President Obama Wants America to Go to Mars by 2030, but Facts Say Otherwise

By Samantha Weller on October 22, 2016

As President Obama nears his last few moments of his last term in office, he has recently expressed his interest in future plans of space exploration. Obama has proposed that humans should be sent to Mars by 2030. His announcement was sparked not only by his general interest in the incredible goal, but his hope that one day, humans can actually reside on Mars.

He believes that this is “vital to the next chapter of America’s story in space,” as he excitedly expressed on an op-ed on CNN.

Obama’s ideal goal for this to happen would be by 2030. By then, we will either have projected the right resources, along with enough determination for it to happen, or the idea will fade away altogether in the midst of either new goals that are easier to work on, or prolonged action on the whole plan.

NASA’s journey to Mars has always been one of perpetual fascination and interest, and NASA also stated that its goal of doing so is by 2030, but what would be an inaugural trip is a bit more complex than meets the eye. First off, there is still thought to be more intent to search Mars for any features that could indicate human life. Mars may be barely bigger than half the size of Earth, but there is still a lot more to be explored on the terrestrial planet: NASA is seeking “spiders” (evidence of erosion such as frozen carbon dioxide) along the land, as well as fossils.

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But despite how many years NASA has to fulfill the aforesaid goals, some sources say that sending humans to Mars would drastically hinder the search for Alien life that NASA has had such dedication towards. President Obama stated a plan to first send astronauts to Mars, and back safely before actually sending people to live on Mars, but even that might not be desirable for some time.

The National Geographic worries that the hunt for alien life would be forever ruined if humans were sent to live on Mars, saying that “the special regions where Earth life could take hold are also the areas where we would most likely find indigenous Martian life.”

So if humans were going to search for proof of extraterrestrial life on Mars, it would be extremely difficult to continue without destroying any evidence by having humans live on the delicate land. Assuming that there would be many more than just a few people living on Mars, there would have to be alterations to the land.

NASA has already proposed a set plan that consists of eight different landing sights, all of which offer an equally important and possibly mission-changing discovery. Whether it’s the search for water, footprints, minerals, structures, or any living things, humans residing on top of such a fragile mystery would be risky.

And so far, many hints have been uncovered, but not enough of the desired findings have really, truly been found. The Mars Rover known as Spirit has found hot springs, and other mysterious water sources have been found, but now NASA seeks to find the reactions between the water and features of the land.

As for life on Mars, a recent video has surfaced with what appears to be small critter walking around Curiosity Rover. Sources say that the critter appears to have been eaten by a creature much bigger, but NASA will have to look more into this to discover what this really means.

Even if more discoveries are made in the next 14 years before the desired goal to move humans out there,  there’s still no telling how many findings are on Mars. Hence, the next 14 years might seem promising, but the whole process is such a big one that it’s impossible to really determine what year is optimal for anyone to decide such a huge goal.

However, if everything goes as planned according to NASA, and with the massive interest in going to Mars, it might be inevitable. It may be in 2030, but it may happen in 2050. Obama stated that “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.”

He understands that the goal will be very challenging, and will “require continued cooperation between government and private innovators,” which will start before we know it, beginning the elaborate plan to fulfill the impossible change we’ve all been waiting for.  However, the possible risks associated with the dream of living on the red ground of mystery have to be considered just as much as the best plan to get people there.

Although a long-shot, and possibly risky, NASA will continue to look into this, along with help from the government. Right over the halfway point of when it is predicted to happen, we can look forward to what could be a life-changing experience. Obama said that if we make leadership in space even stronger this century, “we won’t just benefit from related advances in energy, medicine, agriculture and artificial intelligence, we’ll benefit from a better understanding of our environment and ourselves.”

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