NASA's flight plans to Mars are somewhat controversial.

The NASA agency has not once or twice declared a flight to Mars. Actually, the agency has a relatively clear plan for the implementation of its intentions. This long-term plan includes a lot, but it is gradually changing. The reason is the critical attitude of the current US government to these plans. Donald Trump and his henchmen believe (actually not unreasonable) that establishing a colony on the moon is a much more realistic plan than establishing a colony on Mars.

But even in the case of the Moon, huge funds are required to fly and land on it, not to mention the establishment of a colony. What to say about Mars. If, nevertheless, the flight to the Red Planet will not be canceled, then the agency needs a lot of things to implement this plan. For example, the orbital lunar station Deep Space Gateway (DSG) .

It will serve as the first stage on the path of man into deep space. Here it is planned to place future astronauts who will live and work in conditions that are somewhat different from those that now exist on the ISS. There will also be experiments with the equipment.

Without long-term experiments, sending a person to Mars is extremely dangerous, since no one knows how the astronaut will react for several months on the path in conditions of weightlessness in a confined space. Until now, despite all the successes of scientists, there is not much data on how a person will feel in deep space. Actually, they are almost nonexistent, there is only information obtained during experiments on the ISS, which is still in Earth orbit, and not deep in outer space.


On the way to Mars you need to make a stop on the Earth’s natural satellite - the Moon

Interestingly, the Nobel laureate Stephen Weinberg believes that the ISS is impossible to obtain reliable results on the nuances of a human being in deep space. “There are no important scientific results here,” says Weinberg. “I am convinced of this. And also, I will say more - the entire program of manned flights to the ISS, despite its enormous cost, does not bear the benefit of science. ”

Weinberg argues that only missions to Mars can give humans some data about deep space and travels to other planets. True, so far the scientist is inclined to believe that a person should send robots to the Red Planet, and not humans. This is cheaper than in the case of manned missions, and data can give almost as much.

It is simply dangerous to send a person far from the Earth. Why? Well, if only because there is a chance to seriously endanger people who will go on a squelch boat to explore the expanses of the universe. The problem is high-energy cosmic radiation, radiation and much more. And after all, no one will help a person who will be exposed to all this in the event of a serious danger.

Therefore, the best option possible may actually be the creation of a circumlunar orbital station, where all experiments will be carried out - in which case, a person can be quickly (relatively, of course) taken back to Earth, where the necessary treatment can begin.

But be that as it may, now NASA's plans for the development of Mars are more theoretical than practical. Last year, at one of the meetings held at the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, William Gerstenmeyer, one of the leaders of NASA, admitted that the agency simply does not have the money to travel to Mars. "I can not say when people get to Mars, the reason for this is lack of funding, the budget is increased roughly 2%, we do not have landing systems and take-off for Mars," Gerstenmeyer said.

One of the solutions to the problem mentioned above is that the agency uses the transport systems of its partners, SpaceX, the United Launch Alliance and Amazon. They develop their launch vehicles, the maintenance and operation of which are cheaper than working with SLS. If everything works out, then plans for the development of the solar system will be realized. Well, if not - then at least a man will fly to the moon.