Obama announces plans to make sure humans get to Mars 'by the 2030s'

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In an op-ed published Tuesday on CNN, President Obama revealed we're "well on our way" to getting to Mars. This week, Obama said the government will meet with "private innovators," including "America's scientists, engineers, innovators, and students," to suss out a plan to make dreams of sending humans to Mars and back by "the 2030s" into reality:

Getting to Mars will require continued cooperation between government and private innovators, and we're already well on our way. Within the next two years, private companies will for the first time send astronauts to the International Space Station.The next step is to reach beyond the bounds of Earth's orbit. I'm excited to announce that we are working with our commercial partners to build new habitats that can sustain and transport astronauts on long-duration missions in deep space. These missions will teach us how humans can live far from Earth — something we'll need for the long journey to Mars. [Barack Obama, via CNN]

Daunting as the mission may be, Obama argued it's an absolutely necessary leap to take — both for "a better understanding of our environment and ourselves."

Head over to CNN to read more of Obama's thoughts on outer space.