Humans may land on Mars by 2031

Imagine going to the planet Mars on a mission lasting two-and-a-half years. That’s what a crew of astronauts could be doing in the year 2031 under plans just unveiled by the American space organisation, Nasa. It would take the astronauts up to seven months to reach the red planet in their spacecraft, then they’d spend more than a year living there. Nasa’s latest announcement reveals that the astronauts could grow their own fruit and veg, and that - once on Mars - they will power their base using nuclear energy. It’s thought the hi-tech gear needed to do this could be tested on the Moon before the Mars mission has lift-off.