The ever-ambitious US president has stated that he wants humans on the Red Planet in three years which is within his first term as the president. He has also expressed a lack of satisfaction in the plans laid down by the NASA which has plans to have humans on Mars in the 2030s. If all does not go according to the plans, Trump wants human presence on Mars at least by the end of his second term.
If he is elected as president again, his second term would end about the year 2025 which would still be earlier than what the NASA had planned. The president spoke to astronauts and expressed his intentions to speed up the process to see to his dreams.
In a live stream video with astronauts on the International Space Station (ISS), President Trump was reminded to sign into law the previous plan of going to Mars from the year 2030. Already, that plan was lauded as being very ambitious since the technology needed for such a mission will take time to be ready. However, one cannot tell whether the president’s plans to have the 2030 target tracked back to either 2025 or 2021 was a serious plan or one of his many shows of might.
The president was on video call with Peggy Whitson from the International Space Station. Whitson has just become an astronaut with the record for the longest stay in space. With the call, President Trump spoke of his ambitious plans with space exploration not just about Mars but other space locations. He also made notable mentions about the need to get private investors involved in the space exploration programs for a more rewarding experience.
The sentiments expressed by the president are shared by many other people including Elon Musk, the investor known for his role in space exploration company SpaceX, solar power company SolarCity and electric car manufacturer Tesla Motors.
The always opinionated president made several jokes when talking to the astronauts such as how he preferred talking to them than to his fellow politicians.
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