Sergey Ryazansky: Flight to Mars should become an international project
A manned flight to Mars, as well as the construction of new orbital stations, will require the involvement of financial and scientific resources from leading space powers. However, this does not exclude individual national projects for the development of cosmonautics. This opinion was expressed in an interview with RIA Novosti by pilot-cosmonaut Hero of Russia Sergei Ryazansky.
“We need to work together on a project for humanity to fly to Mars. I am an ardent supporter of flying to Mars, I believe that we have grown to this point, that it is technically possible, “Ryazansky stated.
The cosmonaut drew attention to the fact that a politician could hinder fruitful cooperation in space. However, no country in the world can pull the entire project alone. According to him, such a project will require complex developments, the assembly of various modules, as well as refueling in space.
“The best thing here is to attract specialists from different countries, while realizing the importance of the project for all mankind. There is no point in competing here. It is necessary to distribute the load, including the financial one, ”Ryazansky noted.
At the same time, he does not exclude work on national projects, including the creation of orbital stations, which could be useful “for working out some things.”
“The station, perhaps, will not be so big, the station will not be permanently staying, but simply visited. There are some experiments that are better done without a crew and with the life support system turned off, ”the astronaut noted.
We will remind, Russia announced that in 2025 it will leave the International Space Station project. Instead, it will create its own orbital service station, which will not be permanently inhabited, but visited by crews of two to four people.
