Buzz Aldrin - No Dream Is Too High

In 1985, I started the ShareSpace Foundation to lobby for a lottery to give regular, everyday people a chance to travel into space, so it wouldn’t be something only governments and the rich folks can do. At first, some people thought my suggestions were the stuff of science fiction, but now with companies like Virgin Galactic, XCOR, and Blue Origin, space tourism is becoming reality. I have no doubt that everyday people will soon start taking suborbital flights. I’m also the AXE Apollo Space Ambassador, and they recently gave away 22 suborbital flights to winners from all over the world, so I’m excited to see my dream of space tourism come to fruition.

But my main focus is Mars! I participated with great honor in America’s initial landing on the Moon, and now I am devoting my life to encouraging and enabling Americans to lead the way in an international effort to land on Mars and establish a permanent presence there. Returning to the Moon with NASA astronauts is not the best use of our resources. Instead, we need to direct our efforts to go beyond the Moon, to establish habitation and laboratories on the surface of Mars.

I have always felt Mars should be the next destination following our landings on the Moon. I’ve been vocal about it for a long time, and the dream of reaching Mars is finally getting closer to becoming a reality. With the Curiosity rover now on the surface of Mars and showing us more sights than ever before, I’m hoping it will pique the curiosity of young people and motivate them to explore beyond Earth and the Moon and on to Mars.

Human settlement on Mars is possible today with existing technologies. Components are well tested and readily available from industry leaders worldwide. The first footprints on Mars and the lives of the crew will captivate and inspire future generations, but I’m convinced that we should develop a colony on Mars, a permanent settlement, not just a landing area. Permanence is the key, right from the get-go. Some of my colleagues don’t feel that establishing a settlement on Mars is wise; others consider it a suicide mission. I disagree. Over a period of six or seven years, we can construct a habitat and laboratory on Mars. Certainly, some people will go to Mars, stay for a while, and return to Earth, but we should also seek out and encourage people who wish to travel to Mars and remain there for the rest of their lives.

Did the Pilgrims on the Mayflower sit around Plymouth Rock waiting for a return ship to England? Absolutely not! They traveled to the New World to settle. And that’s what I hope we will be doing on Mars. When you go to Mars, you need to have made the decision that you’re there permanently. The more people we have there, the more it can become a sustainable environment. Except for very rare exceptions, the people who go to Mars shouldn’t be coming back. Once you get on the surface, you’re there, helping to build a colony.

On the Big Island of Hawaii, some of these ideas are currently being tested, and scientists as well as volunteers are simulating life on Mars. On a portion of the island that looks very similar to the terrain of Mars, people are learning how to live on Mars. They are practicing how to function through the use of robots and rovers, remotely controlled and manipulated by satellite from a safe location, and learning how to dock various pieces of equipment on uneven terrains—even docking habitats in which more people can live. The colonization of Mars is getting closer every day!

That’s why I was excited when Christina gave me several T-shirts with slogans saying something about Mars. She found a shirt that said “Mars Today” and another that said “Occupy Mars,” and then she showed me one with the slogan “Get Your Ass to Mars.” I thought, That’s it! That’s for me! I love it! Actually, as much as I use the phrase, I cannot take credit for it. Christina saw it initially on a shirt advertising the movie Total Recall . I realized that some people might be offended if they saw me wearing such a shirt, but I also knew it would be a great way to call attention to my goal of motivating people to go to Mars.

The first time I wore the shirt, we were in Dubai, getting ready to board a plane, and Christina took a picture and sent it out on Twitter. I was wearing a red flight suit and did a “Superman” pose. The picture went around the world!

I started wearing the shirt everywhere I went, and before long, other people were asking, “Hey, Buzz, where can I get one of those shirts?” So we designed our own, and now people everywhere are wearing the GYATM shirts. Anything that causes people to pay attention and helps keep the focus on the mission to Mars is fine with me! And all sorts of people wanted to wear one. Before long, I spotted people everywhere wearing “Get Your Ass to Mars” shirts, from Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters to Jim Lovell of Apollo 13 fame. And they looked good!

The GYATM campaign took off like a Saturn rocket. I began receiving invitations for speaking engagements that went something like this: “Dear Mr. Aldrin, Please Get Your Ass to Korea and tell us how we can get to Mars.” So I plan to get my ass to Korea, to Australia, and to anywhere else an opportunity comes up to encourage people that we can do it. We can get our collective ass to Mars!

ALTHOUGH I AM APPRECIATIVE and supportive of the commercial ventures now pursuing space travel, and I understand why some people feel the private sector should lead the way to Mars, I disagree that governments of nations should not be involved. This monumental achievement by humanity should not be done by one private company. It should be accomplished by a collection of the best from all the countries on Earth, and in the same way that we remember President Kennedy’s challenge that motivated us to dream of reaching the Moon, the leader of the nation who makes a commitment to land on Mars within two decades will be remembered throughout history.

Obviously, I am passionate about forging our future in space. People ask me all the time, “Why do we need to go to Mars?” or “Why do we even need a space program?”

Perhaps the best reason is that by venturing into space, we improve life for everyone here on Earth. The scientific advancements and innovations that come from this type of research create products and technology that we use in our daily lives, and provide even more convenience to people all over the world every day. For example, the technology and the satellites used for communications by cell phones, GPS, and most television networks have been possible because of investments in the space program.

Space activities provide shared experiences for people of diverse countries and can promote cultural acceptance, expand international cooperation, and reduce social gaps. Indirectly, the exploration of space can encourage peace on Earth.

During the 1960s and 1970s, when the United States and the Soviet Union engaged as adversaries in the cold war, the competition between the two countries to achieve dominance in space stimulated America to improve our technologies and scientific studies. That demonstration of perseverance, along with the dedication of our citizens and the depth of the U.S. industrial capabilities, went a long way toward convincing Soviet premier Mikhail Gorbachev that his nation could not match our potential. The announcement by President Ronald Reagan that we would develop a strategic defense initiative, dubbed “Star Wars” by the program’s detractors, was a major factor in ending the cold war. So in a way, America’s pursuit of space exploration brought peace to our country and reduced the threat of nuclear war worldwide.