Just a few short months ago, millions watched as a man in a mohawk and several dozen others in headsets and matching uniforms excitedly stared at computer screens. But the viewers didn’t tune in to see the people—they tuned in to see what those people were working on.
Because about 35 million miles away, a rover the size of an SUV was being lowered from space by a shuttle-turned-hovercraft. It dangled by a string as it was dropped to the surface of Mars. It landed safely, and the United States cheered.
Missions to Mars aren’t new. The first successful fly-by occurred in 1965. Four rovers have successfully landed on the planet’s red dirt. With any luck, there will be many more behind them.
Two years ago, President Barack Obama signed a bill ending plans for a manned mission to the Moon by 2020. Instead, it authorized manned missions to an asteroid by 2025 and manned missions to Mars by the 2030s. It is an ambitious goal, but one that must be met if the human race will ever make it to the far reaches of space.
NASA isn’t the only organization with its eye on the red planet. A private company named Mars One has plans to establish a human settlement on Mars in 2023. It has no major sources of funding, instead planning to raise money through a global reality television event and commercial and sponsorship sources.
If that doesn’t sound unlikely enough, NASA announced plans for a “warp drive” may be more feasible than previously thought. Instead of moving a ship through space, a warp drive would create a bubble around a ship and move spacetime around it. This will allow future astronauts to fly faster than the speed of light.
These space-related plans may sound unfeasible, but think about the fervor the United States felt when Neil Armstrong planted his foot on the moon. Think about the disbelief some still have regarding the moon landing.
With a little imagination, the future may literally be out of this world.
