The race to land humans on Mars looks set for a tight finish. China aims to send its first crewed mission to the red planet in 2033 — the same year that NASA has set as a target. Beijing’s plans were revealed by the head of China‘s top rocket maker, Wang Xiaojun, at a space conference in Russia, Reuters reports. Wang outlined a three-step plan for the expedition. First, China will send robots to Mars, which will return soil samples and search for potential locations for a base.  Next, astronauts will be sent to build a Martian base. Finally, China…

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