Donald trump is sending astronauts to Mars! He has already asked NASA to launch “rapid and affordable” mission to the Moon by the year 2020 but recently leaked internal documents say that his ambitions aim even further in Space.
Now everybody is wondering: Can Trump be the first president to send humans to Mars?
Colonizing the Red Planet is not an unattainable goal
It may sound a silly and unrealistic goal to some, but Trump is apparently convinced it is doable. He has had several meetings with representatives of SpaceX, the largest American aerospace manufacturer, and space transport services company, and with its CEO Elon Musk himself being a famous business magnate, investor, engineer, and inventor, is also famous for his campaign for colonizing Mars.
According to Musk, there is a pressing need for reaching the Red Planet as this might be of critical importance for the survival of humankind.
What are Trump’s motives?
One could understand the philanthropic motives behind Elon Musk’s campaign as Mars and Earth may be very different planets in size, temperature, and atmosphere, but when it comes to geological processes, they are amazingly similar. Given that, NASA has been seeking ways to use Mars' natural resources for years.
But why is Trump so interested in sending astronauts to explore Mars? There have been speculations in the media that such an ambitious project will guarantee him reelection in 2020. Another motive could be that if the mission turns successful, it will be for sure his most memorable legacy.
Trump’s space agenda brings about serious concerns
Experts suspect that Trump’s project will be funded with money diverted from NASA’s global warming science program. The total cost of the preparation and execution of the project comes out to $35 billion, so if Trump is that determined to carry on with it, he has to double NASA’s budget.
Just a reminder, during his presidency, Obama did exactly the opposite: he increased NASA’s budget for environmental programs by 63 percent at the expense of its exploration budget.
