Dennis Tito

Inspiration Mars Foundation founder Dennis Tito and VBMD chairman Tracy Lamm. Despite the ongoing government shutdown, the 25th-annual Wernher von Braun Memorial Dinner at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center continued as planned Oct. 9, 2013. (Lucy Berry | lberry@al.com)

HUNTSVILLE, Alabama – If America doesn't embrace an opportunity in early 2018 to take part in a relatively short, free-return mission to Mars, it could be the country's "last chance" to be first in the race to send humans to the Red Planet, according to Dennis Tito, founder and chairman of the Inspiration Mars Foundation.

Dennis Tito, founder and chairman of the Inspiration Mars Foundation. Despite the ongoing government shutdown, the 25th-annual Wernher von Braun Memorial Dinner at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center continued as planned Oct. 9, 2013. (Lucy Berry | lberry@al.com)

Tito, a multimillionaire who is best known for paying $20 million to travel to the International Space Station as a crew member of an eight-day Russian Soyuz in 2001, was the keynote speaker Wednesday night during the 25th-annual, black-tie Wernher von Braun Memorial Dinner in the Davidson Center for Space Exploration at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center.

The year 2018 presents a unique fly-by opportunity when Mars is close enough to Earth in its orbit of the sun to make the proposed 501-day, two-person American crew mission a reality. In February, Tito began unveiling his organization's plan for the first human space flight to Mars, originally projected to cost upwards of $1 billion and would be financed by donations and sponsorships with "some potential support from government sources," the website said.

During his speech in Huntsville, Tito said the "mission makes sense" as his group works to get America back in the business of human space exploration and take the country's space program to a whole new level.

"We can get it done within the launch schedule already set using rockets and systems that have already been tested," he said.

The Inspiration Mars Foundation's mission target launch date is Jan. 5, 2018, a rare planetary alignment opportunity that happens twice every 15 years. The flyby passing of Mars would bring a man and woman – preferably a married couple – within 100 miles of the surface of the Red Planet before returning back to Earth.

If successful, the "Mission for America" would be a "momentous achievement in the human experience," Tito said Wednesday night.

"Soon we at Inspiration Mars will submit a report to Congress, the president and to all concerned laying out every specific from lift off to splash down, and any reader will be able to see that the plan and architecture are technically sound," he said.

Hoping to inspire the next generation of explorers to pursue science, technology, engineering and mathematics degrees, Tito said the mission would be "one of those moments everyone sees and no one ever, ever forgets," particularly young Americans, who need to see that those disciplines are still "capable of doing great things."

"Perhaps more than anyone else, this mission speaks to them," he said. "... In the years after Apollo, twice as many high school students pursued the sciences than before. Twice as many earned science and engineering degrees from college and graduate schools. ... All of this can happen again with a whole new wave of scientific talent."

Before fulfilling his 40-year dream to orbit the Earth in 2001, Tito earned a bachelor's degree in astronautics and aeronautics from NYU College of Engineering and a master's degree in engineering science from Rensselaer. He began his career as an aerospace engineer at age 23 with NASA's Jet Propulsion Laboratory, where he designed trajectories for the Mariner spacecraft missions to Mars and Venus.

Tito is currently the chief executive officer of Wilshire Associates Incorporated, a provider of investment management, consulting and technology services.

Sponsored by the National Space Club of Huntsville, the von Braun Memorial Dinner is an annual primary fundraiser for scholarships and educational outreach.

Nine area university students received scholarships at the dinner and several others were also honored. Dr. Mike Griffin, chairman and CEO of Schafer Corporation and former NASA Administrator, received the von Braun Space Flight Trophy, while the von Braun Memorial Award for Astronautics Engineering was presented to Garry Lyles, NASA Space Launch System chief engineer.

The Aerospace Educator Award was presented to Rhonda Lisauckis of Covenant Christian Academy and the Community Service Award recipient was David Brock, NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center small business specialist.

Dr. Chryssa Kouveliotou, NASA/MSFC astrophysicist, received the Distinguished Science Award and Chris Hadfield, former Canadian astronaut and ISS Commander, was honored with the Communications Award.

Send Lucy Berry an email at lberry@al.com.