How Close Is The U.S. To Sending Humans To Mars?

Description

Ever since American astronauts landed on the Moon for the first time in 1969, there’s been an appetite to visit our closest neighbor: Mars. Both President Trump and SpaceX CEO, Elon Musk have said that landing humans on Mars is a priority for the U.S. But a number of daunting challenges stand in the way of this goal. At the core of Musk’s plan to reach Mars is Starship, the world’s largest and most powerful rocket ever built. In March, SpaceX conducted Starship's eighth test flight. While SpaceX was able to successfully retrieve the Super Heavy booster, the Starship spacecraft exploded, leaving a trail of debris in its wake and disrupting commercial flights. Meanwhile, NASA is aiming to return humans to the moon under its Artemis directive and use that as a stepping stone to future human missions to Mars. But Artemis has been hit with delays and cost overruns. CNBC visited the Mars Desert Research Station in Utah to get a behind-the-scenes look at what life on Mars could be like, and spoke to experts about what challenges remain to landing humans on the red planet. Chapters: 0:00 Introduction 2:36 Why Mars? 4:26 The cost of going 6:19 Getting to Mars 12:35 Living on Mars Produced and edited by: Magdalena Petrova Camera: Lucas Mullikin Senior Director of Video: Jeniece Pettitt Animation: Jason Reginato, Christina Locopo, Mallory Bragan Additional Footage: Getty Images, NASA, Center for Strategic and International Studies » Subscribe to CNBC: » Subscribe to CNBC TV: » Watch CNBC on the go with CNBC+: About CNBC: From 'Wall Street' to 'Main Street' to award winning original documentaries and Reality TV series, CNBC has you covered. Experience special sneak peeks of your favorite shows, exclusive video and more. Do you want a new career that’s higher-paying, more flexible or fulfilling? Take CNBC’s new online course - How to Change Careers and Be Happier at Work. Register today: Connect with CNBC News Online Get the latest news: Follow CNBC on LinkedIn: Follow CNBC News on Instagram: Follow CNBC News on Facebook: Follow CNBC on Threads: Follow CNBC News on X: Follow CNBC on WhatsApp: #CNBC #space Sending Humans To Mars: Can Trump Make Elon Musk’s Space Dream A Reality?