Could this ‘Mars Base Camp’ really send astronauts to the Red Planet in 2028?

When are we going to Mars? The aerospace giant Lockheed Martin’s answer is 2028 — but that date comes with an asterisk.

The company last week unveiled its vision of a “Mars Base Camp.” This is a 256-foot segmented spacecraft that would carry astronauts to Mars just 12 years from now, under the Lockheed timeline. The asterisk is that the astronauts wouldn’t land, but would stay in orbit around the Red Planet, and eventually rocket back to Earth.