Set the goal of sending humans to orbit Mars by the year 2031.

Set a goal to orbit Mars in 2031, when Mars’ and Earth’s orbits bring them closest to one another. By that year NASA’s new SLS rocket will have flown multiple times, including manned missions, and essential technologies now under development, such as deep space habitats and ion propulsion systems, will have been developed by NASA and private industry.
President Kennedy said space exploration would “go ahead, whether we join in it or not” and it has never been more true than today when there are no longer two nations, but several government and non-government entities capable of exploring space. There is no question that humanity will go, only whether America chooses to lead. Advance our understanding of Earth and the universe, give us a common purpose, invest in our future— set the goal.