Journey to Mars Overview | NASA
NASA is developing the capabilities needed to send humans to an
asteroid by 2025 and Mars in the 2030s – goals outlined in the
bipartisan NASA Authorization Act of 2010 and in the U.S. National Space
Policy, also issued in 2010.
Mars is a rich destination for scientific discovery and robotic and
human exploration as we expand our presence into the solar system. Its
formation and evolution are comparable to Earth, helping us learn more
about our own planet’s history and future. Mars had conditions suitable
for life in its past. Future exploration could uncover evidence of life,
answering one of the fundamental mysteries of the cosmos: Does life
exist beyond Earth?
While robotic explorers have studied Mars for more than 40 years,
NASA’s path for the human exploration of Mars begins in low-Earth orbit
aboard the International Space Station. Astronauts on the orbiting
laboratory are helping us prove many of the technologies and
communications systems needed for human missions to deep space,
including Mars. The space station also advances our understanding of how
the body changes in space and how to protect astronaut health.
