Europe is considering sending humans to the moon, Mars and maybe even further in the coming decades. According to a proposal currently on the table of the leaders of the member states of the European Space Agency, a robotic outpost will be built on the Red Planet to prepare the ground (literally) for a manned landing
Europe joins the race to send a man to Mars - the director of the European Space Agency denies competition with NASA, and expects cooperation. He also said that it is necessary to verify if there is life on the red planet before a person gets there
4.2.2004
Vallis Marinaris, as photographed by the European Mars Express spacecraft in early January 2004
A European man will be able to walk on the surface of Mars within three decades, according to the plans of the European Space Agency (ESA) detailed in a press conference today.
The European plan is more accurate than the American space program as presented last month by the President, George Bush, who intends to send a man to the moon by 2020, and a man to Mars by 2030. "We think it is possible to send a man to the moon between 2020-2025 and then send a man to Mars Between the years 2030-2035," said Franco Ongro, who heads the project.
We have to go back to the moon before we can try and get to Mars" explained Ongro "Since none of the people who worked on Apollo are here anymore, we have to learn to walk before we can run." He denied that there is competition with NASA, the American space agency, and said that he expects the Americans, Europeans and Russians, who all have plans for Mars, to cooperate with each other.
"The most exciting space adventure"
The European space program includes a first mission in 2007 to test the vehicle that will have a higher speed on re-entry than the vehicles currently returning from the moon. Two years later, the "Exo-Mars" will be released, a robot whose mission will be to search for life, past or present, on Mars. And in 2014 another mission aimed at bringing materials from Mars.
Colin Pillinger, the mastermind behind the "Beagle 2" space vehicle, which disappeared on Christmas Day, said that it is necessary to find out if there is life on Mars before humans get there.
By 2026, the manned mission to the Red Planet will be almost ready, and a final manned-robot mission will be launched, which will recreate the intended journey and test all technologies one last time. In 2030, a mission will be launched with a payload carrying equipment and supplies in preparation for sending humans to Mars.
If all goes according to plan, ESA will send the first man to Mars in 2033. Ungro said "this is the plan, and plans change, but this is the most exciting space adventure."
For news from 27/12/2002
The European Space Agency, ESA, believes that by the year 2025 the technology will be mature that will allow sending humans to Mars.
Now the European Space Agency is considering launching two spacecraft to find possible sites for manned landings and return to Earth the first samples of Martian soil. The decision whether to send a man to Mars should be made in 2015 at the earliest.
These programs are part of ESA's Aurora program for manned launches. The plan will define a European strategy for the study of the solar system in the next thirty years, which may also include manned flights to the moon, Mars, asteroids and even further.
David Hull, the scientific director of the British National Space Center in London (BNSC) said: "After these experiments and other preparations, the agency believes that in 2025 it will have the necessary knowledge to send a man to Mars and return him to Earth."
The cost of sending astronauts to Mars and back is enormous and the global commitment will be the only way to achieve this. Europe is currently planning an independent plan, but it will try to reach cooperation with the USA, Russia, Japan, and maybe even China.
The International Space Station paved the way for this type of venture but its progress depends on political decisions. Politics has proven to be an obstacle for many countries, including Britain. Under current policy, the UK is opposed to allocating funds to manned space missions. Thus its interest in Aurora focuses on the robotic phase of the mission, in which the UK has experience. The politicians will have to decide in the next year or two whether to stay with the full program.
"Britain's reason for going into space is to promote technology, innovation and pure science research," Hull said. "There is a constant debate as to whether to achieve this we also need to launch humans into space. At the moment, Britain is not convinced of this."
British astronaut Piers Sellers recently visited his homeland. Britain refuses to fund astronaut training within the European Space Agency and Sellers is forced to move to the US to fulfill his dream. According to David Hull, the idea of a real British astronaut would be cultural change.
The BNSC will publish its draft plan in the spring of 2003, followed by a period of debate. This will allow the public to have their say on whether the UK should cooperate with European plans to send humans to missions in the solar system.
For news at the BBC
