Astronauts may orbit Mars by 2033, but setting foot on the Red Planet by the end of next decade would be an "aggressive" and "audacious" goal, according to NASA officials.
To make the 6-month flight to Mars and land by 2040, humans would have to leave Earth in 2039, a vision that was previously mentioned by NASA administrator Bill Nelson and former chief Jim Bridenstine. But the agency is finding it quite challenging to make that vision a reality in the next 16 years.
