Professor Stephen Hawking called on the leading countries to send astronauts to the moon by 2020. According to Hawking, the space powers should also strive to build a lunar base for 30 years and send people to Mars by 2025. Hawking said that in order to re-ignite interest in outer space, it is necessary to create new alliances and give humanity a purpose.
He performed at the Stargus festival dedicated to science and art, which takes place in Norwegian Trondheim.
"The conquest of the cosmos can completely change the future of mankind," he said. "I hope that the space will unite us, give us a common goal, a common task for all of us. A new and ambitious space program will excite [young people] and stimulate interest in other areas, such as astrophysics and cosmology. "
Professor Hawking explained that space travel is important for the future of mankind precisely because our civilization is under threat because of climate change, as well as the reduction of natural resources.
The head of the European Space Agency, Jan Werner, said that his organization plans include the construction of a lunar base and now ESA is working with Russia to send a probe to the moon. China, in turn, set a goal to send astronauts to the moon. NASA does not plan to return to the Moon, instead, the Americans focused their efforts on sending astronauts to Mars by the 2030s.