The rover is expected to reach the Martian surface on February 18, 2021.
NASA’s long-term goal is to send a manned mission to Mars in the 2030s.
However, former astronaut Buzz Aldrin thinks a later target date of 2040 is more realistic.
In an interview in 2016, the Gemini 12 and Apollo 11 astronaut said that by 2040, astronauts could visit Mars’ moon Phobos, which would serve as a stepping stone to the Red Planet.
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