exploration
NASA seeks input on human exploration objectives
NASA is seeking informal public input on a set of 50 objectives for its exploration efforts that agency leadership says will go into a broader effort to guide its activities for the next two decades.
Lunar base and Gateway part of sustainable long-term human exploration plan
As NASA works to develop a plan for an accelerated human return to the moon, a top White House official emphasized the need for long-term sustainability that will require both a Gateway and a lunar base.
Advisory group seeks role evaluating NASA’s lunar plans
The advisory group of the National Space Council wants to take on a role evaluating NASA’s plans to return humans to the moon by 2024, once those plans are developed.
Mars mission advocates see benefits in NASA’s lunar exploration plans
With NASA committed to a human return to the moon, Mars exploration advocates say those lunar missions can be useful to achieve their long-term goals, if designed properly.
Poll shows more public support for NASA science programs than human exploration
A new poll finds that the American public broadly supports NASA but thinks the space agency should be focused more on Earth science and planetary defense than human missions to the moon or Mars.
NASA weighs changes to space technology programs and organization
As NASA reviews the windfall it received in the 2018 omnibus spending bill last week, the agency is moving ahead with a reorganization of its space technology work that puts in question the future of some of its current projects.
New exploration roadmap to be topic of space agencies meeting
A new version of a space exploration roadmap that firmly puts the moon on the path to Mars will be one topic of discussion at a meeting of dozens of space agencies this weekend in Tokyo.
NASA 2019 budget expected to include lunar exploration program details
Details about how NASA will implement a space policy directive regarding a human return to the moon will be in the agency's 2019 budget request, scheduled for release as soon as early February.
Op-ed | A new direction in space policy
Implementing the Trump administration's space policy requires increased reliance on the growing array of commercial space capabilities to enable human to return to the moon and go to Mars and beyond.
NASA to leverage current planning for 45-day exploration report
A shift in focus in NASA’s exploration plans to the moon won’t have an immediate effect on planning for the first flight of the agency’s Space Launch System rocket, now expected no sooner than late 2019.
NASA adds companies to program to develop deep space habitats
NASA is casting a wider net in its search for designs of a habitat module that could support deep space missions, awarding contracts Aug. 9 to six companies for a new round of studies.
Spending Bill To Accelerate NASA Habitation Module Work
An omnibus spending bill passed by Congress this month directs NASA to accelerate work on a habitation module that could be used for future deep space missions, although how NASA will implement that direction is unclear.
Why ‘The Martian’ Won’t Get Us Any Closer to the Red Planet
If the space community seeks to turn the Matt Damon film into a commercial for sending people to Mars, we will fail miserably.
Op-ed | Setting Arbitrary Cost, Schedule Will Never Get People to Mars
What is needed is a firm, long-term commitment to pursue the goal of humans exploring and eventually settling on Mars.
Op-ed | The Summit, the Solution, the Possibility
Can we get past our positions so we can work together to throw open the frontier for the people of Earth?
Letter | Search for Life Should Propel Mission to Mars
“Let’s get humans farther and deeper into space,” writes Bill Nye in a response to recent op-eds from Robert Zubrin and Rick Tumlinson. “Let’s go to Mars and look for living things.”
Op-ed | Prescription for Mars: Stay the Course, Don’t Screw Up
It is important not to reinvent the U.S. space program, especially concerning human missions to Mars. While everything is not perfect, we can’t afford another reset of national space policy when the next president takes office.
Letter | Alliance Focused on Space Development, Not the Destination
The Alliance for Space Development is firmly focused on the development that must precede a successful settlement effort regardless of the location — the moon, Mars, free space or asteroids — despite criticism that the alliance has not advocated on lunar settlement this year.
Op-ed | We Need To Expand the Conversation About Space
Private spacecraft are visiting the ISS, and NASA has publicly stated that the next space station(s) must be privately owned and operated. Today’s discussions about space activities aren’t merely about exploring space, but about developing and settling it.
New Alliance To Promote Space Development and Settlement Policies
On the heels of a closed-door meeting that concluded space development and settlement should be long-term goals of the United States, a separate group of 11 organizations announced a new coalition that will promote policies to achieve those goals.
