Yesterday ( Nov. 20, 2013 ) the world’s first space tourist, Dennis Tito, testified before Congress about the plans his organization, Inspiration Mars, has put together to make possible a manned fly-by of Mars by 2018.
I've been reading about that all day today. My impression from this and from other things I've read, is that this is unlikely to happen in the time frame that Tito wants. But it may be possible in 2021. NASA would have to choose his mission as opposed to the asteroid visit near the Moon.
Not only that, but if NASA doesn't select the "DUUS" option ( Block 1B variant of the SLS ), he can't get the mass into LEO that he needs to do his mission in any case.
Bob Zimmerman at the blog link above doesn't like the Inspiration Mars mission at all. He seems to favor the commercial crew projects. The Inspiration Mars may divert funds from that for a mission that may never fly because it is unrealistic, Zimmerman says.
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