said.

“We set ourselves a clear goal to open a new Chapter of America’s history in space: to send humans to Mars in 2030-ies and safely return them to Earth,” wrote Obama.

According to him, it is planned that the astronauts will spend one day on the red planet.

“Reaching Mars will require the continued cooperation between public and private companies, and we are already moving in this direction. Over the next two years private companies for the first time send astronauts to the International space station. The next step would be going beyond the orbit of the Earth,” said Obama.

“I’m happy to announce that we are working with our commercial partners to build new habitats that will provide long-term mission astronauts in deep space. These missions will teach us how people will be able to live away from the Earth is what we need for the long journey to Mars,” – said the American President.

“a Flight to Mars will be a giant leap. But the first small steps are made now, when our students – “generation Mars” – go to their classes,” said Obama, noting the importance of investing in educational programs.

He expressed confidence that if I manage to make U.S. leadership in space is even stronger than in the last century, it will allow you to benefit for energy, agriculture, medicine, development of artificial intelligence and a better understanding of the environment on Earth.

In late September, the head of the American private space company SpaceX Elon Musk has stated intention over several decades to send to Mars about a million people who will build there, “self-sustained” city. The Russian space community has ambiguously reacted to this idea, expressing the number of critical remarks.