Outer space

The White House Science Czar Talks Space

Since 2011, the American space program has been at a crossroads, with the shuttle in mothballs and the International Space Station (ISS) still flying, but with no means to send astronauts there without buying seats on Russia’s Soyuz rocket—which go for more than $70 million each. And those challenges don’t even take into consideration NASA’s and the Administration’s long-term goal—getting astronauts to Mars by the 2030s. TIME sat down with Holdren to discuss these and other pressing issues—all of which gain urgency as President Obama enters his final year in office and looks to establish his Administration’s legacy in space.