Mars mission: yes! I would like to express my opinion that a manned mission to Mars is an enterprise that must be carried out in the next few decades.

Dear Mr. President,

the United States is drawing up a plan that may shape the future of space exploration and technology and furthermore, mankind itself. It intends to embark on a manned mission to Mars in the early 2030s, but there has been many debates about this plan. Not only the experts but the general population at large has divided opinions. They have doubts about firstly, whether such a mission is really necessary and secondly, whether it is so important to be put above many other big-scale plans concerning all domains of policy and lastly whether it is logically and scientifically realistic and realizable. I will now write about my view on this subject.

I would like to express my opinion that a manned mission to Mars is an enterprise that must be carried out in the next few decades. I would like to state one major reason that I have to support my view that landing spacecraft with cosmonauts on Mars is needed. It is that we may be able to build a basis on which the colonization of Mars may be achieved if research results yield that it is indeed possible through the 500-day stay on Mars of the astronauts. ㅁThe idea of a human colony in Space has become much more realistic than before. The first reason is that under the current circumstances, the dangers of a destabilization of earth's climate and geology because of major disasters such as Global Warming, Nuclear War, Super volcano Eruption and Asteroid Impact are increasing or continuing to threaten us. This is because us humans continue to explore the world of technology and in that process arouse the power of nature or cause our own knowledge to be dangerous. Secondly, Earth's energy and industrial resources such as oil, coal, natural gases, minerals and rocks are fast being exhausted. This necessitates the development of mines in the solar system itself. ㄹMars is the most ideal space colony location available. Let us consider other location candidates. One of the gas planets on the outer solar system such as Jupiter and Saturn or one of the dwarf planets or major asteroids situated in the asteroid belt such as Ceres are too far away. The inner planets like Mercury and Venus are too hot and too close to the Sun, and the Moon does not have any strategic position in the solar system. Mars also has an environment that is closest to us among the major celestial bodies of the solar system. Mars would provide a point from which the exploration of the outer solar system would be easier.

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But there are a few conditions that need to be met for this mission to be carried out successfully and appropriately. Firstly, the objectives of a manned mission to Mars should not be limited to the significance in its achievement, nor to the research of the planet to find out about its history. It is then my position that such a mission is not strictly necessary or advisable considering the financial and technological resources that shall be invested into the mission. Explorations using robots and machines are much more effective for finding traces of water, oxygen or evidence of life. A trip only for its significance, is absurd, completely ineffective, and, if I may add, a waste of resources. The Apollo missions carried out for 5 years from 1969 to 1973 were focused on the significance of landing on the moon. Still, the difference between the moon and Mars must be recognized. It took only from 1 to 2 weeks to carry out a manned mission to the moon. In contrary a mission to Mars is expected to take 900 days only for the cosmonauts while the preliminary transportation of cargo and the actual mission together would take almost 5 years. Robot technology has also seen significant developments so that robots are more efficient for research than humans. ㄹSecondly, the importance of issues on earth must also not be underestimated or overlooked in the face of Martial exploration. Widespread issues such as Nuclear Weapons and Global Warming are very serious and important, especially Global Warming, which, if unstopped, may end in an apocalypse for all mankind. We have already a period of transition from the US-&-USSR 2-power system, to general American domination as the sole world superpower, which has been seen in the past 20 years and which will continue to exist for some years. It is being predicted that this will evolve further to a system of cooperation and coexistence between many world powers such as the US, the EU, Russia, China, India, and Japan. The United States must play a major part in maintaining peaceful stability in this age or this century will see turmoil and dispute between nations. ㅇThirdly, further explorations of the moon and its colonization in the early stages must proceed as a preliminary course of action before sending a manned spacecraft to Mars to prepare ourselves for such a great endeavor. Without keeping in mind the exact main objectives of the mission, the importance of affairs on earth, and the space missions that must be taken as a preliminary step, the mission to Mars is easy to fall into failure or ineffectiveness.

In conclusion, Mr. President, I request you to go ahead with the NASA's plan to launch a manned mission to Mars by the year 2030. I sincerely encourage you to execute this plan with responsibility not only as the President of the United States of America and as an American Mission to Mars but as a Leader of the Global Community and as a Mission for All Mankind. The most important point should be the laying of fundamental conceptions for a human colony on Mars. The significance of the trip and scientific research should be laid aside from the main objectives. That is for as I have mentioned robot research is most effective and a trip only to be laid down on the records is most ineffective. You must also consider the scale of the mission so as not to cause any discomfiture on the USA's and the world's plans for many affairs to resolve. 5If you successfully and appropriately lay the foundations for the mission by careful planning and organization, a manned mission to Mars will be visualized and it will reap great achievements and success. This furthermore and eventually will benefit all humankind and commence a new era of space exploitation. In that age, the conquest of the universe will be ours and the secrets of the foundations of our world will be unraveled and laid bare at our feet. Thank you very much, and I again hope that you will make the right choice for all of us.

Yours Most Sincerely,

Mu Jin Choi