Expert predicts at least two decades’ worth of work toward a mission to Mars for Russia
MOSCOW, April 17. /TASS/. Russia will have an opportunity to launch a Mars exploration mission no earlier than in two to three decades, space historian Alexander Zheleznyakov told TASS.
"Plans toward Mars exploration are currently at a very nascent stage in Russia. Much work has to be done," the expert explained, referring to projects to build specific spacecraft and issues related to space flight safety and protection from space radiation for cosmonauts, among other things. "So, this is a matter of a remote future. I think at least 20 to 30 years will pass [before Russia undertakes a mission to Mars]," he specified.
Meanwhile, the Lunar program remains a priority for Russia, Zheleznyakov said. "Well, we have postponed our Lunar project until at least 2040," he added.
At a meeting with students of the Bauman Moscow State Technical University on Wednesday, Russian President Vladimir Putin called a mission to Mars "a monumental task" that he said "will get more and more support."
