NASA and private businesses mustcooperate if Mars mission is to succeed

NASA astronauts and engineers test equipment to be used on future long-distance space flights. Photo: NASA/TNS

WASHINGTON, D.C — President Barack Obama repeated his goal to send humans to

Mars by the 2030s. He acknowledged that reaching this goal will require cooperation

between government organizations and private companies.

Obama first said in 2010 he wanted to send astronauts “to orbit Mars and return them

safely to Earth” by the mid-2030s. His goal is for a landing on Mars to follow that trip, he

said.

In an opinion article on CNN.com, Obama said the ambition was not only to send humans

to Mars and bring them back. He would like for them to “remain there for an extended

time.”

He said that getting to Mars will require cooperation between government and businesses,

and that we're already making progress toward this goal.

By Los Angeles Times, adapted by Newsela staff on 10.21.16

Word Count 891

SpaceX Wants People To Live On Mars

Obama’s article comes two weeks after Elon Musk, the Chief Executive of SpaceX, laid out

a plan to eventually send 1 million people to live on the Red Planet within 40 to 100 years.

SpaceX is a private company based in Hawthorne, California. It is a leader in the private

spaceflight industry.

Musk also called for cooperation between the government and private companies like

SpaceX.

The government's space agency, NASA, already is working with SpaceX and Boeing,

another company that is building rockets for spaceflight. Together, NASA and these

companies are developing capsules that will take astronauts to the International Space

Station. NASA relies on SpaceX and the aerospace firm Orbital ATK to deliver supplies to

the space station.

This week, Obama will speak at the White House Frontiers conference in Pittsburgh,

Pennsylvania. The event will focus on science and technology, including a future Mars

mission. Executives from private spaceflight companies such as SpaceX and Virgin

Galactic are also set to speak at the conference.

Public And Private Groups Need To Work Together

Analysts said partnerships between public and private groups are a way of acknowledging

the difficulties of space travel today.

Private businesses have many breakthrough ideas, said Bill Ostrove. He is an aerospace

and defense analyst at Forecast International, a research firm. However, he said, these

companies need backing from government agencies like NASA. They can benefit from the

government both in terms of knowledge and funding, he said.

Smaller space startups that don’t usually work with the government could benefit most

from Obama’s goal, said Eric Stallmer. He is president of the Commercial Spaceflight

Federation, an organization for businesses working toward private spaceflight.

“I think it gives a level of excitement to a variety of different players,” Stallmer said. He said

you never know which company could be the next SpaceX.

SpaceX Has Deep Pockets And Big Goals

SpaceX, whose full name is Space Exploration Technologies Corp., has laid out a timeline

for Mars travel. It said its first test flight of a vehicle that would go to Mars could come in

four years. A mission with a crew could launch in late 2024 and arrive on Mars in 2025.

Developing the system for traveling to another planet could cost SpaceX $10 billion.

In an email, SpaceX spokesman Phil Larson said it was exciting to see President Obama's

support for the next stage of human space flight. He said that the company was looking

forward to being involved in this journey.

The company plans to send an unmanned spacecraft called Dragon to the Red Planet as

early as 2018. This will provide a first look at how space companies and NASA can work

together, said Charles Lurio. He is the publisher of the Lurio Report, a newsletter about

spaceflight.

SpaceX will use the flight to test the Dragon's landing and navigation. NASA will provide

some technical support for the mission because it is interested in the entry and landing

data.

Congress And Technical Problems Can Cause Delays For NASA

Marco Caceres, a space analyst, estimated that a mission to Mars done the “traditional

way” by NASA could cost at least $1 trillion. Often, large space programs can get delayed

if Congress does not grant the requested funding amount. Technical problems also can

cause delays.

A public/private partnership could speed up the timeline and get that cost below $1 trillion,

Caceres said.

One question still to be answered is who will build the massive rockets needed to get to

Mars.

NASA plans to send its Space Launch System (SLS) rocket to an asteroid in the mid-2020s

and to Mars in the 2030s. Boeing Chief Executive Dennis Muilenburg has said he thinks

the first person to land on Mars will “arrive there riding a Boeing rocket.” He was talking

about the company’s role in the SLS project.

Plan To Send Humans To Mars Is ln Effect

John Elbon is vice president and general manager of Boeing Space Exploration. In a

statement Tuesday, he said that sending humans to Mars is an achievable goal.

“This isn’t science fiction,” he said. “We’re building real hardware right now and NASA has

a solid plan to get there.”

Of course, achieving the Mars goal will be out of Obama’s hands, since he is leaving office

in January. Last month, SpaceNews reported that Democratic presidential nominee Hillary

Clinton said she supported plans to send humans to Mars. Republican presidential

nominee Donald Trump praised space exploration but did not say he supported a human

Mars mission.

“Hopefully it’s a challenge to the next administration,” said Stallmer.

Quiz

1 Which section highlights the idea that a collaboration between SpaceX and NASA could help

send missions to Mars sooner?

(A) "SpaceX Wants People To Live On Mars"

(B) "Public And Private Groups Need To Work Together"

(C) "SpaceX Has Deep Pockets And Big Goals"

(D) "Congress And Technical Problems Can Cause Delays For NASA"

2 Select the paragraph from the section "SpaceX Wants People To Live On Mars" that explains

the work private companies are currently doing for the government.

3 Which statement would be MOST important to include in a summary of the article?

(A) Elon Musk believes that it will be possible to set up another human

community on Mars.

(B) NASA is currently developing easier ways for astronauts to get to the

International Space Station.

(C) Smaller space startups do not usually have as much funding as companies

like SpaceX.

(D) One benefit of public and private partnership is lowering the costs and

difficulties of a mission to Mars.

4 How do the last two paragraphs of the section "SpaceX Has Deep Pockets And Big Goals"

reflect a CENTRAL idea of the article?

The company plans to send an unmanned spacecraft called Dragon

to the Red Planet as early as 2018. This will provide a first look at how

space companies and NASA can work together, said Charles Lurio.

He is the publisher of the Lurio Report, a newsletter about spaceflight.

SpaceX will use the flight to test the Dragon's landing and navigation.

NASA will provide some technical support for the mission because it is

interested in the entry and landing data.

(A) They suggest that SpaceX's next mission will test how well NASA and the

company can cooperate.

(B) They describe the results of the landing and navigation of Dragon on the

Red Planet.

(C) They show that Charles Lurio and his newsletter are important to people in

the space industry.

(D) They explain the reasons why the first spacecraft being sent to Mars will not

have humans on it.