Rahul SomvanshiTim Peake was the first British astronaut working with the European Space Agency (ESA). Tim stated recently that the ESA abstains from hiring people who want a one-way trip to Mars and settle there. The agency prefers individuals who are thoughtful and aware of the risks at play. In an interview with the Financial Times, Peake mentioned that the ESA aren’t looking for candidates who are willing to throw away their lives on Earth for a one-way ticket to Mars. Peake also stated that there were quite a few significant hurdles to overcome to reach Mars safely.
Peake believes that the next five to ten years in space travel and space exploration will be more exciting than the past 50. Very soon, the first woman and first person of color from the US will walk on the Moon, and this might occur as soon as 2025. This will be followed by the first Europeans to walk on the moon, probably from France, Germany, or Italy, who are ESA’s biggest funders. NASA is planning permanent settlements on the Moon by 2030, as well as manned missions to Mars.
Peake is convinced that building safe habitats on Mars is not a hurdle, even if many in the UK and the US do not have an interest in going to the Moon. He stated that ESA will be avoiding people who would live and die on Mars, unlike Elon Musk who went public about the life and death situations during the preliminary trips to Mars.
The ESA affirmed Peake’s comments to Insider but did not comment further, as the agency does not fly humans to Mars. The ESA employs approximately 2,200 people, like tech specialists, engineers, and scientists. The ESA‘s framework for competency has various needs, including clearly understanding the agency’s vision and working towards overall goals.
Whereas Elon Musk’s SpaceX is focused on colonizing Mars, and the CEO has been public with his “Occupy Mars” campaign. Elon confirmed that humans will land on the planet in 2029. Peake believes numerous stages are yet to be completed successfully before establishing human habitats on Mars.
