NASA reveals manned Mars mission plans

[Rick]

NASA says it will send a 400,000kg crewed spacecraft on a 30-month round trip to Mars as early as February 2031. The details of the planned mission were announced at a meeting in Houston, Texas, the BBC reports.

According to the plans, the spacecraft will be built in orbit, being far too large to ever be lifted from the bottom of Earth's gravity well by rocket. The Martian living quarters, which would be nuclear-powered, will be sent to the red planet two years ahead of the manned mission itself, along with all the cargo.

More: http://www.theregister.co.uk/2007/11/29/nasa_mars/

[Rick]

Nasa has released details of its strategy for sending a human crew to Mars within the next few decades.

The US space agency envisages despatching a "minimal" crew on a 30-month round trip to the Red Planet in a 400,000kg (880,000lb) spacecraft.

More: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7116834.stm