posted 01-20-2025 01:31 PM               

We will pursue our manifest destiny into the stars, launching American astronauts to plant the Stars and Stripes on the planet Mars.

posted 01-23-2025 01:10 PM               

...this week was a television appearance by Vice President Quayle, head of the National Space Council, in which he seemed to envision water... on Mars

posted 01-23-2025 01:32 PM               

...in which he seemed to envision water flowing through canals on Mars. Asked why the council believes the United States should send humans to Mars, Quayle responded, "Mars is essentially in the same orbit. Mars is somewhat the same distance from the sun, which is very important. We have seen pictures where there are canals, we believe, and water. If there is water, that means there is oxygen. If oxygen, that means we can breathe."

But yes, Mars has been discussed in presidential inauguration addresses since 1965, when Lyndon Johnson, citing Mariner 4, said:

For every generation there is a destiny. For some, history decides. For this generation the choice must be our own.

Even now, a rocket moves toward Mars. It reminds us that the world will not be the same for our children, or even for ourselves in a short span of years.

posted 02-08-2025 07:33 PM               

The United States and Japan intend to continue their strong partnership in civil space and on aeronautics, science, and human exploration, including on the upcoming Crew-10 mission to the International Space Station that includes U.S. and Japanese astronauts as well as lunar surface exploration on future Artemis missions.

posted 02-10-2025 10:57 AM               

quote:

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Originally posted by Robert Pearlman:
NASA knew about the presence of water on Mars long before Quayle was in office.

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posted 02-10-2025 11:32 AM               

Quayle aside, no president or vice president has been able to propose a serious Mars crewed exploration plan without it being dismissed by others in both parties. Bush tried to do it in 2014, but within what seemed like a week of announcing Mars as a destination (in the context of the "moon, Mars and beyond"), the red planet was dropped from further discussion of human spaceflight.

posted 02-17-2025 11:54 AM               

I think it is so important for people to understand the profound implications of sending humans to another planet:

• We will develop groundbreaking technologies in propulsion, habitability, power generation, in-situ resource utilization, and manufacturing—unlocking mission optionality from the Moon to Mars and beyond.

• We will create systems, countermeasures, and pharmaceuticals to sustain human life in extreme conditions, addressing challenges like radiation and microgravity over extended durations.

• These advancements will form the foundation for lower-cost, more frequent crewed and robotic missions across the solar system, creating a flywheel effect to accelerate world-changing discoveries.

• The pioneering science, technology, and knowledge we gain will benefit life on Earth—economically, technologically, and socially—for all humankind.

• This achievement will enable humanity to survive beyond Earth, serving as a hedge against catastrophic events that have shaped our planet's past and will inevitably happen again. It is a critical step in overcoming the Great Filter.

• While peaceful exploration and discovery remain the ultimate goals, space is also the strategic 'high ground'. It is America's responsibility to lead—to ensure national security, maintain competitiveness and secure our place in this rapidly approaching and exciting future.

Achieving such an outrageous endeavor — like landing American astronauts on another planet — will inspire generations of dreamers to build upon these accomplishments, set even bolder goals, and drive humankind's greatest adventure forward

I am on the outside, learning and eager for the opportunity to contribute to this grand endeavor. Ultimately, that decision is up to the Senate, but personally, I believe we should dedicate ourselves to a focused set of very high-potential goals — those that may seem impossible to many, but if achieved —could change the world for the better.

We should invest a reasonable amount of resources coupled with extreme work intensity and then make them a reality. Even getting 90% there in the near term would set humankind on an incredible trajectory for the long term.

posted 03-10-2025 09:06 AM               

We are going to conquer the vast frontiers of science, and we are going to lead humanity into space and plant the American flag on the planet Mars and even far beyond.

"There's a lot of interest in going to Mars," Trump said in the interview, but acknowledged it was not necessarily a high priority for him. "Is it number one on my hit list? No. It's not really. But it is something that would be, you know, it would be a great achievement. It would be a great thing if we could do it."

He argued that his comment in the Congressional speech got some of the biggest applause of the night. "I was shocked," he said. "There seems to be a big interest in it."