Man has been to the Moon almost 40 years ago and ever since has dreamt about going to Mars next. Well, it seems that a group of dreamers are planning the first manned trip to Mars in 2023. I guess this date is very relative and if all goes well a trip to Mars will be possible by 2030 at the latest. Assuming there won’t be any major war to take the funds away from what’s truly important, it should be possible.
What is amazing though is that they’re planning to set the grounds for the first Martian colony and the people there won’t be coming back. The first step is to send out a communications satellite on Mars’ orbit by 2016 and a new Mars rover by 2018. The rover will look for the best spot to set up the first colony on Mars, so that in 2020 the first settlement equipment will be sent towards the Red Planet. That means three trips before the first manned mission which will most likely prove to be very expensive.
The Mars One is currently looking for sponsors and the first steps is a huge media campaign to support the first expenses for the mission. The concept looks good and will most likely require a lot more funding after settlement. Let’s hope we’ll be able to see something this amazing in our lifetime.