 |
 |
||
 |
|
||
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
 |
||||||||
 |
From the Executive DirectorBeyond the Moon
November 26, 2008 In November, Planetary Society President Jim Bell, Society Board member Scott Hubbard, and I rolled out Beyond the Moon: A New Roadmap for Human Space Exploration in the 21st Century at a National Press Club press conference in Washington, D.C. Also joining us at the conference was Planetary Society past-President Neil deGrasse Tyson and Apollo 11 astronaut Buzz Aldrin. We also presented copies of the Roadmap to officials in NASA, in the U.S. Congress, and in the White House Office of Management and Budget, as well as to members of the transition team for President-Elect Obama. And this is just the beginning -- in the next few months we will have many more opportunities to present our Roadmap to those in a position to make a difference. Thousands of people have already downloaded the PDF (2.9 MB) of our Roadmap. We’re pleased to see that the interest in it is high -- in the general public, in the space community, and among those helping to determine how human space exploration will be handled in the Obama Administration and the next U.S. Congress. If you haven’t yet read the Roadmap, I encourage you to do so. Our plan lays out a path for human space flight, taking us step by step to Mars. Each of these steps represents a new record-breaking accomplishment for space-flight that takes us farther and farther from Earth (and closer and closer to Mars) -- first, beyond the Moon...then beyond Earth’s gravity...then to a very near-Earth asteroid (NEA)...then to a farther and more interesting NEA...then perhaps all the way to Mars’ orbit with a rendezvous with one of its Moons...and finally to Mars itself. Each step will see humans flying farther, faster, and longer as we build the capability to reach other worlds.
Another step will be going to the Moon itself. The Roadmap calls for lunar landings with an outpost (as needed) to prepare astronauts (and cosmonauts and taikonauts) to work safely and operate on planetary surfaces. However, this step can -- and, we believe, should -- come after the development of interplanetary and long-duration flight capability for humans. Deferring the lunar landing will reduce costs in the early years, a requirement in this era of constrained budgets and economic crisis. It will also permit the lunar steps to be re-cast internationally, with Europe and other nations such as Russia, Japan, China, and India, all taking part. This will build up the international team necessary for going to Mars and save further costs. This international outlook, long advocated by The Planetary Society, ruffled some feathers in the space community. Others thought we had ignored the Moon, and it is indeed true that we rejected development of a U.S.–dominated, permanent lunar base. We do not support a NASA focus on a permanent lunar base, as we believe that a base would curtail or even stall space exploration and the extension of human presence into the solar system. We do, however, support lunar missions as part of a long-term strategy that will take us to Mars."Our Roadmap is bold yet constrained; it is exciting yet realistic; it
is great for the United States and even greater for the world." Our Roadmap has ties to a study we did four years ago, Extending Human Presence Into the Solar System (download PDF) . That report became known as the “Griffin-Garriott report,” after its two leaders, current NASA Administrator Michael Griffin and astronaut Owen Garriott. In fact, back then, it was Mike Griffin who convinced me and others on our team about the advantages of delaying the lunar landing until after we have developed long-duration interplanetary flight. While Griffin did say that he agreed with many of the points in the Roadmap, he has criticized it for removing the 2020 lunar landing date. I respect Griffin enormously and appreciate the importance of having deadlines. But considering the current economic turmoil in the world, I think it is better to be realistic now rather than delay and re-cast things later. The schedule of NASA’s Constellation program has already slipped, and many think that is likely to slip again. Our Roadmap is a product of many, including our Board of Directors and our members who provided input and resources to make it happen. We thank you all. I am pleased with the reception our Roadmap has received so far, and I am gratified by the numerous comments -- both positive and negative -- that I have received from colleagues, those in politics, space community leaders, and Planetary Society members. It is good sign for the future that this topic is being discussed with such passion. We, too, are passionate about the future of human space exploration. Our Roadmap is bold yet constrained; it is exciting yet realistic; it is great for the United States and even greater for the world. This is a time of great challenges and enormous problems, reminiscent of Dickens’ “best of times and worst of times.” Great challenges bring great opportunities, and enormous problems require enormous effort. More than ever we are in need of a concerted effort to advance human and space exploration. Our roadmap provides a path. Now, let’s make it happen. Comments? We welcome your opinions on this subject. Send us email! |
||||||||
 |
 |
||||||||
[ what is this? ]