Edwin "Buzz" Aldrin, the second man to walk on the moon, has called for space exploration efforts to be concentrated on Mars with a view to establishing a colony.
Discussing space exploration at the Science Museum in London this weekend, Aldrin (above) said self-sufficiency should be the ultimate goal of a human outpost on the red planet. "Is there anything bigger that humans could do on Earth than to leave and begin to occupy?" he asked.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Nor would it be difficult to recruit volunteers to set up a permanent settlement on Mars, he said, although the long-term psychological impact could present problems. "I can also see things getting a little tough and they regret the decision and their functioning going down and that being disruptive to people," he said.
The former Apollo astronaut, who was part of the first moon landing in 1969, has long been an advocate of establishing a human settlement on the red planet. In 2013, he wrote a column for the New York Times in which he envisioned a successful colony there, making human beings a "two-planet species".
Dozens of proposals for a crewed mission to Mars have been proposed since the inception of space exploration, but the risk and expense prevented any serious undertaking until the development of Nasa's Orion spacecraft, which was announced in 2011. The ship made its first unmanned test flight into the Earth's orbit in 2014 and if all goes to plan, could take astronauts to Mars by 2035.
TAGS: Space, Nasa
-
Political cartoons for November 30Cartoons Sunday's political cartoons include the Saudi-China relationship, MAGA spelled wrong, and more
-
Rothermere’s Telegraph takeover: ‘a right-leaning media powerhouse’Talking Point Deal gives Daily Mail and General Trust more than 50% of circulation in the UK newspaper market
-
The US-Saudi relationship: too big to fail?Talking Point With the Saudis investing $1 trillion into the US, and Trump granting them ‘major non-Nato ally’ status, for now the two countries need each other
-
Femicide: Italy’s newest crimeThe Explainer Landmark law to criminalise murder of a woman as an ‘act of hatred’ or ‘subjugation’ but critics say Italy is still deeply patriarchal
-
Brazil’s Bolsonaro behind bars after appeals run outSpeed Read He will serve 27 years in prison
-
Americans traveling abroad face renewed criticism in the Trump eraThe Explainer Some of Trump’s behavior has Americans being questioned
-
Nigeria confused by Trump invasion threatSpeed Read Trump has claimed the country is persecuting Christians
-
Sanae Takaichi: Japan’s Iron Lady set to be the country’s first woman prime ministerIn the Spotlight Takaichi is a member of Japan’s conservative, nationalist Liberal Democratic Party
-
Russia is ‘helping China’ prepare for an invasion of TaiwanIn the Spotlight Russia is reportedly allowing China access to military training
-
Interpol arrests hundreds in Africa-wide sextortion crackdownIN THE SPOTLIGHT A series of stings disrupts major cybercrime operations as law enforcement estimates millions in losses from schemes designed to prey on lonely users
-
China is silently expanding its influence in American citiesUnder the Radar New York City and San Francisco, among others, have reportedly been targeted
