For the first time since the Apollo moon landings,
NASA is preparing to send astronauts beyond
Earth orbit . . . on the most ambitious adventure
ever.
NASA's journey to Mars.
Launches for the journey to the Red Planet
begin right here at NASA's Kennedy Space Center
in Florida.
This unprecedented effort actually began 50
years ago with increasingly advanced robotic
scouts launched from Cape Canaveral Air Force
Station. From the Mariner 4 fly-by in 1965
. . . to the Mars Science Laboratory's Curiosity
rover that landed in 2012, NASA is learning
what future explorers may expect.
While landers investigate the Martian surface,
probes such as MAVEN – NASA’s Mars Atmosphere
and Volatile EvolutioN spacecraft -- now are
orbiting the Red Planet. Launched from the
Cape in 2013, MAVEN is helping us understand
the planet's mysterious atmosphere.
Looking ahead, the Mars 2020 rover will build
on the success of the Curiosity mission. Scheduled
to launch four years from now, the mission's
goals include detecting and characterizing
ancient environments that could have harbored
life, collecting samples for a future sample
return mission and . . . testing the ability
to extract oxygen from the Red Planet's carbon
dioxide atmosphere. These robotic explorers
are paving the way for human pioneers who
will journey to the surface of Mars.
To help prepare for that ambitious mission,
the NASA-industry team at Kennedy has converted
the center into a 21st century, multi-user
spaceport.
American providers are delivering critical
research and supplies to the International
Space Station, and soon will launch astronauts
to the orbiting laboratory once again from
Florida.
These commercial crew flights will increase
the expeditions to the space station from
six crew members to seven, doubling the amount
of time astronauts can devote to science,
research and technology demonstrations.
Aboard the station, crews are learning more
about living and working in space for longer
periods. These lessons will be crucial to
meet the challenges of the 49-million-mile
journey to Mars.
Investigations aboard the space station include
a project called "Veggie." Since a trip to
and from the Red Planet likely will last more
than a year, this plant growth chamber is
helping astronauts develop ways to grow food
during long missions.
Ground systems at Kennedy also are being prepared
to support the powerful new Space Launch System
rocket . . .
. . . which will boost the Orion spacecraft
and crews to the technological proving grounds
of space around and beyond the moon.
As astronauts embark on these bold missions,
they will test new capabilities developing
advanced propulsion systems and deep-space
habitats needed to reach and work on Mars.
In advance of working on the surface of Mars,
researchers at the Kennedy Space Center are
studying how to harvest raw materials to produce
supplies such as water and breathable air
for astronauts visiting deep-space destinations.
Once these new technologies are mastered,
astronauts will be ready to reach for our
planetary neighbor, expanding human presence
deeper into the solar system than ever before.
