Buzz Aldrin Wants to Colonize Mars Before 2040

By 2039 humans will be calling Mars home, if things go according to Buzz Aldrin’s plan.

The second man on the moon is teaming up with the Florida Institute of Technology to develop a master plan to colonize the red planet in less than 25 years. Aldrin chose 2039 to coincide with the 70th anniversary of the Apollo 11 mission, which first allowed man to walk on the moon.

Aldrin’s plan involves using Mars’ moons as pit-stops for astronauts on the way to the planet. People who arrive on Mars would stay there for at least a decade. He is seeking input from NASA on the plan, though the space agency already has its own initiative to put astronauts on Mars in the mid-2030s.

At the Florida Institute of Technology, Aldrin will be a faculty adviser and research professor for aeronautics. He will also lead the Buzz Aldrin Space Institute, set to open this fall.

[The Guardian]

PHOTOS: 20 Breathtaking Images of Earth From Space

Aleppo, Syria, May 26, 2013 – The Citadel of Aleppo – medieval fortified palace

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Belfast, Northern Ireland, Nov. 3, 2013 – “Wish,” a large-scale art work

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Utah, USA, April 22, 2013 – Colorado River

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Cuanza River, Angola, April 28, 2013 – Cambambe Dam

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Doha, Qatar, March 4, 2013 – Artificial island spanning nearly four million sq meters.

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Dunalley, Australia, Jan. 6, 2013 – fires, false color image (red = healthy vegetation)

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Australia, April 22, 2013 – Great Barrier Reef

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Gwadar coast, Pakistan Sept. 29, 2013 – new island created by earthquake in Pakistan

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Croatia, Feb. 16, 2013 – Galešnjak (Island of Love)

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Hong Kong, China May 9, 2013 – giant rubber duck

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Madang Province, Papua New Guinea, March 22, 2013 – Manam Volcano

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Namib Desert, Namibia, May 13, 2013 – Sossusvlie area

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Naples, Italy, Feb. 19 2013 – Mount Vesuvius

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Niger, Feb. 13, 2013 – Arlit Uranium Mine

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Schooner Cays, Bahamas, May 26, 2013

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Sochi, Russia, March 17, 2013 – Site of 2014 winter Olympics

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Near the city of Sur, Oman, Feb. 13, 2013 – massive “green tide”

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Valencia, Spain, July 19, 2013 – Palau de les Arts Reina Sofia and Gulliver Park with an enormous fiberglass model of Lemuel Gulliver trapped

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Versailles, France, Aug. 20, 2013 – Palace of Versailles

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Xi'an, China, Sept. 24, 2013 – Shiyuan Park

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