When the Space Race is Between Civilian Companies, It Gets Much More Interesting

© Lockheed Martin

There's quite a splendid space vehicle and it's large too.


The race to Mars is heating up. Elon Musk recently announced his plans to colonize the Red Planet, but he’s not the only one. Lockheed Martin and NASA have their own plans for a manned Mars mission and are hoping to send people there within a decade.

Not to be outdone by Musk, Lockheed unveiled its own plans to send humans to the Red Planet at the same International Astronautical Congress in Adelaide, Australia, as the billionaire.

RT:  Space Race 2.0: SpaceX rival Lockheed Martin reveals plan for Mars (PICTURES, VIDEO)


Here's Lockheed Martin's vision for the vehicle which will transport astronauts to the planet's surface.

© Lockheed Martin


Each surface mission would last two weeks, with up to four astronauts taking part before returning to the orbiting base camp.

"Sending humans to Mars has always been a part of science fiction, but today we have the capability to make it a reality," Lockheed vice president Lisa Callahan said.

- RT


We have heard quite a bit about SpaceX with Elon Musk and his masterful work with soft descents.  Those were with booster rockets but the technology is screaming forward.  This isn't sci fi anymore.  It's still close to it but they're making it real with each new step.