Vladimir Putin , the Russian President and general all - round nice chap , hasapparently claimedthat Russia will plunge a presumably uncrewed mission to Mars in 2019 . Unfortunately , we repent to inform you ( and perhaps him ) that ’s a second of a problem .
Speaking to a TV documentary just day before the Russian presidential election – which we cypher Putin has a enough fortune of winning – he revealed a few tidbit about the country ’s blank ambitions .
“ We are plan unmanned and later man launch – into recondite infinite , as part of a lunar program and for Mars geographic expedition , ” he said .
" The snug commission is very soon , we are planning to establish a mission to Mars in 2019 . "
He did n’t elaborate on those Mars program , but he did tell us a bit more about the lunar plans . He said they wanted to try landing near the pole “ because there are reason to carry urine there . ”
The timeline is toland a missionat the Moon ’s south pole in 2019 , trial run technology for a base in 2023 , and return soil to Earth in 2025 . Then they would aspire to establish a base on the Moon in the 2040s or 2050s .
Why ? Well , you ca n’t just set up a missionary post to Mars whenever you want with ease . Owing to the orbit of our two planets around the Sun , there are specific window when its good to launch , using what ’s roll in the hay as aHohmann transport orbit .
These windows openevery 26 months , just before Mars is at opposition . This is its closest detail to Earth , as footling as56 million kilometers(34 million miles ) , compared to aphelion , its most distant point , about 401 million kilometers ( 250 million miles ) .
The next windowpane opens this May , a few months before oppositeness , and closes in June . We ’ll be seeing one Mars military mission , NASA’sInsight lander , making use of this by launch on or after May 5 . It ’ll take about seven months to get there , bring down on November 26 this yr .
The next window , however , does n’t open until mid-2020 . In 2019 , Mars and Earth will be on opposite sides of the Sun . you may launch outside of these window , but you ’ll postulate a caboodle more fuel to get there , so it reduces anything useful you may actually take with you . It does n’t make much sense .
Maybe Putin got his dates muddle up . Maybe he ’s just making stuff and nonsense up . Or maybe they really are doing this . imagine we ’ll have to wait and see .
