Obama wants to send astronauts to Mars by Magdalena Rosova

President Barack Obama introduced his new plan for space exploration that should lead American astronauts on historic journeys to an asteroid and to Mars. But the rockets and propulsion that should get Americans to the Mars need to be imagined and built first. Obama further boldly said he believed to be around to see it. He gave his speech near the historic Kennedy Space Center launch pads which sent the first men to the moon. Obama told that he wants NASA's space program to leap into the future. His speech reminded many the John F. Kennedy's declaration in 1961 when he claimed: "I believe that this nation should commit itself to achieving the goal, before this decade i! s out, of landing a man on the Moon and returning him safely to Earth." NASA achieved this goal in 1969. Mars landing will not happen in close future. But Obama believes that by 2025 there would be a new spacecraft designed for extremely long journeys beyond the moon. According to Obama's plan, astronauts should be first sent to an asteroid and in the middle of 2030s humans can be sent to Mars orbit and then safely to Earth. Critics of Obama's plan say the plan lacked details and goals. There are many asteroids around Earth and occasionally they hit the planet. Such hit can cause serious damages. For example, it is believed that dinosaurs extincted because of asteroid. If human landed on an asteroid, scientists would be provided by needed information on how to handle a future killer asteroid. Furthermore, there is less gravity on asteroid than on the moon, so it would easier and cheaper to leave.

related story (sgx17021): htt p://www.theregister.co.uk/2010/01/28/obama_nasa_precursor...

by Magdalena Rosova for Cantell TV (http://cantell.tv)

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