Obama On the Next Chapter Of America's Story In Space: Sending Humans To Mars By 2030

President Barack Obama showed his support and advocacy for NASA's program in sending humans to Mars by 2030. He is making his last push for Mars before he will leave the White House 3 months from now.

"We have set a clear goal vital to the next chapter of America's story in space: sending humans to Mars by the 2030s and returning them safely to Earth, with the ultimate ambition to one day remains there for an extended time," stated President Obama in an opinion column for CNN. He further stated that getting to Mars needs continued cooperation between government and private innovators. He added that they are already well on their way.

Furthermore, the White House is co-sponsoring the Frontiers Conference, which is a one-day brainstorming session that will be held on October 13, 2016, in Pittsburgh. It is also co-hosted by Carnegie Mellon University and the University of Pittsburgh. The conference will tackle and focus on developing the U.S. role in science, technology and innovation that will influence the 21st century and beyond. These include the administration's commendation on the journey to Mars, according to USA Today.

President Obama is a strong advocate of science and technology, particularly in space for the U.S. He has been funding NASA in its space research and programs. He talked about the milestones of NASA through the years. Obama said that NASA found flowing water on Mars and evidence of ice on one of Jupiter's moon last year. This also includes mapping Pluto, which is over 3 billion miles away, in high resolution. President Obama also cited the successful hunt for exoplanets that is currently in progress and the efforts in comprehending the asteroids. 

The President ended by saying, "Someday, I hope to hoist my own grandchildren onto my shoulders. He also said that they will still look to the stars in wonder, as humans have since the beginning of time, as noted by Universe Today.