Buzz Aldrin, the popular astronaut of the Apollo 11 mission, is now busy with a new project. This time, he is not going out to space and landing on the moon but developing a concept he calls Cycling Pathways to Occupy Mars. Aldrin's new pursuit is directed at reaching Mars in the near future and at building up a master plan to colonize the red planet, according to a report by DigitalTrends. 

The Buzz Aldrin Space Institute will be spearheading the project but it will not be alone as it is in partnership with the Florida Institute of Technology.

"Having Dr. Aldrin build this new initiative at Florida Tech is indeed an honor. We look forward to meaningful collaboration as humankind's new vision for space unfolds," said Florida Tech's President and CEO Anthony J. Cantanese during the project's launching at FIT. 

Aldrin will also be joining Florida Tech's faculty as the university's research professor of aeronautics and also as a senior faculty advisor. 

Aldrin's institute will help in the development of resources to support a settlement on Mars. Pathways, Aldrin's idea of finally reaching Mars, will be achieved through realizing progressive missions to reach cislunar space, asteroids, and Phobos, and then ultimately the surface of the Red Planet. 

The astronaut is excited to get on with the project.

"I'm thrilled to be partnering with FIT in my new home state of Florida," Aldrin said during the launching of the Institute. "I am proud of my time at NASA with the Gemini 12 and Apollo 11 programs but I hope to be remembered more for my contributions to the future. FIT will play a key role in my ongoing legacy and Cycling Pathways to Occupy Mars. You ain't seen nothing yet!" 

He is really dreaming big, as his concept of reaching Mars is not a one-way trip but a continuous series of trips from Earth to the Red Planet within a span of 10 years, The Guardian reported. 

Aldrin, however, is not the only one keen on reaching Mars. Mars One Project, a privately-funded entity, is also in the process of building its team to start the colonization of Mars as soon as 2027. NASA also has its plans of reaching Mars by the year 2030 as detailed in its website.