Dennis Tito, “World’s First Space Tourist” and retired scientist of the NASA Jet Propulsion Laboratory, is looking for “a middle-aged couple” to be the first in our history to set eyes on Mars.
“…Inspiration Mars Foundation believes in the exploration of space as a catalyst for growth, national prosperity, knowledge and global leadership. History has shown that strong nations reap these benefits when they boldly follow a path rooted in curiosity and guided by technological innovation.”
~The Inspiration Mars Foundation
The couple chosen for this journey will want to be able to spend vast amounts of time in close quarters with each other. Their mission will be to survive the year and a half trip to Mars, using the gravitational field to swing around Mars’ orbit and fling them back to Earth. They will come to within approximately 100 miles of the planet, seeing details of Mars’ surface first-hand and proving that mankind can do it.
But Tito has an ulterior motive as well: he wants to remind people of the awe and wonderment that space exploration can inspire.
“We created our foundation to inspire Americans to take advantage of this unique window of opportunity to push the envelope of human experience, while reaching out to our youth to expand their views of their own futures in space exploration. Revitalizing interest among our students in Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) education is a vital part of our overall mission. Our goal is to provide a platform for unprecedented science, engineering and education opportunities, using state-of-the-art technologies derived from NASA and the International Space Station.”
~The Inspiration Mars Foundation
Tito paid 20 million dollars in 2001, becoming the first tourist to venture into space. He is the Founder of The Inspiration Mars Foundation, and has offered to donate 100 million towards getting the couple to Mars. But money is still needed to be able to pull this privately funded mission off, and will have to come from sponsorship and private donations, as well as media rights during coverage.
NASA, though having no plans to help fund the mission, plans to “continue discussions with Inspiration Mars to see how the agency might collaborate on mutually-beneficial activities that could complement NASA’s human spaceflight, space technology, and Mars exploration plans.”
“NASA and America’s space program have been a critical part of inspiring our nation and people everywhere to reach for their dreams and dare to invent their future. The Inspiration Mars Foundation is committed to moving America farther and faster toward our destiny as the world leaders in technical innovation, science, exploration and discovery.”
~The Inspiration Mars Foundation
Interested in helping to fund Inspiration Mars? One of the first donations was $10. Time is running out because the window that allows the shortest route for the round trip, due to the planets’ rotation in our Solar System, is approaching. Learn more about Inspiration Mars in the following video and follow the link to The Inspiration Mars Foundation’s official website below.
I’m inspired! Take me to The Inspiration Mars Foundation! >>
Sources: Wikipedia, Inspiration Mars, US News,