Former NASA astronaut: 'We're a good 15 years away from going to Mars'

Former NASA astronaut José Hernández said Monday that travel to Mars is “a good 15 years away.”

“As I've always said … space travel is not trivial, and so what we need to do next is, we're going to retire the International Space Station, invest that — that operational money in developing a lunar base where technologies that are needed to go to Mars need to be developed and tested and proved, because right now, there's too many technical hurdles,” Hernández told NewsNation’s Blake Burman on “The Hill.”

“We're a good 15 years away from going to Mars, not five years as Elon Musk alludes to,” he added.

Hernández’s comments come a day before astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are set to come to Earth following a stay of nine months at the International Space Station. On Sunday, NASA said that it met with tech billionaire Elon Musk’s spacecraft company SpaceX to “assess weather and splashdown conditions” off Florida’s coast and was aiming for later Tuesday “based on favorable conditions.”

“The updated return target continues to allow the space station crew members time to complete handover duties while providing operational flexibility ahead of less favorable weather conditions expected for later in the week,” NASA said, per a press release.

Back in January, Trump said that he had “asked Elon Musk and @SpaceX to ‘go get’ the 2 brave astronauts who have been virtually abandoned in space.”

“I have just asked Elon Musk and @SpaceX to ‘go get’ the 2 brave astronauts who have been virtually abandoned in space by the Biden Administration,” Trump wrote in a previous Truth Social post. “They have been waiting for many months on @Space Station. Elon will soon be on his way. Hopefully, all will be safe. Good luck Elon!!!”

The Hill has reached out to NASA and the White House for comment.

Topics

NASA: Astronauts stuck at space station to return Tuesday

Astronauts Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams are set to return to Earth Tuesday evening after a nine-month stint at the International Space Station. NASA said Sunday that it met with SpaceX, Elon ...
The Hill - 1d
Why astronaut Suni Williams runs in space: a 14-billion-year odyssey

Suni Williams' eight-day mission turned into a nine-month marathon. Now the astronaut is days away from leaving the International Space Station and returning to Earth.
ESPN - 6d
2 NASA astronauts returned to Earth after 9 months. Here are the health impacts

NASA astronauts are returning to Earth after nine months in space. Experts have said a prolonged period in space can come with changes to human physiology and psychology.
ABC News - 4h
2 NASA astronauts returned to Earth after 9 months. Here are the health impacts

NASA astronauts are returning to Earth after nine months in space. Experts have said a prolonged period in space can come with changes to human physiology and psychology.
ABC News - 4h
Arsenal's Saliba: I've not been so good this season

Arsenal defender William Saliba has admitted he has "not been so good" this season and said he needs to demand more of himself to help the club win silverware this season.
ESPN - Mar. 11
Why NASA Is Trying to Go Back to the Moon

President Trump set the U.S. on a path to sending astronauts back to the lunar surface during his first term. Lately he has expressed more interest in Mars.
The New York Times - Mar. 6
NASA astronauts' launch to the space station is delayed

The launch of four astronauts to the space station was delayed on Wednesday. The flight is a key step towards the return of NASA astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore.
NBC News - 6d
Watch live: NASA launches SpaceX mission to return Boeing Starliner crew from space station

NASA and SpaceX are set to launch the Crew-10 mission to retrieve astronauts Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore from the International Space Station Friday evening. Williams and Wilmore, part of last ...
The Hill - 4d
Who Are Butch Wilmore and Suni Williams? What to Know About the NASA Astronauts

This was the third time in orbit for both NASA astronauts.
The New York Times - 14h