By Rob Lyons
A manned mission to Mars is necessary for our ‘species to survive’, says Nasa chief Charles Bolden as he plots a three-step plan to land humans on the red planet by 2030.
To achieve this stellar ambition, Mr Bolden, head of the US space programme and a veteran space shuttle pilot, outlined a series of ‘stepping stones’ to Mars that include ‘lassoing’ an asteroid and bringing it into the Moon’s orbit by 2015, growing plants in space and using 3D printers for onboard repairs.