By David Farrier
The second man to walk on the moon, Buzz Aldrin, says New Zealand should take part in colonising Mars.
The retired astronaut is in Australia promoting a charity and took the opportunity to push his dream for occupying our neighbour in the solar system.
As far as astronauts go, Aldrin is certainly out there – he once recorded a rap with hip hop artist Snoop Dogg.
Speaking from Australia, he says NASA astronauts shouldn't go back to the moon but aim for Mars.
“I sure think it’s possible we will begin settlements on the surface of Mars,” he says. “We'll do that through the moon phobus where we'll have construction people for the Mars base.”
While Barack Obama has cut NASA's budget for a return to the moon, Aldrin said during the Planet 2010 Conference in New Zealand that aiming for that was never enough.
“Going back to the moon; getting there 50 years after we first got to the moon? Why would we want to do that?”
Aldrin thinks that a co-operative global effort needs to be established to make Mars an affordable goal for mankind and that countries like Australia and New Zealand should be involved.
“But if we pick the best idea, and if the best idea happens to come from New Zealand, then the nations will get behind that, and it will be a wonderful thing.”
Space enthusiast Mark Rocket was the first New Zealander to book a ticket into space with Virgin Galactic.
“And now is the time I believe for the United States and its western partners to establish a global leadership, not by going back to the moon but by going further,” Aldrin says.
Now 80, Aldrin would like to see the giant leap for mankind finally be superseded by steps on another planet.
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