Former astronaut Buzz Aldrin tweeted a photo of himself in a Mars-themed t-shirt at Stonehenge that spells out clearly what he believes NASA's next mission should be.
In the picture, Aldrin is standing in front of the prehistoric monument in England with a blue shirt that says "Get Your Ass to Mars," in a play on the logo of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). The photo is his latest attempt to drum up support for the measures needed to establish a manned settlement on the Red Planet.
While at @EH_Stonehenge yesterday I decided to send a message to the cosmos. #GYATM (Photo by James O.Davies) pic.twitter.com/ra5Y2OsSPB
— Buzz Aldrin (@TheRealBuzz) March 16, 2015
On November 7, 2014, Aldrin wrote an editorial published in TIME about his vision for putting men on Mars and beyond.
"I firmly believe we will establish permanence on that planet. And in reaching for that goal, we can cultivate commercial development of the moon, the asteroid belt, the Red Planet itself and beyond...We need to look forward to countries around the globe following our lead and establishing a rotating permanence on Mars for science and commercial resources."
"Some 45 years ago, when Neil Armstrong and I stepped upon the surface of the moon at Tranquility Base, we fulfilled a dream held by humankind for centuries. Yes, it was one small step. Today, more steps are needed."
There has been increased interest in both the U.S. and abroad about the idea of sending a manned mission to Mars. In fact, NASA has already invested a lot of time and money on the subject. Currently, the rovers "Curiosity" and "Opportunity" are exploring the planet in search of ancient life and water as well as scouting the surface for future possible manned missions. NASA has also been hard at work developing the Orion Space Capsule, which could one day potentially be used to reach the surface of the Red Planet.
Some private organizations have also begun to get involved in the race to the Red Planet led primarily by Elon Musk's SpaceX. The Mars One project plans to have people on the surface by 2024, but some theorize that the project is just one big scam.
There is little doubt that Buzz Aldrin, one of the first men to walk on the moon, believes that we should be sending people to Mars. Over the years Aldrin has become a sort of spokesmen for this latest space race especially in the United States where he has a large following. Many of his fans took to Twitter is express support for Aldrin and his message for NASA.
