Third step involves enabling astronauts to be 'Earth Independent' so they could survive expeditions lasting months and one day even years

in progress - collecting data about humans on the ISS


Humans may only travel to Mars in sci-fi films such as 'The Martian' right now, but Nasa aims to put a man on the red planet in the 2030s.

The space agency has now summarised its ambitious three-phase plan in a report named 'Journey to Mars: Pioneering next steps in space exploration.

It says that the journey crosses three thresholds, each with increasing challenges as humans move farther from Earth.

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The space agency has now summarised its ambitious three-phase to put a human on Mars plan in a report named 'Journey to Mars: Pioneering next steps in space exploration. A diagram of phases is shown.

'NASA is closer to sending American astronauts to Mars than at any point in our history,' said NASA Administrator Charles Bolden.

'Today, we are publishing additional details about our journey to Mars plan and how we are aligning all of our work in support of this goal.

'In the coming weeks, I look forward to continuing to discuss the details of our plan with members of Congress, as well as our commercial and our international and partners, many of whom will be attending the International Astronautical Congress next week.'

William Gerstenmaier, associate administrator for Human Exploration and Operations at Nasa Headquarters said: 'Nasa's strategy connects near-term activities and capability development to the journey to Mars and a future with a sustainable human presence in deep space

'This strategy charts a course toward horizon goals, while delivering near-term benefits, and defining a resilient architecture that can accommodate budgetary changes, political priorities, new scientific discoveries, technological breakthroughs, and evolving partnerships.

The first step in getting astronauts to Mars, some 33.9 million miles (54.6 million km) from Earth, is already in progress, with astronauts and Russian cosmonauts living aboard the International Space Station (ISS) for a year to collect data on how their bodies and minds cope.

In The Martian, in an attempt to leave the planet, Watney drives 3,200km (2,000 miles) to Schiaparelli crater when a subsequent mission, Ares 4, lands there in four years. This area is known as Arabia Terra. Nasa has now outlined the tech is hopes will get Mars

Nasa says that the epic journey crosses three thresholds, each with increasing challenges as humans move farther from Earth

Technologies are also being tested on the ISS, such as 3D printers for making parts, which could prove useful for replacing broken research kit on the red planet, for example.

This phase is called 'Earth Reliant' exploration.

It's hoped this information will help scientists plan a manned Mars mission, which would entail a minimum 245-day day journey to reach the red planet.

While the ISS orbits some 250 miles (400km) from the surface of our planet and is visited regularly by cargo ships, astronauts on Mars will have to be far more independent – the aim of phase two of the mission called the 'Proving Ground'.

The first step in getting astronauts to Mars, some 33.9 million miles (54.6 million km) from Earth, is already in progress, with astronauts living aboard the International Space Station (ISS) (pictured) for a year to collect data on how their bodies and minds cope

Nasa's Orion capsule and Space Launch System (SLS) which are in development, with both components expected to fly together for the first time in 2018. A diagram of the future craft is shown

HOW LONG WILL A MANNED MISSION TO MARS TAKE? Owing to the orbits of Earth and Mars there are specific windows of opportunity when a mission can take place. Our planets come as close to each other as 33.9 million miles (54.6 million km), but can be as distant as 250 million miles (400 million km). For this reason spacecraft to Mars, such as the Curiosity rover, have to launch in certain windows when the planets are aligned. The next window is open from January 2016 to April 2016, and will see the launch of two more missions to the red planet. For a future manned mission, they will need to launch out in one of the windows and return in one, which will take two years in total. Just getting there will take up to nine months. The astronauts will be there waiting for a year until they can come back - a total of around three years. But no human has spent more than 14 months continuously in space so research is needed to see how the crew will cope. Advertisement

'Nasa will advance and validate capabilities required for humans to live and work at distances much farther away from our home planet, such as at Mars,' the report says.

It continues: 'Our goal is not bound by a single destination. We seek the capacity for people to work, learn, operate, and sustainably live safely beyond Earth for extended periods of time.'

The report suggests that one day, space exploration campaigns could 'span decades' and crewed missions could last 'up to 1,100 days'.

Nasa will launch a series of deep space missions within a decade, including the Asteroid Redirect Mission (ARM), which will test the technology necessary for carrying massive loads to Mars.

This specific mission will aim to carry a boulder taken from an asteroid into lunar orbit where it could be visited by astronauts as soon as in 10 years' time, space.com reported.

It's planned that they will reach the chunk of rock in Nasa's Orion capsule and Space Launch System (SLS) which are in development, with both components expected to fly together for the first time in 2018.

The mission will also be used to test an advanced solar electric propulsion system that will be a critical component of our journey to Mars.

Orien made its maiden flight in December with no crew onboard

The capsule and SLS are scheduled to fly together for the first time in 2018, on a seven-day-long, uncrewed journey around the moon.

'Living and working in space require accepting risks—and the journey to Mars is worth the risks,' said Nasa.

A new and powerful space transportation system is key to the journey, but NASA also will need to learn new ways of operating in space, based on self-reliance and increased system reliability.

'We will use proving ground missions to validate transportation and habitation capabilities as well as new operational approaches to stay productive in space while reducing reliance on Earth. '

A comparison of the vehicle Mark Watney uses to reach his take off site on Mars is shown on the left, compared with Nasa's Mars exploration vehicle roving on Earth on the right

CHALLENGES FOR SPACE PIONEERS Living and working in space require accepting risks, the report says. One of the challenges will be learning new ways to operate in space so astronauts can be as independent as possible. 'We will use proving ground missions to validate transportation and habitation capabilities as well as new operational approaches to stay productive in space while reducing reliance on Earth,' the report says. Challenges will include developing the transportation needed to send humans and cargo efficiently through space, the robotic systems and operations needed for crews to work in space and creating 'habitation systems' to keep astronauts safe and healthy. 'Bridging these three categories are the overarching logistical challenges facing crewed missions lasting up to 1,100 days and exploration campaigns that span decades,' the report says. Advertisement

In the early 2020s, Nasa also aims to test a deep-space habitation system.

The report says: 'A modular, pressurised volume would enable extended stays by crews arriving with Orion.

'This initial habitation capability in cis-lunar space would demonstrate all the capabilities and countermeasures necessary to send humans on long-duration transit missions to Mars.'

Putting astronauts on Mars is the third 'Earth Independent' phase of the plan and will be informed by knowledge gained by human missions on the space station and the robotic Martian explorers, such as the Opportunity and Curiosity rovers.

Data will also be collected from forthcoming landers such as InSight launching next year and another more hi-tech rover in 2020 that will search for signs of life and test a technology that will generate oxygen from Mars' atmosphere, rich in carbon dioxide.

'Robotic missions after Mars 2020 are in their conceptual stages and will address key exploration questions, such as characterising the complex gravitational environment of the Martian moons; identifying resources and areas of scientific interest; understanding the effects of space radiation; validating EDL [entry, descent and landing] techniques and studying regolith mechanics and dust,' the report says.

'Through our robotic emissaries, we have already been on and around Mars for 40 years, taking nearly every opportunity to send orbiters, landers, and rovers with increasingly complex experiments and sensing systems.

'These orbiters and rovers have returned vital data about the Martian environment, helping us understand what challenges we may face and resources we may encounter.

The revolutionary Curiosity mission placed nearly one metric ton – about the size of a small car – safely on the surface of Mars, but we need to be able to land at least 10 times that weight with humans – and then be able to get them off the surface.'

Data about the red planet will be collected by forthcoming landers such as InSight launching next year and another more hi-tech rover in 2020 (both illustrated in the graphic above) that will search for signs of life and test a technology that will generate oxygen from Mars' atmosphere, rich in carbon dioxide

Experts used a new technique to place Curiosity - which is the size of a small car, weighing one ton - on Mars.

But scientists will need to be able to land 10 times that weight with humans – and crucially get them off the surface of the planet and return them safely to Earth.

There are no details yet about how this might be achieved, but it's possible astronauts may make a pit stop on a Martian moon.

Putting astronauts on Mars is the third 'Earth Independent' phase of the plan and will be informed by knowledge gained by human missions on the space station and the robotic Martian explorers, such as the Opportunity and Curiosity rovers. A self portrait of the rover taken by it on Mars is shown above

The report says: 'These challenges are solvable, and Nasa and its partners are working on the solutions every day so we can answer some of humanity's fundamental questions about life beyond Earth: Was Mars home to microbial life? Is it today? Could it be a safe home for humans one day? What can it teach us about life elsewhere in the cosmos or how life began on Earth? What can it teach us about Earth's past, present and future?'