The move was a vital stepping stone as the space agency joins Elon Musk with a vision to send humans to Mars before the end of the decade in the hope of one day colonising it.

And American astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson says the research is crucial for the survival of the human race in the long run.

But Dr Tyson says it's vital to learn even more about the deeper cosmos as well.

“That will happen in five billion years though, so you don’t need to worry about it.

But, in an eerie warning, Dr Tyson admitted he thought it was more likely that humans would render themselves extinct before nature plays a part.

“Once you have the power over nature and the forces of nature are greater than you, then you are wielding forces that can render your own extinction

NASA has previously published its strategy for human exploration and colonisation of Mars

The first stage, already under way, is the “Earth Reliant” phase, this will continue to use the International Space Station until 2024, validating deep space technologies and studying the effects of long-duration space missions on the human body.