MOSCOW, April 18. /TASS/. Russia-US cooperation in the field of Mars exploration will help create a backup plan in the event of an earthly catastrophe and contribute to its prevention, Nathan Eismont, leading researcher at the Russian Academy of Sciences’ Space Research Institute, told TASS.
On Wednesday, during a meeting with students of the Bauman Moscow State Technical University, Russian President Vladimir Putin called a mission to Mars a "monumental task" that "will get more and more support."
"We often get asked: why should we fly to Mars? And the answer is obvious - to come together through joint execution of this project’s goals. Another answer is also suggested - to have a backup plan in case of a disaster on Earth. But it should be noted that the best way to prevent an anthropogenic form of such a catastrophe is worldwide cooperation in a project like the manned mission to Mars. Now a few words about Russian participation. Let's face it: Russia is the country with the highest level of competence in space technology. And these are the words of [US entrepreneur and founder of SpaceX] Elon Musk," the expert said.
Eismont believes that the words of the Russian leader can be perceived as support for the project, which logically entails participation in preparing and accomplishing a manned Mars mission.
"There is a wide variety of issues ahead of us. But the ongoing testing of the SpaceX rocket means that a notable part of the challenge has been passed. Although the scenario of the flight to Mars and the return of the crew to Earth is not quite clear. More precisely, it has not yet become the subject of a comprehensive discussion or even publicly addressed, nor have the assumed roles of potential participants been. What has been outlined is the main political component of the project - the unification of mankind around this monumental endeavor," he said.