Stephen Hawking urges landing on Moon by 2020 for survival of human race

The renowned theoretical physicist, Professor Stephen Hawking has urged to send astronauts to Moon by 2020 and Mars by 2025 for the survival of the human race.

"It is crucial to establish colonies on Mars and the Moon, and take a Noah's Ark of plants, animals, fungi and insects, to start creating a new world", Hawking said at  Starmus science festival in Trondheim, Norway.

According to Hawking there is no long-term future for our species staying on Earth. It would either hit by an asteroid again or eventually engulfed by our own Sun.

Read more: Are we heading to doomsday in next 100 years?

Prof Hawking said the Moon and Mars were the best sites to begin the first colonies, stating that a lunar base could be established within 30 years and a Martian outpost within 50. But he also suggested leaving the Solar System and venturing to our nearest star system, Alpha Centauri, where scientists believe there exists a habitable planet known as Proxima B.

"Spreading out may be the only thing that saves us from ourselves", he added.