First woman in space says Russians will be first on Mars

MOSCOW, November 22. /TASS/. The first manned expedition may fly to Mars as part of international cooperation in 2040-2050, Head of the Space Gamma-Spectroscopy Laboratory of Russia’s Space Research Institute, Doctor of Physical and Mathematical Sciences Igor Mitrofanov told TASS on Tuesday.

"A manned expedition to Mars is not an easy task. In my estimate, technically we’ll be able to implement it approximately in 2040-2050. This Martian expedition will most probably be performed on the basis of consolidated international efforts," he said.

The space vehicles that can be made today do not have the required speed for such a mission, the researcher said.

"A flight to Mars aboard a modern spacecraft must continue for quite a long time, for about half a year and the radiation doze received by the crew may considerably exceed permissible levels," the scientist said. At the same time, it is irrational to create a big spaceship with powerful radiation protection. Instead of this, it is simply necessary to fly to the Red Planet quicker, within weeks rather than months, he noted.