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NASA Rolls Out Space Exploration Roadmap

Posted by Soulskill on from the to-infinity-and-beyond dept.

MarkWhittington writes "NASA and the space agencies of a variety of countries, including members of the European Union, Canada, Japan, Russia, India, the Ukraine, and South Korea, have rolled out the latest version of a space exploration roadmap (PDF). NASA and its partners have created two scenarios, called 'Asteroid Next' and 'Moon Next.' This represents the continuing argument over which destination astronaut explorers should go to first. Should it be an Earth approaching asteroid, as President Obama insists? Or should it be the moon, as many people in Congress, NASA, and NASA's partner agencies suggest? In any event, all roads lead to Mars in the current plan. Both visits to an asteroid and to the moon are considered practice runs for what will be needed to go to Mars."

6 of 128 comments (clear)

  1. The roadmap is nothing by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    NASA needs guaranteed funding and a minimum of Congressional oversight.

    1. Re:The roadmap is nothing by Skarecrow77 · · Score: 4, Insightful

      Sadly AC has the truth of it. This plan should be labled "Current roadmap for the next 20-30 years... unless whoever is elected to congress and the presidency in the next couple of years change their mind. again."

  2. Mining already a success. by sgt+scrub · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The rovers were a success. Now it is time to test our ability to create a long term orbital platform. I'm for the asteroid. China has shown an interest in going to the moon. Let them perform those experiments.

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  3. The REAL Roadmap by sycodon · · Score: 4, Insightful

    1. Adopt a plan
    2. Spend a ton of money
    3. Abandon achievements and the plan.
    4. Repeat.

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    When Fascism comes to America, it will call itself Anti-Fascism, and tell you to give up your guns.
  4. Re:International coordination? by Rogerborg · · Score: 4, Insightful

    The Russians are the best at heavy lift, the Canadians are the best at robotics. There is no point in the US trying to reinvent the wheel. Leave those technologies to them and focus NASA funding elsewhere.

    The catering?

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  5. Re:I really by ColdWetDog · · Score: 4, Insightful

    Only true-believing sci fi space adventure magical religious cultists are gullible enough to swallow the "space exploration" excuse.

    Boy, you are brave. Dissing 98% of the Slashdot demographic.

    And while you're correct on purely rational grounds, humans aren't purely rational and canning manned flight for just robotics leaves a lot of emotion on the ground. Given that space exploration really comprises a trivial amount of human and financial capital, all things considered, the added emotional involvement of human spaceflight is more than justified.

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