More than half a century after the United States won the race to the moon, the White House is setting its sights on a new frontier: Mars. In a move reminiscent of the Apollo era, the administration has proposed landing Americans on the red planet by the end of 2026 - a bold initiative that has reignited national ambition and drawn comparisons to the space race of the 20th century.
At Georgia Tech, researchers are already considering the mission's implications, from engineering challenges to international diplomacy. While the White House has framed the mission as a demonstration of American leadership, experts say its success will depend on collaboration - across disciplines, sectors, and borders.
"This is more than a space race," said Christos Athanasiou, an assistant professor in the Daniel Guggenheim School of Aerospace Engineering. "Mars isn't just the next step for space exploration - it's a stress test for everything we've learned about sustainability, resilience, and engineering under uncertainty."
Engineering for the Red Planet
For Athanasiou, the Mars mission is a test of human ingenuity, creativity, and endurance. Unlike the moon, Mars is months away by spacecraft, with no quick return option. That distance introduces a host of engineering challenges that must be solved before a single boot touches Martian soil.
"Ensuring astronaut safety on such a long-duration mission requires us to understand how the Earth materials we will be using in our mission behave in extraterrestrial conditions," he said.
In his recent TEDx talk, Athanasiou emphasized that the mission must also consider its environmental impact. Mars may be barren, but it is not immune to contamination. Athanasiou believes that strategies used for environmental remediation on Earth - such as waste recycling, habitat sustainability, and pollution control - can be adapted to protect the Martian environment.
"If we can build structures that survive Mars using recycled materials, AI, and Earth-born ingenuity, we'll unlock entirely new ways to live - both out there and back here," he said.
Reading the Martian Landscape
James Wray, a professor in the School of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, has spent years analyzing Mars' surface using data from orbiters and rovers. He sees the planet as both a scientific treasure trove and a logistical puzzle.
"Mars has vast lava plains, dust storms, and steep canyons that pose real risks to human settlement," Wray said.
But beneath the challenges lies opportunity. Mars is home to significant deposits of water ice, especially near the poles and just below the surface in some mid-latitude regions. That water could be used not only for drinking but also for producing oxygen and rocket fuel - critical resources for long-term habitation and return missions.
"The presence of water ice near the surface is a game changer. It could support life, and more importantly, it could support us," Wray said.
He also noted that Mars' thin atmosphere - just 1% the density of Earth's - complicates everything from landing spacecraft to shielding astronauts from cosmic radiation. "We've learned a lot from robotic missions. Now it's time to apply that knowledge to human exploration."
Diplomacy Beyond Earth
Lincoln Hines, an assistant professor in the Sam Nunn School of International Affairs, says that the Mars mission could have significant diplomatic implications. "The Mars mission has little to no bearing on space security; it has no military value," he said. However, he noted that international cooperation could still play a valuable role in reducing the financial burden of such a costly endeavor.
Hines warned that shifting U.S. priorities from the moon to Mars could strain the international partnerships built through the Artemis program. He explained that some countries may view the Mars initiative as a distraction from the more immediate and economically promising lunar goals. Political instability in the U.S., he added, could further erode trust in its long-term commitments. "Countries may lose faith that the United States is a reliable partner to cooperate with for its lunar program if Mars seems to be the new priority," he said.
He also pointed to existing legal frameworks like the Outer Space Treaty, which prohibits sovereign claims on celestial bodies, and the Rescue Agreement, which obliges nations to assist astronauts in distress. While these agreements provide a foundation, Hines emphasized that they don't fully address the complexities of future Mars missions.
Establishing international norms for Mars exploration, he said, will be challenging. "Norms are really hard to develop," Hines explained, noting that countries often hesitate to commit to rules without assurance that others will do the same. Still, he suggested that Mars - with its limited material value - might offer a rare opportunity for cooperation, if nations are willing to engage in good faith.
