Inside NASA’s Plans for the First Human Mission to Mars
For decades, landing a human on Mars has been the ultimate science fiction dream. Now, NASA is methodically turning that dream into a concrete engineering and exploration plan. The journey to the Red Planet is not a single launch, but a series of carefully orchestrated missions designed to solve the immense challenges of deep space travel. Here’s a look inside the ambitious plan to put the first human footprints on Martian soil.
Step 1: Proving the Technology at the Moon
Before embarking on a multi-year trip to Mars, NASA is using a closer celestial body as a crucial proving ground: the Moon. The Artemis program is the foundational pillar of the Mars strategy. Its purpose is twofold: to return humans to the lunar surface and, more importantly, to test the systems and technologies needed for the long haul to Mars.
This includes:
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The Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, the most powerful rocket ever built, capable of sending heavy payloads and the Orion crew capsule into deep space.
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The Orion spacecraft, designed to keep astronauts safe from the harsh environment of deep space, including intense radiation, for long-duration missions.
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The Gateway, a small space station that will orbit the Moon, serving as a command post and waypoint for missions to the lunar surface and, eventually, as a staging point for Mars-bound spacecraft.
By establishing a sustained presence on and around the Moon, astronauts will gain invaluable experience living and working on another world, testing life support, mobility, and hardware in a real deep-space environment that’s only a few days’ journey from home.
Step 2: The Long Transit to Mars
The journey from Earth to Mars will take approximately seven to nine months. This long voyage is one of the mission’s greatest hurdles. Astronauts will travel in a deep-space habitat, a vessel that must provide complete life support, protection from solar and cosmic radiation, and enough supplies and scientific equipment for the entire round trip.
NASA is researching advanced propulsion systems, like solar electric propulsion, to shorten this transit time, reducing the crew’s exposure to radiation and the psychological strains of isolation in a confined space.
Step 3: Landing—The ‘Seven Minutes of Terror’
Successfully landing on Mars is notoriously difficult. The planet has an atmosphere thick enough to create immense friction and heat, but too thin to effectively slow a heavy spacecraft with parachutes alone. NASA engineers refer to the entry, descent, and landing (EDL) phase as the “seven minutes of terror” because it happens faster than radio signals can travel back to Earth, meaning the entire sequence must be perfectly automated.
For a human-rated mission, which will be much heavier than robotic rovers like Perseverance, NASA is developing new technologies, including advanced heat shields and supersonic retropropulsion (using rockets to slow the craft down) to ensure the crew can land safely.
Step 4: Living and Working on the Martian Surface
Once on the ground, the first astronauts will be pioneers in every sense. Their initial mission, expected to last about 30 days, will focus on science and survival. Key objectives include:
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Setting up a habitat: Establishing the first human outpost on another planet.
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Searching for signs of life: Conducting geological and astrobiological research, collecting samples of rock and ice to analyze for evidence of past or present microbial life.
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Testing In-Situ Resource Utilization (ISRU): This is a critical technology for future long-term missions. The goal is to “live off the land” by converting Martian resources, like atmospheric carbon dioxide, into essentials like breathable oxygen, water, and even rocket propellant for the return journey. The MOXIE experiment on the Perseverance rover has already proven this is possible.
The Return Journey
After their surface mission is complete, the astronauts will climb into a pre-positioned Mars Ascent Vehicle (MAV). This vehicle will launch them off the Martian surface to rendezvous with their transport spacecraft in orbit, which will then begin the long voyage back to Earth.
The path to Mars is a marathon, not a sprint. By leveraging the lessons learned from the Artemis missions and developing groundbreaking new technologies, NASA is steadily building the capability to take one of humanity’s most audacious steps—becoming an interplanetary species.
