NASA is developing the capabilities needed to send humans to an asteroid by 2025 and Mars in the 2030s. In an Exploration Forum at NASA Headquarters in Washington on April 29, 2014, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden and officials from across the agency detailed NASA’s Human Path to Mars.
View the video archive here:
Mars is a rich destination for scientific discovery and robotic and human exploration as we expand our presence into the solar system. Its formation and evolution are comparable to Earth, helping us learn more about our own planet’s history and future. Mars had conditions suitable for life in its past. Future exploration could uncover evidence of life, answering one of the fundamental mysteries of the cosmos: Does life exist beyond Earth?
[image-51] [image-65] Presentations from the event are available here:
- Current and Future Robotic Exploration of Mars — John Grunsfeld, Associate Adminstrator, Science Mission Directorate
- NASA's Human Path to Mars — William Gerstenmaier, Associate Adminstrator, Human Exploration and Operations Mission Directorate
- The International Space Station, Exploration and the Commercial Development of LEO — Sam Scimemi, Director, International Space Station
- Commercial Space In Low-Earth Orbit — Phil McAlister, Director, Commercial Spaceflight Development
- Orion, Space Launch System, and Ground Systems Development and Operations — Dan Dumbacher, Deputy Associate Administrator, Exploration Systems
- Asteroid Redirect Mission — Michele Gates, Senior Technicial Advisor, Human Exploration and Operations
- Evolvable Mars Campaign — Jason Crusan, Director, Advanced Exploration Systems
- Current and Future Technology Work — Randy Lillard, Program Executive for Technology Demonstration Missions, Space Technology Mission Directorate
- Benefits to Science and Technology Communities From These Endeavors — Ellen Stofan, Chief Scientist and David Miller, Chief Technologist
On May 29, 2014, NASA released a report, Pioneering Space: NASA's Next Steps on the Path to Mars
Find out more about NASA’s Human Path to Mars at: http://www.nasa.gov/content/nasas-path-to-mars