Buzz Aldrin expects mass migration to Mars

The veteran Apollo astronaut has urged the U.S. government to accelerate its progress to colonize Mars, reports Washington Post.

Writing in the Washington Post, Aldrin, who in 1969 walked on the Moon with his fellow astronaut Neil Armstrong as part of the ground-breaking Apollo 11 mission, called on both Congress and President Trump not just to send people to Mars, but also to build a permanent existence there.

“Human nature – and potentially the ultimate survival of our species – demands humanity’s continued outward reach into the universe,” Buzz Aldrin wrote.

The focus should not be on “a few hijinks or joy rides” he argues, but on working with other countries to achieve a permanent Mars settlement.

This can then facilitate what Aldrin calls the “great migration of humankind to Mars.”

“In a world of division and distraction, this mission is unifying – for all Americans and for all humankind,” Aldrin wrote.

With NASA presently going to target 2033 as the earliest possible date for a manned Mars mission, Aldrin’s vision of a united interplanetary human race may not be as far-fetched as it appears.