Everyone likes a space race. In pursuit of exploring the only other celestial body humans have set foot on, the space race of the 60s and 70s saw unprecedented levels of interest and funding in getting to the Moon. Now, as we look toward that big red rock beyond our moon, it's tempting to see governments and private companies as space jockeys thundering to the Mars finish line. But according to NASA's associate administrator of science, there is no race to be won.

"If Elon Musk brought [Mars] samples in the door right now I'd throw him a party out of my own money," said NASA's Thomas Zurbuchen on Monday. "I think that would be a huge success out of the strategies that were pursued by this administration of helping … the private industry to really grow capabilities that 10 years ago were not around."

And for Elon Musk's ambitious Mars plan to succeed, he's likely going to need all the help he can get. Although his plan sometimes sounds like science fiction, Musk's ultimate goal for Mars is colonization at a much lower price than the $10 billion per person estimated for current space technology.

NASA

Whereas Musk wants to make a big push for Mars, NASA is (understandably) a little more cautious. NASA's three-phase approach will study how space affects humans via the International Space Station, test vehicles and habitats on the moon (and continue testing rockets like SLS), and then finally put humans on Mars around the 2030s.

For such a herculean task, the journey to Mars can't afford to be a race at all. Whereas the moon was really seen as just a trophy for Cold War superpowers, Mars will be a much more daunting challenge. It has to be a trophy for all of us.

Source: Seeker

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