Future NASA Space Exploration Aims for Deep Space

According to a recent announcement from the nation’s space agency, the direction for NASA and human space flight, post space shuttle, is deep space. In a media event this week, the agency announced that a new Deep Space Exploration System and a New Heavy-lift Rocket will be used to take humans far beyond the Earth.

With a struggling economy, NASA was quick to point out that this ambitious new design for a new Space Launch System will create high-quality jobs here at home, and provide the cornerstone for America’s future human space exploration efforts.

“This launch system will create good-paying American jobs, ensure continued U.S. leadership in space, and inspire millions around the world,” NASA Administrator Charles Bolden said. “President Obama challenged us to be bold and dream big, and that’s exactly what we are doing at NASA. While I was proud to fly on the space shuttle, tomorrow’s explorers will now dream of one day walking on Mars.”

Last year President Obama signed into law the 2010 NASA Authorization Act. As part of the bipartisan plan NASA has the green light for a new heavy-lift rocket-in combination with a crew capsule already under development, increased support for the commercialization of astronaut travel to low Earth orbit, an extension of activities on the International Space Station until at least 2020, and a fresh focus on new technologies.

According to NASA, “the booster will be America’s most powerful since the Saturn V rocket that carried Apollo astronauts to the moon and will launch humans to places no one has gone before.”

“Having settled on a new and powerful heavy-lift launch architecture, NASA can now move ahead with building that rocket and the next-generation vehicles and technologies needed for an ambitious program of crewed missions in deep space,” said John P. Holdren, assistant to the President for Science and Technology. “I’m excited about NASA’s new path forward and about its promise for continuing American leadership in human space exploration.”

More details including images and videos about the new NASA launch system for the future of manned space exploration are available online at: http://go.nasa.gov/newlaunchsystem