Former Apollo 8 Astronaut Bill Anders Thinks NASA's Mars Mission With Humans Is A 'Stupid' Idea

NASA has for a while now been expressing it's desire to send a manned mission to Mars.

But though they've already started working towards that eventual goal, it seems not everyone is as supportive of that plan. In fact, some think it's downright stupid.

Bill Anders is a living legend in space history, having been on the Apollo 8, the first manned spaceflight mission to circle the Moon in 1968. He's the one responsible for that amazing "Earthrise" photo from 50 years ago that cast Earth in a new light. And the 85-year-old thinks the journey to Mars isn't something we should be focused on.

"What's the imperative?" he asked on BBC's Radio Live 5. "What's pushing us to go to Mars? I don't think the public is that interested." Though he says he's a huge supporter of unmanned missions to the red planet, he thinks a manned mission is an unnecessary expense.

Also Read: 50 Years On, This Iconic Photo Of Earth From The Moon Shows We Have Only One Planet To Live On

"NASA couldn't get to the moon today," Anders added. "They're so ossified... NASA has turned into a jobs programme... many of the centres are mainly interested in keeping busy and you don't see the public support other than they get the workers their pay and their Congressmen get re-elected."

Bill Anders (far right) reunited with some of his Apollo 8 teammates in 2008 - NASA

Ander's Apollo 8 colleague Frank Borman meanwhile has a slightly different viewpoint. He believes the solar system needs "robust exploration", but is skeptical of private agencies like SpaceX and Blue Origin sending their own missions to Mars. "Musk and Bezos, they're talking about putting colonies on Mars, that's nonsense," he said.