By By 2035, NASA plans to explore Mars, building on experiences from its lunar missions under the Artemis program. The mission will focus on studying Mars’ geology, and atmosphere, and searching for signs of life, using insights gained from the Moon as preparation.
NASA aims to send astronauts on a round-trip journey to Mars, potentially by 2035, with travel times of about six to seven months each way, covering up to 250 million miles. Astronauts could spend as many as 500 days on the Martian surface. Before that, the Artemis program will return humans to the Moon to practice for Mars missions.
As an atmospheric scientist and former NASA researcher, I worked on establishing the key scientific questions for the Mars mission. These include understanding the planet’s history and whether it ever supported life. Billions of years ago, Mars had a thicker atmosphere and liquid water, much like early Earth. Although Mars is now dry with a thin atmosphere, evidence of ancient lakes, rivers, and oceans remains. Mars also has frozen water at its poles and the largest volcanoes in the solar system.
NASA’s Human Exploration of Mars Science Analysis Group identified key questions that need human exploration, such as whether life exists on Mars today and what environmental changes caused the planet to lose its water and atmosphere.
To send humans to Mars safely, NASA has developed the Space Launch System (SLS) and the Orion spacecraft. The Artemis program, which will send humans to the Moon, is designed to prepare astronauts for living and working on Mars. Artemis astronauts will live on the Moon for extended periods, gaining valuable experience for future Mars missions.
