Outlook
Human Missions to Mars are Coming
While humans have been fascinated with Mars since the beginning of time, there are a number of very tangible reasons why we need to learn more about our closest planetary neighbor. For one thing, Mars’ formation and evolution are comparable to Earth’s and we know that at one time Mars had conditions suitable for life. While NASA has been on a path to
Mars for decades with our earlier Mars rovers and orbiters, a critical national policy statement in support of our strat- egy was made on April 15, 2010, during a visit by President Obama to Kennedy Space Center where he challenged the nation to send humans to an asteroid by 2025 and to Mars in the 2030s. Over the past several years NASA has been developing the capabilities to meet these goals through a bipartisan space exploration plan agreed to by the ad- ministration and Congress in the 2010 Authorization Act and embraced by the international space community in the 2013 Global Exploration Roadmap. While robotic explorers have studied
Mars for more than 40 years, NASA’s path for the human exploration of Mars begins in low-Earth orbit aboard the International Space Station (ISS), our springboard to the exploration of deep space. Astronauts aboard the ISS are helping us learn how to safely execute extended missions deeper into space. We are guaranteed this unique orbit- ing outpost for at least another decade by the administration’s commitment to extend the ISS until at least 2024. Tis means an expanded market for private space companies, more groundbreaking research and science discovery in micro- gravity and opportunities to live, work
and learn in space over longer periods of time. We are working to return both cargo and human launches to the ISS to American soil. Te President’s 2015 budget supports the administration’s commitment that NASA be a catalyst for the growth of a vibrant American commercial space industry.
Remember that NASA sent humans to the moon by setting a goal that seemed beyond our reach.
Already, two American companies—
SpaceX and Orbital Sciences—are mak- ing regular cargo deliveries to the space station. While the Russian Federal Space Agency remains a strong and reliable partner, later this year NASA intends to select from American companies com- peting to send astronauts to the Station from American soil. Our next step is deep space, where
NASA will send the first mission to capture and redirect an asteroid to orbit the moon. Astronauts aboard the Orion spacecraſt will explore the asteroid in the 2020s, returning to Earth with samples. Tis experience in human spaceflight beyond low-Earth orbit will help NASA test new systems and capabilities—such as Solar Electric Propulsion—we’ll need to support a human mission to Mars. Be- ginning in 2017, NASA’s powerful Space Launch System (SLS) rocket will enable these “proving ground” missions to test new capabilities. Human missions to Mars will rely
on Orion and an evolved version of SLS that will be the most powerful launch vehicle ever flown.
Charles F. Bolden, Jr. Administrator
National Aeronotics and Space Administration (NASA) Washington, DC
A fleet of robotic spacecraſt and
rovers already are on and around Mars, dramatically increasing our knowledge about the Red Planet and paving the way for future human explorers. Te Curios- ity rover measured radiation on the way to Mars and is sending back radiation data from the surface. Tis data will help us plan how to protect the astronauts who will explore Mars. Engineers and scientists around the country are working hard to develop the technologies astro- nauts will use to one day live and work on Mars, and safely return home. It is important to remember that
NASA sent humans to the moon by setting a goal that seemed beyond our reach. With Mars as our focus, we are steadily building the capability to enable human missions to Mars. Te challenge is huge, but we are making real progress today as a radiation monitor on the Curiosity rover records the Martian ra- diation environment that our crews will experience; advanced entry, descent and landing technologies needed for landing on Mars are ready for entry speed test- ing high above the waters of the Pacific Ocean; Orion is finishing preparation for a heat shield test in December; and flight hardware for the heavy liſt rocket necessary for Mars missions begins manufacture in New Orleans. The future of space exploration
is bright, but it will be up to all of us to bring the rest of the world along on the great adventure that awaits all humanity. ✈
Mr. Bolden first made these remarks at the Humans to Mars summit held at George Washington University in April.
Aerospace & Defense Manufacturing 2014 39
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