In 2024, the United States plans to send astronauts to the Moon and create a springboard for further plans for a manned flight to Mars. This was stated by US Vice President Mike Pence in an interview with CBS television.
“We will establish a presence on the moon. This time, when we go to the moon, we will not just make a visit. We are going to stay there and develop resources, develop new methods, new technologies. And then to Mars, ”said Pence.
According to him, the Donald Trump administration, unlike its predecessors, fully supports the NASA space program, under which the Space Launch System (SLS) heavy rocket will deliver the Orion ship to the Moon.
“Our administration will not allow such an error. We are committed to the work being done in Huntsville (where the NASA government research space center is located - RT ) is located on the SLS carrier rocket, ”the vice-president added.
At the same time, Pence stressed that if “traditional NASA contractors” - companies Lockheed Martin and Boeing - fail to prepare a flight to a natural satellite of the Earth, then the American authorities can turn to third-party developers. In particular, we are talking about SpaceX Ilona Mask and Jeff Bezos's Blue Origin.
"We will get there by any means, because the president (Donald Trump) really believes that the leadership of the United States in space exploration is extremely important," added Pence.
Also, the US vice-president expressed confidence that in the near future the United States will deliver astronauts to Mars.
- Archival photo from July 20, 1969. Astronaut Buzz Aldrin during the Apollo 11 lunar mission
- Reuters
- © NASA
In March, Pence reported that the White House’s goal was to bring the Americans back to the moon in the next five years, while a woman should become one of the astronauts. The knowledge gained will be used when flying to Mars.
In this regard, the administration of the US President has requested an increase in the NASA budget for 2020 to $ 22.6 billion.
“Under my administration, we will restore NASA’s former greatness and return to the moon, and then fly to Mars. I will adjust the budget and include an additional $ 1.6 billion so that we can return to space in a big way! ”Said Donald Trump in May.
In turn, the head of "Roskosmos" Dmitry Rogozin pointed out that Washington’s plans may be "a screen for carrying out certain undeclared operations." According to him, "space is not only civil."
"You can expect anything"
According to military expert, retired colonel Viktor Litovkin, American plans to return to the moon by 2024 should not be underestimated. In addition, the development of the space industry, he said, has a beneficial effect on related industries.
“The United States has a huge economic and scientific potential, so excluding that Pence says seriously cannot be. They were already there, so you can expect anything. But it’s not very clear why we generally settle on the Moon and extract some minerals there, if there is still a lot of unknown things on Earth and the money can be spent on more useful projects, ”the source said.
At the same time, the expert expressed the opinion that it is premature to speak about the imminent flight of a man to Mars due to a multitude of factors.
“The arrangement on Mars directly depends on the ability of the human body to endure such a long journey and life in those conditions. It is difficult to predict something, progress, of course, is impossible to stop, but it is too early to make forecasts, ”Litovkin explained.
In turn, Andrei Suzdaltsev, deputy dean of the Faculty of World Economy and World Politics, called the United States "great masters of self-PR."
“I studied a lot of materials from the end of the 1950s, everything is already digitized. It is difficult to imagine how much at that time they wrote and said that the Americans were about to launch a satellite. In the USSR, little was said about this, and when the Soviet satellite was launched, no one at first did not even understand that he was Soviet, they were sure that they were American, ”the expert noted.
Suzdaltsev added that Washington likes to celebrate a victory that is not yet available. At the same time, he wished them success in the project.
“To begin with, they should make a new shuttle, because for the time being the Americans are using our spacecraft, Soyuz, the most reliable astronauts to the Earth orbit. Nevertheless, they like to declare that tomorrow they will be on Mars and put their flag there. Such statements speak in advance about a big problem in the industry, ”the source stressed.